The Iconic Rolex Middle Sea Race to Take Place This Weekend
photo credit: kurt arrigo
The Rolex Middle Sea Race is an annual yachting event organised by the Royal Malta Yacht Club (RMYC). This classic race attracts an impressive fleet of internationally renowned crews and boats to the island every October; about 100 a year. This year, the 44th edition of the race will be held on Saturday, 21 October. Last year’s race saw 118 participating yachts from across the globe, just shy of beating the record of 130 entries that was set in 2018.
The Rolex Middle Sea Race originated by British yachtsmen Alan Green and Jimmy White, as well as Maltese sailors Paul and John Ripard in 1968. The two pairs were rivalling members of the Royal Malta Yacht Club, and in an effort to challenge one another, they conceived of an unusually long racecourse that would take place in Autumn. This year’s race will mark the 54th anniversary of its creation. Initially, the proposed course would start in Malta and end in Syracuse, Sicily, with the boats returning to Malta a year later.
However, it was revised to both begin and finish in Malta, making it around 606nm (nautical miles) long. The race is sailed anti-clockwise, commencing at the Grand Harbour in Valletta. The boats then set off to Sicily, sailing past Capo Passero, Messina Strait, and Stromboli. They then circle back to Malta through Favignana, Pantelleria, Lampedusa, and finally Comino.
photo credit: kurt arrigo
The course can take up to a week to complete, subject to the size of the yacht. The current standing record was set two years ago by American sailor Jason Carroll, who finished the race in 33 hours 29 minutes 28 seconds, i.e within two days. It wasn’t until the early 00’s that the race came to be known as the Rolex Middle Sea Race; In 2001, the Race Committee began their search for a new title sponsor, one which led them to Rolex SA in 2002. This shift raised global interest and saw an influx of high quality entries from all over the world. In fact, the record for most entries was broken that same year with 42 yachts after nearly thirty years. That number doubled a decade later, and hit an impressive feat in 2014 with 122 yachts. Since then, the Rolex Middle Sea Race has attracted a diverse fleet of over a 100 yachts from around 30 countries each year consecutively (with the exclusion of the 2020 race, which only saw 50 entries due to Covid).
photo credit: kurt arrigo
A weather and race brief is held the day before the race, so that crew members know what they’re in for. Finally, a prize giving ceremony is held at the Mediterranean Conference Centre a week after the fleet takes off, where the winner is awarded the Rolex Middle Sea Race Trophy. Then, in the evening, a much-deserved after party is held at the Royal Malta Yacht Club.
The registered participants and the type of boats they’ll be sailing can be viewed from an online database available on the official site. There, one can also find the event programme, as well as the live results once the race begins.
