| And they're off. |
| By the Rolex Middle Sea Race Media Team. |
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Photos by
Kurt Arrigo
for Rolex and
Carlo Borlenghi.
Additional photo and page edited By Peter Andrews. |
| October 23, 2010. |
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The canons of the Saluting Battery were ablaze today signaling each of the five starts for the 31st edition of the Rolex Middle Sea Race. An impressive fleet of 76 yachts, just two shy of the record of 78 in 2008, was off today from the start line between the Saluting Battery mast and a Rolex mark off Fort St. Angelo.
The southeasterly breeze enabled the well-positioned yachts, those that managed a pin end start near the mouth of Galley Creek, to lay the harbour entrance. Those not as fortunate were left to tack out of the harbour, which was challenging in the light eight-knot breeze, with the ancient fortifications that surround the harbour deflecting the wind and adding to the tactical challenge. |
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The Start of the 31st Rolex Middle Sea Race from the Upper
Barrakka Gardens.
Photo © Rolex /
Kurt Arrigo.
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The lone multihull, SIG45, was off first at the stroke of 11.00am, followed in ten-minute intervals with Classes Four through One, smallest to biggest boats. With twenty boats in each of the middle starts, there was the inevitable shouting and close maneuvers, and despite that only three boats were over early and had to restart.
The smallest boat in the fleet is the 9.9 metre, BOV Plain Sailing (MLT), one of three racing in the Double-Handed division. Owner Anthony Camilleri will be racing in his tenth race, and his crew Gilbert Azzopardi in his first. The Maltese skipper won the Double Handed division in 2008 on board Bavaria Flyer Mlt52, which had the ‘luxury’ of electric winches and furling system. |
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The Start of the 31st Rolex Middle Sea Race.
Photo © Rolex / Kurt Arrigo.
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At 11.50 the big boats were the last to leave Grand Harbour, with the Baltic 77 Black Pearl (GBR) on the line at the gun, Esimit Europa 2 (SLO) and ICAP Leopard (GBR) were to leeward, and Alegre (GBR) closest to the Valletta shoreline. Dockside this morning, ICAP Leopard’s navigator Hugh Agnew shared his thoughts about the race.
"We’re going to have a challenge on our hands, because it’s going to be very much a race of two halves; very light and difficult from here up to and through Messina and then it’s going to get even lighter and more difficult across the top of Sicily around Stromboli. There’s just a vacuum up there as far as we can see with lots of rain. So the whole game is who can get out west in time to get into the new weather." |
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Igor Simcic's Esimit Europa 2, at the Start of the 31st Rolex Middle Sea
Race.
Photo © Rolex / Kurt Arrigo.
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"There’s new weather due in on Monday, southwest to start with and then very quickly northwesterly. There’s a strong mistral with 20 to 25 knots, developing in the Gulf of Lyon and that will roll down through Sicily by Monday afternoon and that will blow us home fairly quickly, so the second half will just be a drag race back."
ICAP Leopard was the line honours winner in 2009. This year, they are up against the likes of Esimit Europa 2, which they’ve raced against in her former life as Alfa Romeo. |
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Mike Slade's ICAP Leopard, at the Start of the 31st Rolex Middle Sea Race.
Photo © Rolex / Kurt Arrigo.
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"We know from racing against Alfa Romeo that she’s quicker than us in the light," Agnew continued. "So it’s a question of who can hang on to whom and then what happens in the second half of the drag race. Anyway it’s going or be a very interesting race, itrsquo;s certainly a race that’s going to depend on the afterguard. Jerry Robinson, Rob Greenhalgh, and I just provide the data. It’s one of those strange races. It could either be a biggish boat race; I mean obviously you’d have to look at Alegre at being a favorite, if it ends up being a big boat race. It could be the big boats punch out west, get into it and get home, and the smaller boats get bailed up for longer and longer, up by Stromboli."
"The second scenario is that because the small boats take longer, they’ll spend much more of their race in the windy conditions, so it could well be a small boat race. Because the clock’s ticking for the big boats all the way around. So you’d be looking at a well-sailed 40-foot boat if it turns out to be a small boat race." Sounds like it’s still anyone’s game. As Agnew said, "There’s all to play for." |
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On board Mike Slade's ICAP Leopard, during the delivery
to Sydney, New South Wales Australia, for the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race
2009.
Photo © Peter Andrews / Outimage.
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Agnew’s observation of Alegre (GBR) is not without reason as the well-sailed mini maxi was the Rolex Middle Sea Race overall winner last year. Owner skipper Andres Soriano and his crew are not only back to defend, but also enjoy coming to Malta to race.
"Most of these offshore races are point to point," said Soriano. "This is point to point but going around a few things and the scenery is spectacular, the islands are great, Sicily is super, and Messina straits are tricky because there is a lot of current and different winds. You have mountains on one side and high mountains on the other, and at the end you have Messina with lots of the Mediterranean current just funneling through there. And Stromboli again is spectacular no matter how many times you’ve seen a volcano erupt. The last few times we’ve done it, we’ve had a good show." |
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Andres Soriano. Alegre, at the Start of the 31st Rolex Middle Sea Race
with Mike Slade's ICAP Leopard in the background.
Photo © Rolex / Kurt Arrigo.
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| "You get a bit of everything, which is what I guess most people say about the race," continued Soriano. "But it’s absolutely true. You will have a squall or a storm, and you will have no wind. You’ve got current and corners to go around, so it’s an extremely interesting race. And Malta itself is an extremely interesting place, so it all sort of works together." |
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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.
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| The southeast tip of Sicily, approximately 50 miles from Valletta, is the first key point of the race. Initially a sea breeze can develop, enticing the yachts to get closer and closer to the coast of Sicily. However, further up the coast, the weather in this area is heavily influenced by Mount Etna, which casts a wind shadow offshore. In this sense, the sea breeze can act as a honey-trap; enticing the boats in but then shutting down as the wind shadow takes over, leaving boats caught in the trap. |
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The Rolex Middle Sea Race fleet passing Stromboli, during the Rolex Middle Sea
Race 2009.
Photo © Rolex / Kurt Arrigo.
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Johnny Vincent owner of TP52 Pace (GBR), is sailing in the Rolex Middle Sea Race for the first time. Vincent, said, "The race is one of the classics; it’s got to be done. The ultimate goal is to beat everyone else, but in this race you can get a bit of everything. Being successful is about staying sensible when it blows up a little bit, and clever when it’s light and tricky."
Vincent will be in good company as his crew includes tactician and Olympic medalist Andy Beadsworth, and match-race champion, Ian Williams.
At 17.00 local Malta time, sailing in ten knots of wind from the southeast, Esimit Europa 2, was only a mile ahead of ICAP Leopard, both boats doing just over seven knots. Six miles behind were Alegre leading E1 (Ericsson the Volvo 70), and the TP52 Pace. The race fleet was fairly compacted around the rhumbline to the southeastern corner of Sicily, about 20 miles distant. |
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Vladimir Prosikhin's Volvo 70 E1, at the start of the 31st Rolex Middle
Sea Race.
Photo © Rolex / Kurt Arrigo.
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While it’s too early to predict ETA’s for first boat home, some of the frontrunners were estimating a Monday night, Tuesday morning arrival at the finish. But there are still many miles to be sailed.; The race fleet can be tracked online at www.rolexmiddlesearace.com/tracker/#tracker.
George David’s Rambler (USA) established the current Course Record of 47 hours, 55 minutes, and 3 seconds in 2007. To break this record, a Class 1 leader would have to finish on Monday morning before 11.35am. The final prize giving is at 12.00pm on Saturday, October 30, at the Mediterranean Conference Center in Valletta. |
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Lee Satariano and Christian Ripard's J122 Artie, at the Start of the 31st
Rolex Middle Sea Race.
Photo © Rolex / Kurt Arrigo.
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| 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 and Rolex © 2010 |
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