| Monday 10:00 CEST
update |
| By Rolex Media Team. |
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Photos
By
Kurt Arrigo
for Rolex, Bruno Cocozza and Carlo Borlenghi.
Edited by Peter Andrews. |
October 19, 2009. |
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The 30th Rolex Middle Sea Race continues to be an enthralling, not least because the battles at the front are being repeated throughout the entire fleet. While the battles continue, each section goes through its share of heavy and light conditions, rain squalls a sunshine.
Monday morning sees ICAP Leopard (GBR) not quite off the leash, but certainly straining at it. A less formidable wind than that forecast met her after Favignana, and whilst she has stayed in touch with the record pace, that piece of glory seems to be slipping away. |
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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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At 10:00 CEST, ICAP Leopard is slipping along at about 17 knots in 15-18 northwesterly with just over 20 nautical miles to go. She rounded Lampedusa, the southwestern extremity of the racetrack, just shy of five o’clock and only an hour and a quarter behind Rambler’s 2007 time.
Leopard had gained overnight, but not enough and final long leg to Malta looks likely to be her nemesis on the record assault. She is averaging in the high teens, but the 100-foot supermaxi needs to be hitting the twenties if she is to have anything in reserve for the notoriously tricky Comino Channel and final approach to the finish at Marsamxett Harbour. It will be close and everyone at the Royal Malta Yacht Club is on tenterhooks. |
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Andres Soriano's Mills 68 Alegre, during the Rolex Middle Sea Race
2009.
Photo © Rolex / Kurt Arrigo.
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| A little further back, the race for overall honours is still favouring the bigger yachts. Alegre (GBR) has been in pole position since Stromboli, albeit by a matter of seconds from Luna Rossa (ITA). Rán 2 (GBR) has been in the bridesmaid’s slot for much of the race, but early this morning looked to be making a move to close in on her British rival. |
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Patrizio Bertelli's Luna Rossa,
skippered by Torben Grael, passing Stromboli Volcano,
Sicily, October 18, 2009, during the Rolex Middle Sea
Race 2009.
Photo © Carlo Borlenghi / www.carloborlenghi.com.
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This group also includes the two VO70s, Ericsson (SWE) and Intermatica (ITA), which appear to be enjoying the fresh wind experienced so far without quite managing to open their stride completely.
Back at Favignana the leaders of the main pack are starting to head down towards Pantelleria, still in a northwesterly flow, albeit a light one. This group includes Tonnerre de Breskens III (NED), Fever (GBR), Nix (BVI) and Strait Dealer (MLT). Then there is a stream of yachts all the way back to the Aoelian Islands. |
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Fabio Mangifesta's V70 Intermatica,
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 last boat in the fleet is the double-hander Cambo III (GBR), sailed by Stephen Clough and Michael Clough who will be delighted with progress so far. The Clough cousins are within shouting distance of their remaining rivals in this division, Cymba (ITA), sailed by more qualified pairing of Francesco Piva and Isidoro Santecca. The Italians have done the race three times previously, winning the double-handed division in 2002. Michael Clough found time to fire off a quick report on Sunday, which encapsulates the fleet’s experience in the race so far. |
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Ägyd Pengg's V70 Ericsson,
during the Rolex Middle Sea Race 2009.
Photo © Rolex / Kurt Arrigo.
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| "The race
started the way we wanted and had a good beat out of the harbour.
Since then, we’ve had everything. A complete calm at
the turning mark off St George’s, which found the half
dozen slowest boats in the fleet going backwards with the tide
while the rest of the fleet set off into the distance. We were
hit by 35 knots, whilst under spinnaker in the dark that got
the boat going very fast and the crew too. In the early morning
we were hit by another squall of 44 knots. We were under full
main and jib, and, the speedometer hit 15.6 knots! You can
imagine the way we were hanging on. We got the jib down and
put two reefs in the main and carried on broad reaching at
a sensible speed of around 8 knots." |
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Onboard Danilo Salsi's DSK,
October 18, 2009, during the Rolex Middle Sea Race
2009.
Photo © Bruno Cocozza / www.carloborlenghi.com.
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| ICAP Leopard has to finish before 11.25 CEST to be the record set by Rambler in 2007. 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 |
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