| Record threat requires a strong hand |
| By Rolex Media Team. |
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Photos
By
Kurt Arrigo
for Rolex and Carlo Borlenghi.
Edited by Peter Andrews. |
October 18, 2009. |
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The 30th Rolex Middle Sea Race is proving to be one of the most fascinating in recent years and we are only thirty hours or so into the race. The pressure is on for Mike Slade and the crew of ICAP Leopard (GBR) if they still have ambitions to improve on the race record, as well as take line honours.
At 19.00 on Sunday evening, the potent supermaxi had turned the northwest corner of Sicily and is almost exactly two hours behind the current course record holder’s pace. This may not seem a huge deficit, but in the high stakes game of poker being played, it remains to be seen whether Slade is holding a royal flush or something less compelling. |
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Mike
Slade's Farr 100 ICAP Leopard, during
the Rolex Middle Sea Race 2009.
Photo © Rolex /
Kurt Arrigo.
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For the moment it remains a big boat race for overall honours, with so far the mini-maxis dominating the top five handicap positions at Capo Passero, Messina and Stromboli. Yet this part of the game is also far from over.
Bella Mente (USA) and Rosebud / Team DYT (USA) have been the two biggest named casualties to join the increasing list of retirees today. With all monohulls bar one left to pass through the speed trap at Strait of Messina, the challenging conditions encountered so far have proved equally testing for front runners, mid-fleet and back markers. |
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Roger Sturgeon's Rosebud Team DYT, during the Rolex Middle Sea Race
2009.
Photo © Rolex / Kurt Arrigo.
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It took the sixtynine competing yachts between five and eleven hours to cross the sea between Malta and Sicily on Saturday; certainly one of the faster fleet passages on record. ICAP Leopard was first to Capo Passero, only four minutes ahead of Karl Kwok’s Beau Geste (HKG) and significantly, fifteen-minutes inside Rambler’s 2007 time.
The last boat to pass some six hours later was Zizanie (ITA), the veteran Sparkman & Stephens design that last did the race in 1974. Back then, Zizane won the cruising division in that edition of the Middle Sea Race. On this occaision however, she was narrowly beaten to the rocky cape by Manana (MLT), surely the most heartening story in this race. |
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Karl Kwok's Farr 80 Beau
Geste, during the Rolex Middle Sea Race
2009.
Photo © Rolex / Kurt Arrigo.
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Just three days ago, skipper Kevin Dingli was cutting the remains of his mast free from his yacht Fekruna, after a disastrous encounter with a waterspout during the coastal race. On the morning of the following day, his close friend Peter Ellul Vincente who owns Manana, offered Dingli his boat to compete in this race.
With some quick work completed to bring Manana up to standard, Dingli is back in the long distance race and his worst nightmares had now reverted back to a dream come true. Dingli would like to do well, but right now he is relieved just to be taking part. Manana exited the Strait just before sunset on Sunday night. |
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Andres Soriano's Alegre, passing
Stromboli Volcano, Sicily, October 18, 2009, during
the Rolex Middle Sea Race 2009.
Photo © Carlo Borlenghi / www.carloborlenghi.com.
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Saturday night, Sunday morning saw fun and games for all the crews, though a few will be running out of luck as the pressure on equipment that typifies an offshore race, has now started to take its toll. Wizsoft (ISR) was the first to pull into port with equipment failure, followed by Apepazza H30 (ITA).
With reports from boats such as Elusive II Medbank (MLT) and Otra Vez Fexco (MLT) making reference to squalls coming from nowhere in the darkness, retirements were to be expected.
"These things always seem to happen at night! Knock down after knock down with squall after squall," said Maya Podesta on Elusive. "The lower spreader even managed to get a taste of salt in a 40-knot gust. Everyone aboard is a little wet, but fine," added Podesta.
The good news was that Elusive’s crew were managing to tuck into some smoked salmon sandwiches. Not quite up to Nikata’s (GBR) haute uisine standards of "slow roasted Moroccan lamb tagine and Sicilian cheese pasta" but surely welcome. |
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Arthur Podesta's Beneteau First 45
Elusive 2 Medbank, during the Rolex Middle Sea Race
2009.
Photo © Rolex / Kurt Arrigo.
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No news of the menu from Otra Vez, but clearly some bruising reminders of the 2007 race for Edward Gatt Floridia’s crew, as they wondered what else the gods of sea and wind had in store.
"Wild conditions last night. Sailing with a second reef and small jib. Sea state up and we’ve no numbers after losing the wand [which records wind speeds at the top of the mast] in a squall."
By all accounts the fast downwind ride up the western shore of Sicily was carrying a sting in the tail for the unprepared and unlucky. |
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Mike Slade's Farr 100 ICAP
Leopard,
during the Rolex Middle Sea Race 2009.
Photo © Rolex / Kurt Arrigo.
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| Leopard’s report of the night’s proceedings was understandably upbeat, even though Slade was finding it hard to shake off Beau Geste; which tailed her bigger opponent up through the Strait like a policeman might a criminal. Leopard was playing the game smart and fair, as her team of experienced ocean racers got the boat through the tricky channel between mainland Italy and Sicily, a good twenty minutes ahead of Rambler’s 2007 pace. They achieved this with ten minutes remaining to midnight, in the rain and fifty minutes ahead of Beau Geste. |
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Niklas Zennstrom's Ran, passing
Stromboli Volcano, Sicily, October 18, 2009, during
the Rolex Middle Sea Race 2009.
Photo © Carlo Borlenghi / www.carloborlenghi.com.
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The daylight hours of Sunday have been easier towards the back of the fleet, but drama was unfolding from early morning at the front. First, Hap Fauth’s Bella Mente pulled out with equipment failure. This resulted in an unfortunate and premature end to Fauth’s previously successful Mediterranean season. Then a couple of hours later, news arrived that Roger Sturgeon’s 2007 Rolex Sydney Hobart winner, Rosebud / Team DYT, had broken her mast and was heading to Milazzo with all crew unharmed.
These two were joined a little while later by Jonathan Gambin’s Ton Ton Surfside (MLT). Gambin has good cause to be seriously disappointed, but was by all accounts lucky not to lose his mast as well.
"We were having a really good race. We were at the front of our class even though we are not at our best point of sail going downwind," said Gambin. "We had seen winds between 25 and 30 knots and were fast with good boat speed. We needed to free a halyard during a sail change and sent a man up the mast. He spotted a big crack in the starboard spreader. Fortunately, we were on port tack. We might have lost the mast if the spreader had gone."
Gambin chose not to chance his luck any further, dropped his sails and has motored on to Syracuse. |
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Jonathan Gambin's Dufour 44 Ton Ton Surfside, during the 15 nautical-mile warm-up race, ahead of the Rolex Middle Sea Race 2009.
Photo © Rolex / Kurt Arrigo.
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With 53 yachts round Stromboli by Sunday evening, the overall handicap leader is Andres Soriano’s Alegre (GBR), line honours winner at the 2008 Rolex Middle Sea Race. At Stromboli, Alegre led Luna Rossa (ITA) and Rán 2 (GBR) by a matter of only a few seconds and minutes respectively. Just as on Saturday night though, this is far too early to be popping the champagne cork; even though the smaller yachts rounding the volcanic island later in the day have struck windless patches. Hilary Cook on Nisida (GBR) sums up the various moods of nature, experienced during their passage past Stromboli.
"After a varied race so far with a mix of near calm and 38 knot squalls, Stromboli has proved as atmospheric as ever. Approaching in the company of several boats we were suddenly doing 10 knots in driving rain and zero visibility. The rain then cleared for us to see other boats were headed or had their mainsails down. Then the wind died for us too, as we went into the lee of the island. Of most note however is that this is the first time in six years, even two years ago, that we haven’t been becalmed off Stromboli." |
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Rolex Middle Sea Race fleet passing
Stromboli,
during the Rolex Middle Sea Race 2009.
Photo © Rolex / Kurt Arrigo.
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Passing by Favignana this evening, ICAP Leopard’s line honours position is commanding, as they enter into the second half the course. For the course record, Leopard needs to put on the afterburners down the western side of the racetrack. With the wind forecast to remain from the northwest for the next 18 hours and in excess of 20 knots, a beacon of hope remains.
As we sign off, Leopard’s average boat speed is climbing steadily and now exceeds 20-knots. If Slade and crew can keep up that sort of momentum as relentlessly as Ken Read and George David did in 2007, Leopard’s card hand will be looking better and better by the hour. Leopard’s hardened racers will surely be hoping they have been dealt something special. |
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Danilo Salsi's Swan 90 DSK Pioneer
Investments surfing the swell during the Rolex
Middle Sea Race 2009.
Photo © Rolex / Kurt Arrigo.
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George David’s Rambler (USA) established the current Course Record of 47 hours 55 minutes and 3 seconds in 2007. In order to better this time, the first yacht needs to be home by approximately 11.00 local time on Monday, 19 October. Sixtynine yachts representing twenty nations, started the race.
For more information about the Rolex Middle Sea Race 2009 including the entry list, position reports and results please visit www.rolexmiddlesearace.com.
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| Outimage, Rolex and Carlo Borlenghi © 2009 |
