Monday, October 26, 2020

J/Crews Garner Silver @ Rolex Middle Sea Race

 J/109 off starting line of Rolex Middle Sea Race off Malta

J/109 CRUSHES IRC DOUBLEHANDED CLASS!

(Gzira, Malta)- The 41st edition of the Rolex Middle Sea Race that started on October 17th will go down in history as one of the longest on record and replete with stories of "stop & go" driving. The Royal Malta Yacht Club (RMYC) was grateful they could host a fleet of fifty boats and have them race the famously spectacular 606nm course around the volcanic island of Sicily in the Mediterranean.

Sailing Straits of Messina off Italy 
Principal Race Officer Peter Dimech basically summed up the race experience in his pre-race commentary, “the north west breeze will get them to Capo Passero on the southeast corner of Sicily on Saturday evening or night. Then, they may have a problem as the wind is set to die overnight.” No truer words could have described what basically happened in the entire race. The Straits of Messina turned into a giant wind hole. And just about every island mark the fleet went around produced even more wind holes.

Rolex Middle Sea race starting line
Sailing in IRC 4 Class, Russian Alexey Moskvin's J/122E BURAN sailed an amazing race despite the anxiety-prone sailing conditions.  This experienced Russian offshore sailing team took the silver in their class, missing the gold by a mere one hour after five days of sailing!

J/109 sailing Rolex Middle Sea Race
Winning ORC 6 Class was the J/109 JARHEAD entered by the Jarhead Youth Foundation and skippered by Lloyd Hamilton. It was a stunning win for this youth team, taking their class by a huge margin and winning by 3+ hours corrected time. 

In the IRC 6 Class, the J/109 class reigned supreme, taking three of the top six spots. Italian Leonardo Petti on his J/109 CHESTRESS took the silver, while their colleagues JUBILEE (the French duo of Boess & Bordas) and JARHEAD youth team took 5th and 6th in class, respectively. 

J/109 sailing Rolex Middle Sea Race
In the IRC Doublehanded Class, Gerald Boess and Jonathan Bordas’ J/109 JUBILEE took home the John Illingworth Trophy for first on corrected time. Gerald from Austria & Jonathan from France met on the 2013-14 Clipper Round the World Race. 

Jonathan said: “The leg from Messina to Stromboli went very well for us and was a key component in our performance, we went to the right and got the lift. Racing with other boats fully crewed was also an advantage, especially the great sailors on Hakuna Matata.” 

J/122 sailing off Lampedusa sunset
Gerald commented: “Preparation is very important, especially sailing double handed. Everything from stowing the provisions on the boat to organizing a watch system. You also need to be thinking ahead about what is coming. Trust in one another is also very important, as you can have proper sleep during the race.”  For more Rolex Middle Sea Race sailing informationAdd to Flipboard Magazine.