J/Crews Garner Silver @ Rolex Middle Sea Race

 

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.

 
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.


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!


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. 


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.” 


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.

Rolex Middle Sea Race Preview

 

(Gzira, Malta)- The 41st edition of the Rolex Middle Sea Race is scheduled to start at 11:00 local time on Saturday, October 17th. The Royal Malta Yacht Club (RMYC) confirmed that everything is in place. The relief is palpable for the organizers and crews. Despite the club’s conviction that race could and should go ahead, if at all possible, it has been a long and uncertain wait. The fifty boats registered to set off on the 606nm course are proof that the conviction was well-reasoned.
 
Principal Race Officer Peter Dimech is probably the most relieved individual in Malta. “It’s an achievement, in the present circumstances, to have a fleet of 50 boats starting from Grand Harbour tomorrow,” he commented. Dimech is quick to give some context, “we are probably the last truly international race of 2020, a year of cancellations, so pulling this off is quite something.”


The race start looks fairly straight-forward, with a force 4 to 5 north-westerly to power the fleet off the line. “The north west breeze will get them to Capo Passero on the southeast corner of Sicily on Saturday evening or night,” continues Dimech. “Then, they may have a problem as the wind is set to die overnight.”

The fleet will be divided into seven start groups with the smallest yachts scheduled to cross the line first. Sailing in IRC 4 Class will be Russian Alexey Moskvin's J/122E BURAN, a recent podium finisher at Les Voiles de Saint Tropez in France. 

In IRC 6 Class will be Italian Leonardo Petti on his J/109 CHESTRESS. Joining them will be the J/109 JARHEAD that will be sailed by a youth team from the Jarhead Youth Sailors Foundation of Malta. Furthermore, sailing in IRC Doublehanded and IRC 6 Class will be the French duo of Boess & Bordas on their J/109 JUBILEE.  For more Rolex Middle Sea Race sailing informationAdd to Flipboard Magazine.

J/111 Wins ORC Class in Rolex Middle Sea Race

(Gzira, Malta)- The 40th Edition of the Rolex Middle Sea Race, hosted by the Royal Malta Yacht Club, will go down in the history books as the tale of two races. After the calm conditions for the first half the course, increasingly rough weather in the second half of the course posed enormous challenges for the fleet, with winds gusting to over 30 kts with steep, mountainous seas that looked more like walls to most sailors. 

As described by one sailor, “the last 24 hours were hell. We were soaking wet with water coming in everywhere. No matter how good a sailor you are, in those conditions you were miserable and cold.”

Another famous skipper, Gerry Trentesaux, explained, “the course conditions were the reverse of last year, with downwind to Messina and then upwind from Trapani to the finish. The race was more difficult, especially the second half. At Stromboli, we were about 2.5 hours behind our main competition. And, the J/111 Blur was also sailed really well too.” Because of the severe wave conditions, over seventeen boats had officially retired from the race, nearly 20% of the fleet.

Weathering the extreme conditions were a crew of battle-hardened Vikings from Sweden, Peter Gustafsson’s crew on the J/111 BLUR.SE. It was their first time sailing the Rolex Middle Sea Race and it is clear they were both well-prepared and well-trained for the conditions. It helps that Gustafsson’s crew know the boat well, having raced BLUR.SE for over three years on the northern European J/111 and offshore circuit, often sailing in winds of up to 40 kts. They knew they were up to the challenge, but were surprised by the steepness of the breaking seas in just 20 to 30 kt winds.  In the end, their perseverance paid off, winning ORC 5 Class and taking 3rd ORC Overall. On the IRC handicap side of the ledge, they scored third in IRC 5 Class and 10th IRC Overall. A great showing by an experienced offshore team. For more Rolex Middle Sea Race sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

40th Rolex Middle Sea Race Preview

(Gzira, Malta)- The 40th Edition of the Rolex Middle Sea Race, hosted by the Royal Malta Yacht Club, is ready to start a fleet of around 115 boats for this year’s race. 

Commodore Godwin Zammit had this to say, “The club is really pleased to once again be welcoming such a large fleet. It will comprise the traditional mix of professional and Corinthian crews, some experiencing the race for the first time and others returning to better previous results or just enjoy the adventure.”

Although the 2019 fleet is slightly lower than last year’s record of 130 boats, the range of yachts competing will ensure the race is as exciting as ever. “Crews will be looking forward to the challenging conditions typical in this area of the Mediterranean at this time of year,” said Commodore Zammit. “At some point, it is likely tough weather will test the skills and determination of all competitors.” 

Some 23 nations will be participating in the race, according to Commodore Zammit with entries from as far afield as Australia and Argentina. Italy is the most represented with 22 yachts.

Royal Malta YC Principal Race Officer and Race Committee Chairman, Peter Dimech, outlined the forthcoming event programme. “We kick off on Wednesday, with the Coastal Race, starting and finishing in Marsamxett Harbour, and a good dress rehearsal before the main event,” Dimech advised. “The Coastal Race is a perfect opportunity for international and local crews to give their boats a final shakedown before Saturday. The current weather forecast suggests the most likely course will be up to Comino and back.”  

Dimech added that there are a number of social events for crews, including the Owners’ Reception on Wednesday evening, which incorporates the Coastal Race Prize Giving and is co-hosted by Yachting Malta; the famous Crew Party on Thursday and, on Friday morning, a Question & Answer session featuring a number of participants. On Friday evening, Race & Weather Briefing takes place at the Grand Hotel Excelsior.  

Turning to Saturday’s October 19th departure of the Rolex Middle Sea Race from Grand Harbour, Dimech confirmed there will be seven starts, with the first class, the Multihulls, starting at 1100 CEST. The remaining groups will follow at 10-minute intervals, with the guns of the Saluting Battery marking each start. Proceedings will be coordinated between the Royal Malta Yacht Club, Transport Malta and the Armed Forces of Malta. 

“It is one of the best, most dramatic race starts in the offshore racing world,” remarked Dimech. “Grand Harbour is blessed with a vast number of accessible viewing points both high up and low down. The crowd can feel really close to the yachts without the need be on the water. We are expecting a huge number of spectators.”  

There are nine J/Teams participating in the event across four classes. In the IRC Doublehanded is the J/109 2HARD (Martin Hartl from Austria) and the J/122 LINEA ROSSA (Onur Tok from Istanbul, Turkey).  The IRC 4 Class/ ORC 4 Class includes the J/121 JACKHAMMER (Andrew Hall from the United Kingdom).

The IRC 5 Class includes a very famous offshore ocean racer from Scandinavia, the J/111 BLUR.SE owned and skippered by Peter Gustafsson from Sweden. Also, participating in this class is Tok’s J/122 LINEA ROSSA.

The IRC 6 Class might as well be classified as a “J/109 Class” as a quartet will be lining up on the starting line on Saturday. Those teams include Leonardo Petti’s CHESTRESS from Italy, the Jarhead Young Sailors Malta from the host nation Malta sailing on JYS JAN, Martin Hartl’s 2HARD from Austria, and more Jarhead Young Sailors from Malta on JYS JARHEAD.  For more Rolex Middle Sea Race sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/122E ANITA Report- Rolex Middle Sea Race

(Gzira, Malta/ Santiago, Chile)- After a really tough 50th edition of the ROLEX Middle Sea Race, the J/122e ANITA finished 3rd in IRC Class and 24th among 115 boats sailing.

The Spanish-Chilean team led by owner/ skipper Nicoléas Ibañez Scott, put up a strong effort in wildly variable weather conditions on the Mediterranean Sea, from “glass-outs” with burning sun, to 40+ kts, grey, cold, and 15 ft seas rolling over the deck.

Here is their “insider’s report” on what went down in this incredibly challenging “bucket list” race on the Mediterranean Sea.  Thanks to ANITA’s owner- Nicoléas Ibañez Scott.

“This was the second year that Anita, a J/122E, participated in the Middle Sea race, 600-mile race around Sicily and the islands that surround it.

It was an especially hard race, with only one-third of the fleet completing the race.

This year we sailed with more sails, more crew (8), and made various improvements in our maneuvers and how we used our navigation/ electronics equipment.

The race started off for us with a collision! The other boat came from behind and hit us in the stern and they ended up getting a badly broken bowsprit. We just got a little scratch astern.

The first long leg is getting to the Straits of Messina between Sicily and the mainland.  It was a long windward leg, with 12-16 knots. Our closest references were the J/133 JIVARO that was easily advancing on us in these conditions. And, the other was the J/122 JOY; they helped us find the correct sail trim.

At nightfall, the wind got lighter and near land, it also became unstable in intensity and direction.  Good tactical decisions and the use of our Code 0 in some transitions allowed us to place ourselves at the head of the fleet in our group and very well positioned in the overall fleet.

In the morning, a zone of total calm trapped the fleet. We floated for hours trying to move. Our new windseeker became crucial!

In the afternoon, the wind finally returned astern and propelled us towards the Strait of Messina. We sailed in sight of the JPK 1180 for hours; in the end they would end up winning the regatta in our class and overall.

In the Straits of Messina, the wind and the currents became capricious, and forced us to continuous changes of sails and maneuvers.

The duel with the JPK 1180 "Courier Recommandée" in this section of the race was exciting for us, we go forward several times, sometimes the boats sail backwards due to the current.  In fact, we sailed just 20-30m from the shore to reduce the current effects.

Finally, we managed to escape from the "claws" of Messina and with a strong wind we got to the Strómboli volcano.

Then, there was one of the biggest highlights of our race, a port-starboard under spinnaker with the JPK 1180 in the middle of the night. From there, they would escape from us, culminating in a masterful race for them! But, frustrating for us!!

Soon after, an enormous lightning storm hits us. The wind came from every direction and intensity. Fortunately, a heavy thundershower caught us with the spinnaker on deck!

After rounding Strómboli, we began a long windward course to the Egades. The wind raged (up to 40 kts) and the waves were difficult to steer through.  In this section, the larger and heavier boats could pound through the seas better and took off from us.

We rounded Favignana rocks on the third night.  We believe this is where the JPK 1180 got away from us, as until this time we were still very close to them after beating upwind for so many hours.  At this stage, the wind was aft and the big waves behind us.  This leg was over 150 miles with 20-30 kts of wind.


We tried the A4 spinnaker for 15 minutes.  But, we quickly realized the boat was difficult to control in the big waves.  So, we lowered the A4 before losing control and breaking something. We sailed this leg with the main and 105% jib only, sailing much slower than many of our rivals.

We finally rounded Lampedusa the fourth night and we had a very wet leg from there to Malta, with 20 knots of wind.

We passed between Gozo and Malta before sailing under kite the last 15 miles and crossing the finish line after four exciting days of racing.

Good times, exciting duels, new lessons, a 3rd place in our class and we want to repeat next year!” Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Stormy, Gear-buster Rolex Middle Sea Race

(Gzira, Malta)- The 50th Anniversary Rolex Middle Sea Race will go down in history as yet another stormy, challenging race.  While not nearly as strong as last year’s mistral that clobbered the fleet with up to 45 kt winds and enormous 10-15 ft seas, this year’s 606nm blast around Sicily and the islands was no picnic.  The fifty-five boat fleet started off Malta last Saturday and most of the fleet was finished in five days. 

Countries represented in the 2018 Rolex Middle Sea Race included Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom and the United States. Amongst the fleet of nine J/Teams, eight countries were represented!

The J/109 Jarhead Young Sailors Malta rounded Favignana on the fourth day of the race, with 250 miles to go, the crew of teenagers backed by the Jarhead Young Sailors Foundation- a Maltese non-profit organization with the principal purpose of educating youth in the sport of sailing- was making the most of their testing experience. “Happy to be round Favignana.... And heading for home!” blogged Jarhead. “It has been a tough 36 hours, but the young guys are doing well and in high spirits, now we are blast reaching south!” 

Yves Grosjean’s J/133 JIVARO called in while passing the island, 185 miles from the finish: “We are tired, but our spirit is good. Every year we do this race, it is never the same. We love coming back because it is a well-organized, magnificent race, with a beautiful course, which is always mysterious.”

Then, George David on the Maxi RAMBLER 88 reports, “this was a challenging race. There were a couple of notable points including a big squall north-west of Trapani, about 40 knots for us, and a bunch of park ups when we were ahead of everybody. The summary for the race is zero knots to 40 knots and winds from east, west and north, but no south! South was the one direction we didn’t see on the compass rose this time!”

In the ORC 4 Division, Yves Grosjean’s J/133 JIVARO finished 4th on handicap scoring, followed by Matt Stokes’ Canadian team on the J/133 BLUE JAY III in 6th position, and then Andrew Hall’s British team on the J/121 JACKHAMMER took 7th.

In the ORC 5 Division, Nicolas Ibanez Scott’s J/122E ANITA took 3rd on the podium, followed by Cascino Giuseppe’s Italian team on the J/122 JOY RC YACHTING in 5th place. 

In the IRC 5 division, Ibanez-Scott’s J/122E ANITA took 5th place, while Grosjean’s J/133 JIVARO placed 7th.

Then, in the IRC Doublehanded Division, the J/109 2HARD took the silver, sailed by the Austrian pair of Hartl & Wolf.  For more Rolex Middle Sea Race sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Rolex Middle Sea Race Preview

(Gzira, Malta)- Malta has often been described as the ‘crossroads of the Mediterranean’. The fleet gathering for the 50th Anniversary Rolex Middle Sea Race may well help change that description to the ‘crossroads of the world’, certainly the sailing world. Some 55 yachts, representing 25 countries from as far afield as Australia, Canada, Chile, The Philippines, and the United States, have entered to date. There is nothing unusual in this spread of nations. The race, which this year starts on 20th October, has always attracted a polyglot fleet and a walk along the dock is a cultural affair.  

Nicholas Ibañez Scott, skipper of the Chilean entry ANITA, a J/122E, is returning to the race for a second time having made his debut in the tough conditions of 2017. ANITA was one of only 35 yachts out of 104 starters to complete the 606nm last year. Testament to high quality and construction of the J/122E and the tough streak running through a crew used to the southern straits of Patagonia. One of the elements that struck Scott the most about their first encounter with the race was a sense of belonging. “We feel very much at home here,” he said before the start, putting this down to the warmth and professionalism of the Royal Malta Yacht Club along with the attitude and quality of the competing sailors.

Countries represented in the 2018 Rolex Middle Sea Race so far include: Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom and the United States. Amongst the fleet of nine J/Teams, eight countries are represented!

In the IRC Class 4/ ORC 4 Division, three teams are sailing, including the J/133 BLUE JAY III sailed by Matt Stokes from Canada, the J/121 JACKHAMMER sailed by Andrew Hall from the United Kingdom, and the J/133 JIVARO sailed by Yves Grosjean and his French team (note- this boat has been an RORC Offshore Season winners and also Fastnet Race class winner).

In the past, the IRC 5/ ORC 5 division has twice been won by J/122s that have also won the Rolex Middle Sea Race as Overall Champions.  This year’s group includes the J/122 JOLOU sailed by Sergey Senchenko from Russia (double-handed winners in 2017), the J/122 JOY sailed by Cascino Giuseppe from Italy, the J/122 OTRA VEZ sailed by Sean Arrigo from Malta, and the J/112E ANITA sailing with a Chilean team led by Nicolas Ibanez Scott.

Then, in the IRC 6 Class, there are two J/109s vying for class honors; 2HARD is also sailing in IRC Doublehanded class with Martin Hartl from Austria on the helm and JARHEAD YOUNG SAILORS MALTA is a group of youth sailors from the local hosts- the Royal Maltese YC.  For more Rolex Middle Sea Race sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

How the J/122 STELLAR RACING TEAM won the Rolex Middle Sea Race

(Gzira, Malta)- The J/122 STELLAR RACING TEAM won the Rolex Middle Sea Race 2017 in the IRC Doublehanded Division, racing around Sicily and a set of Mediterranean islands in the famously grueling and challenging 650nm race.  Recall that nearly 80% of the fleet retired due to mountainous waves and a 25-40 kt “mistral” whipping the Med into a hellish maelstrom.

The real heroes of that race were the two Russian sailors that felt like they had been to hell and back on their J/122 STELLAR RACING Team.  Here is their remarkable story, as told by Alexander GRUDNINA and Dmitry KONDRATIEV, to YACHT RUSSIA magazine and published in their December 2017 issue.

YACHT RUSSIA: In your opinion, what led to your amazing success on the race? Did luck play a role in the game? And, was there a Russian millionaire oligarch that wanted to sponsor you and say- “Get everything ready, shall we go?”

AG: If we were only to be so lucky! Everything depended on us and on the boat (said Alex laughing).

Our boat was very fast and strong! But, we were still afraid, can she (their J/122) survive in such difficult conditions?

So, we tried hard.  We changed our sails in time. The waves were huge, five-meters high! It was crazy!  True, the instruments did not always work. When one of these giant waves crashed over us, all the instruments and electrics went out. To be frank, it became scary.

But, our J/122 took the punishment, she flowed beautifully through the waves, and we kept going!

We did not intend to leave the race! But, our thoughts were, when would these storms end? And, will we be able to sail in quieter weather?

YACHT RUSSIA: Nevertheless, it looked like the unified battalion of eight Dueling Hammers from Hell were trying to force you from the dance?

AG: Probably! But, we wanted to win more than others.

DK: To finish off the race, one must have the power of forging strong determination and a will to win. Of course, we survived, both for the boat and for each other!

You have to know, both of us are “Persians”, we do not like something that has not worked out! And, if we do something, it's either good or not! And, we were sure that we would cope and persevere!

YACHT RUSSIA: Overcoming yourselves or the extremes of nature and the elements- what was harder for you to do?

AG: I had doubtful questions about myself. For me, it was my first 600 nm offshore race in the Mediterranean in such insane weather.  And, I would not go into it without great faith in ourselves and abilities to overcome adversity. There was hope for us. I, myself, doubted whether I could come up with the strength to do it. But, I did it. I did not want to disappoint my teammate!

DK: We were going to chase our dream and enjoy it. Somehow.  It may seem crazy, what pleasure is there in the storm conditions? For us, this was an invaluable experience and provided unforgettable impressions for life.

YACHT RUSSIA: What was your preparation for the race and how long ago did your team come together?

AG: We met in Dima in September 2013.  Then, the next year we had two 600-mile races- the Caribbean 600 Challenge and the Newport to Bermuda Race. We had a training session in April this year, we went to the race around Malta on a 40-footer, not our current boat. But it was only 55 miles, just a day race.

DK: ...and yet it became clear, we must pay special attention to preparation and strategy.

YACHT RUSSIA: How are the duties divided, changing sails, making tactical decisions?

AE: We made all decisions together. Strategy and tactics were developed on shore, before the race, and we tried to strictly follow the strategic plan- to win!

And, almost everything we saw was as expected in our scenario/ strategic planning.  Only, a little more than the expected, as we stayed awake the entire first night off the coast of Sicily.

We changed and furled sails.  We took turns, of course, steering and changing sails together. How else? On the morning going around Sicily and the Straits of Messina, when the wind was a steady 30 knots, we began to change from the #3 jib to the #4 heavy weather jib.  But, after two or three attempts, when we were both swept across the deck by huge waves, we realized that we could not change sails going upwind!  Far too dangerous!  So, we turned downwind and changed sails.  With the reefed main and #4 we could get back on course— that took us about 40 minutes!

YACHT RUSSIA: Did you have a much more difficult race than boats with full crews?

AG: Yes, much harder! For example, you cannot change sails quickly, since you do not have 10 people on board. No one will help, except your partner!

JK: Yes, the race doublehanded is much more difficult. It depends on clear planning, slower processes and longer time for operational decisions. The higher the speed of work, the faster the yacht. Sasha and I worked well together, and at times, we even thought that we were not two on a yacht, but a whole team! Often, without even discussing, one look at the knotmeter or wind gauge, and we knew what to do and how.

YACHT RUSSIA: Understood. So, what was the most difficult part of the race?

AG: For me - it was the overall experience. Will the body and spirit stand up to the punishment? The J/122 is strong, an amazing boat.  Even though we had “older” sails, we were still fast in a big breeze. The boat was not difficult, just the sailors were having trouble!

DK: For me, the hardest part was getting myself to rest. When the elements got rough and violent, I sat at the helm for exactly 10 hours. Time seemed to stop. I was like bewitched. But, this euphoria had the opposite side. Going down into the warm cabin, you realize that there is no more strength. But, even when resting, we did not forget to monitor the speed of the yacht; any change in the wind, the character of the wave, the roll, was under constant control by the helmsman. You can feel that even while sleeping or resting down below.

AG: But, we did not sleep much on the day when the bad weather came; we only rested for two or three hours. That was enough. Once we were in the big storm (mistral) and crazy, breaking waves, you could rest a few hours at a time.  That was the hardest part, not getting enough rest.

YACHT RUSSIA: And, how was the food on board?

AG: Everything was prepared on shore. Cooked pasta, rice, podlivka and all the sauces for them. Then, it's all vacuum-packed and put into the freezer. On the boat, it was only necessary to put the food in for an hour in the oven, or boil water to heat the food bags.  We always had a pleasant appetite and great meals! Even in the big waves, the J/122 is comfortable enough to cook! We had breakfast at about 0800 hrs, dinner was about 1800 hours. Dima would announce “food’s on!” He did it perfectly, and my task was not to interfere and just sail the boat!

YACHT RUSSIA: What was your first reaction when you found out that everyone in your IRC Doublehanded Division quit racing/ dropped out, except you?

AG: What's wrong, we wondered? We were sailing our J/122 just fine! We realized how bad the weather was for other boats when we saw our class leader with a badly torn mainsail, it was terrible to watch! He flew past half a dozen meters from us. At that moment, we ourselves went towards the nearest island, to hide from the monstrous waves.  We decided to make a minor repair to our mainsail and change from the #4 jib to the storm jib in the lee of the island.  It was a good move.  We then returned to the race, losing only an hour.  The RMSR Race Committee once again confirmed our position in the race and made sure we were “OK” and they notified us that we were the only boat left racing from our IRC Doublehanded Division. That is how it remained until we reached the finish line.

DC: It was a very unusual feeling, both joyful and sad. We felt we were competitive and, at the time the other boats dropped out, we knew we were in the top 1st or 2nd position in our class.

YACHT RUSSIA: To participate in the regatta, you raised funds with “crowd-funding” on the Internet.  Was that easier than finding a sponsor?

DK: We worked in both directions, looking for sponsors, offering partnerships, looking for support among sailing enthusiasts, our friends and acquaintances. Sponsorship on such a scale, when it is only one small race, is not very attractive for sponsors.  And, to get support from the sailing audience would be hard, very few people knew of us and our successes offshore.  Even when we returned from getting a 3rd place in the 2014 Newport to Bermuda Race- that went unnoticed and we did not get much press, if any. Russia and the Russian Sailing Federation need victories!! Then, publicize them, too!

YACHT RUSSIA: What is your greatest dream- is it to keep sailing?

AG: I'm not too attracted to offshore racing, ironically.  And, if six years ago I was called to sail the Volvo Ocean Race, I would think about that a hundred times. That would be a challenge!  But, today?  For me the highlights are fun, but brief.  To win the World Sailing Cup in some prestigious one-design boat, that would be great!  As for Dima here, he thinks otherwise, I am sure.  He likes long offshore passages, it’s special for him.

DK: For me, the big dream is to go on a long offshore race, maybe singlehanded.  For that, it might be worthwhile to dream a little more ...

YACHT RUSSIA: How is it possible to combine sailing and a normal lifestyle? Are there other hobbies that you might enjoy and share with family or friends? What is it, Alexander?

AG: Me? I love mountain skiing. And fishing, when there is time. In fact, we have an annual trip with friends to fish on the Volga! Huge catfish, sturgeon, too, maybe some with caviar! Plus, I love table tennis.

YACHT RUSSIA: And, for you Dmitry?

DK: In my “normal life”, I love snowboarding and hiking in the mountains. And, I adore spending time with my wife and children- I have two of them, a little boy and a girl. In general, I love the sea and the things associated with it- work, people, sports, and nature. Sailing is constantly evolving, so there is always room for improvement.

YACHT RUSSIA: Thank you both for taking the time to chat with us and sharing your incredible experience winning the Rolex Middle Sea Race IRC Doublehanded Division.  A truly amazing feat of seamanship!  Good luck on your future endeavors!

Dmitry KONDRATIEV
He’s been sailing since 2001. He accidentally learned that there was a sailing school at the Moscow Institute, and immediately decided to go racing.

Commented Dmitry, “There, for the first time, I saw how the skipper/solo cruiser yachts compete. At that moment, there was a push for such a unique format to get more sailors into it. A few years later, I already had two wins in singlehanded races, and I wanted something more complicated.

In 2008, I took part in an offshore crossing on a yacht of the Voytor-Osear class and learned a lot from a skipper from New Zealand. This year in Malta was my ninth 600+ mile race with the role of captain. It just so happened that I did not get a podium finish in any race, except Bermuda. In general, I graduated from one of the Russian Sailing Federation schools, then worked for several years, teaching people to sail. Now, I teach sailing with regards to racing, specifically with a focus on offshore racing.”

Alexander GRUDNINA
"How did I get into the sailing? I think it was in 1986, though not entirely sure why, like many of those times in life decisions and experiences!

A teacher came to our school, who turned out to be a “Saratov Sailing Merit” expert in Russia.  He recruited children for the sailing section in Saratov.

At first, I was not going to participate, because I was more attracted to team sports. However, he looked me in the eyes, and began to convince me that I really should definitely go! He was nice and a wise man, and I agreed!  Then, I grew up, grew and grew, to become an International Master of Sports in the Russian Sailing Federation. Among my personal achievements, I now have three victories in regattas that were sponsored by ROLEX- Rolex Middle Sea Race, Rolex Newport Bermuda Race, and Rolex RORC 600 Challenge Race. Not bad for a kid from Saratov, right?!”

Gale-force Mistral Decimates Middle Sea Race

J/122 Wins IRC Doublehanded, J/122E 3rd IRC 5 Class!
(Valetta, Malta)- As can be the case in the infamous Rolex Middle Sea Race, forecasts can be either “spot-on” or simply way off the mark.  The 2017 edition had one of the simplest forecasts ever, light airs 3-8 kts from the east-southeast at the start, dying off by midnight, then a building mistral from the WNW increasing to 30-45 kts by midday Sunday.  The only boat to make it through the Straits of Messina between the island of Sicily and Messina on the mainland was the 88 ft super-maxi RAMBLER 88.  The rest of the fleet was kicked, literally, straight in the teeth by a fierce mistral sweeping across the long fetch of the Mediterranean, kicking up 15-20 ft seas in the form of a vicious “chop”- the breaking seas were making life miserable for the crews.  Over 70% of the fleet of eighty-five boats retired at some port or harbor along the spectacular shoreline of Sicily- many boats did not even make it to the Straits, simply stopping before they got there.

The Rolex Middle Sea Race, organized by the Royal Malta Yacht Club (RMYC), certainly bore all of the hallmarks and qualities of a Rolex-partnered offshore race- tough, challenging, pushing the levels of human endurance to the absolute limits of sanity. The 608nm course, principally a counter-clockwise circumnavigation of Sicily, proved to be too much for the vast majority of the fleet.

In the ultimate test of seamanship and living up to the challenge of the sea, just two of the six J/122s completed the course and the other three J/133s all retired.  As a result, winning the IRC Doublehanded Class was the J/122 STELLAR RACING TEAM, sailed by the incredible tough Russian duo of Dmitry Kondratyev & Alexander Grudnin.  They proved to be fast learners and up to the challenge, taking class honors as the ultimate survivors of the race!

Then, in the fully-crewed IRC handicap divisions the IRC 5 Division saw the only other J/team to complete the race.  Not soon after taking delivery of their brand-new J/122E called ANITA, the Chilean team of owner/ skipper Nicolás Ibáñez Scott and crew of Juan Pablo Dominguez, Jordi Rabasa, Jorge Mendez, Didac Costa, and Rueben Castells, had to take her on a “shakedown cruise” and sail the qualifier race to be permitted to participate.  In the end, the Chileans were up to the challenge, guiding their newly-tuned J/122E to a bronze on the podium in their first ever attempt at the Rolex Middle Sea Race.  Interestingly, the J/122 STELLAR RACING TEAM placed just behind them in 4th place in the fully-crewed division!  Congratulations to both teams for their formidable performance under incredibly tough sailing conditions. Sailing photo credits- Rolex/ Kurt Arrigo.
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ROLEX Middle Sea Race Preview

(Gzira, Malta)- Starting and finishing in Malta, an island often referred to as the ‘Crossroads of the Mediterranean’, the Rolex Middle Sea Race is an international competition of distinction and an offshore race par excellence. The proof lies in the numbers. Registrations for this year’s 38th edition come from yachts representing 30 different countries. The expected number of race starters from Valletta’s Grand Harbour on Saturday 21 October is on course to challenge the record of 122 yachts set in 2014.

The Rolex Middle Sea Race, organized by the Royal Malta Yacht Club (RMYC), bears all of the hallmarks and qualities of a Rolex-partnered offshore race. Its 608nm course, principally a counter-clockwise circumnavigation of Sicily, is tactically and navigationally challenging. Frequent corners lead into different geographical segments and expose the fleet to changing weather patterns. With most crews expected to spend at least five nights at sea, it is an exacting test of resources, requiring mental fortitude, excellent preparation and shrewd anticipation, as well as an ability to make precise decisions in a pressured environment. Teamwork and seamanship are vital to succeed.

The Rolex Middle Sea Race course is 608 nautical miles long and is sailed counter-clockwise. Starting from the Grand Harbour, Valletta, beneath Fort St Angelo and the Saluting Battery in Valletta, the fleet head north along the eastern coasts of Sicily up towards the Straits of Messina. Mt Etna is usually visible on the fleets’ port side, billowing ashes and lava throughout the night. Once through the Straits, the course leads north to the Aeolian Islands and the active volcano of Stromboli where the yachts turn west to the Egadi Islands.

Passing between Marettimo and Favignana, the crews head south towards the island of Lampedusa leaving Pantelleria to port.

Once past Lampedusa the fleet turns northeast on the final leg towards the South Comino Channel and the finish at Marsamxett Harbour. En route the crews take in an amazing diversity of landscape and sea conditions, all of which combine to create the attraction and challenge of the race.

There is no doubt that Maltese skippers are competitive and have a long and proud participation in the Rolex Middle Sea Race. Malta has produced overall race winners on seven occasions, most recently in 2014. Crews regularly feature on the Class podiums.

This year the Maltese flag will be flown by several boats, including the J/122 OTRA VEZ, a boat with a strong association with the race. This year there is a twist, with the J/122 entrusted to Sean Arrigo and Brian Flahive who will be flying the Maltese flag in the IRC Doublehanded Class.

Sean Arrigo is looking forward to another adventure, “having decided to go doublehanded for this year’s race brought some anxiety, but most of all, excitement, and the urge to do well. Preparations are well-advanced, with some final touches and tweaks to lines and hardware. We also feel that we’re well-prepared mentally and physically, thanks to dedicated training, something quite new to us, but very effective! Finally and above all, we want to enjoy ourselves.”

In addition to OTRA VEZ, a Russian team on yet another J/122 will be joining them in the IRC Double-handed Class.  Calling themselves STELLAR RACING TEAM, the Russian crew of Dmitry Kondratyev & Alexander Grudnin have become students of the race, are fast learners, very tough, and don’t be surprised if they are contending at the end for class honors.

Then, in the fully-crewed IRC handicap divisions there are also a number of very-well sailed J/crews; totaling three J/133s and, remarkably, FOUR more J/122s!  That’s a total of SIX J/122s vying for the overall prize.

In the IRC 4 Division are the two J/133s.  The Canadian team on BLUE JAY III consists of Matthew Stokes and crew of Todd Rutter, Andrew Childs, Allan MacDonald, Peter Sargeant, Hugh Goodday, Crosby Johnson, and John Simpkin- the boat is from Edmonton, Alberta and calls Bras d’Or YC home.  They will have a tough fight on their hand with a British crew on board JINGS!, one of the top U.K. J/133s, having won a number of RORC offshores in the past.  Owner David Ballantyne has a full crew that includes Nicola Ballantyne, Nicky Vella, Lydia Coffey, Bernard Hilli, Jonathan & Chris Mckay, Albrecht Seer, James Alviles, Kelly Alviles, Charlotte Vella, and Marianna Kozlova.

Arguably, one of the toughest, and largest, fleet in the race is IRC 5 Division; the class has routinely produced the overall race winner and often several boats in the top ten.  The lone J/133 in the class from France is famous in French offshore circles. JIVARO will be sailed by Yves GROSJEAN and crew of Goulven Royer, Jean-Paul Mallet, Séverin Richter, Jean-Michel Diemer, Patrick Paris, Julien Orus, Marie Chabanel, Julien Herve, and Zasika Musdi.  Arrayed against them are a formidable group of J/122s.  From Chile is the brand new J/122E ANITA- with owner/ skipper Nicolás Ibáñez Scott and crew of Juan Pablo Dominguez, Jordi Rabasa, Jorge Mendez, Didac Costa, and Rueben Castells.  A Russian team is sailing the J/122 JOLOU- Sergey Senchenko is sailing with a crew consisting of Serguei Chevtsov, Alexander Agafonov, Dmitry Piskovatskov, Natalia Agafonova, Elena Strelina, Nikolay Sbitnev, Pavel Popov, Roman Medvedev, and Igor Skalin.  Then, there are two Italian teams both sailing J/122s- DAMACLE RC BROKER (Roy Caramagno and crew of Domenico Campo, Moreno Boldini, Giuseppe Fazio, Francesco Merluzzo, Giuseppe Boscarello, Remon Sant Hill, Daniel Bartolo, Enrico Civello) and JOY (giuseppe Cascino and crew of Carlo Brenco,  Duccio Colombi, Carlo Bellanca, Vittorio Ruffolo, Giuseppe Sferruzza, Tom Alessi, Conrad Muscat, and Fabio Galea.  For more Rolex Middle Sea Race sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/Crews Sweep Class @ Rolex Middle Sea Race

(Gzira, Malta)- Over the past ten years, the Rolex Middle Sea Race Trophy has been won by yachts as large as 86ft and as small as 40ft. Unsurprisingly, the weather plays a huge part in deciding the winner. Changes in wind strength, direction and ocean currents create advantages and disadvantages. The ever-changing scenario creates a very complicated picture, especially when boats are on different parts of the course.

The overall winner of the 2016 Rolex Middle Sea Race is not necessarily the first to cross the finish line. The winner is decided using the IRC rating system, which is used for all of the major offshore races throughout the world. Yachts have their elapsed time corrected according to their potential speed. This gives every yacht a fair chance of winning the overall prize.

Sophisticated routing software programs can estimate the finish time of each yacht.  The software uses the predicted wind conditions and combines that with the predicted speed of the yachts, giving an estimated finish time.

Lee Satariano's Maltese J/122 Artie has been the most successful yacht in the last ten years, winning overall on two occasions (2011 & 2014). Looking at Artie's predicted elapsed time of 114 hours, Artie will be a long way behind Rambler 88 on the water, but after IRC time correction, the result is very close indeed. Christian Ripard has been at the heart of Artie's two victories, as tactician and Christian has won the race, as owner or tactician, five times.

“Right now the weather looks like it will suit a slightly bigger and more high performance boat than Artie,” commented Christian Ripard.  “It is looking light especially at the start, and in this race, boats will be side by side, and one will get a puff of wind and be gone, while the other is just in the wrong place and remains trapped. This is going to be a race all about thinking it out- and to be honest- getting a bit of luck.”

Start- The start of the race is one of the most colorful and iconic moments in world sailing.  The Grand Harbour of Valletta, Malta is akin to a stadium offering numerous vantage points both high and low and, of course, on the water.  As the cannons of the Saluting Battery high up on the St. Peter & Paul Bastion signaled each class start, thousands of spectators reveled in brilliant sunshine and the light breeze funneling though the harbour. Organized by the Royal Malta Yacht Club, 107 yachts were competing in the 37th edition of the 608 nautical mile Rolex Middle Sea Race.

The first start, comprising the smallest and slowest yachts, showed the way for the rest. The boats starting close under the walls of the recently restored Fort St. Angelo quickly entered good breeze.  The second start included Lee Satariano's Maltese J/122 Artie, which has won the race on two previous occasions.

Day 2 morning-  Overnight, the fleet made good progress up the eastern seaboard of Sicily and this morning the bulk of the entrants were approaching the Strait of Messina.

In the battle for the Overall win on corrected time, the tactically challenging conditions on the first night have been used well by several smaller yachts including a number of the Maltese competitors. Artie was well-placed in the standings as the race approached the 24-hour mark.

Day 3-  The lack of wind north of Sicily was attributed to a low pressure system in the Atlantic, which is literally sucking warm air out of the Mediterranean and up over the Alps into parts of northern Europe. Currently in Zermatt, the temperature is higher than usual for the time of year. The southerly wind experienced in the alpine resort confirms this trend in the southern Mediterranean. The wind effect is known locally in Switzerland as a “Föhn”, a generic term for “hairdryer”.  The “hairdryer” is having a considerable effect on the battle for both line honours and the overall win in the monohull fleet.

The stakes are high. Those yachts connecting with the southerly off the western seaboard of Sicily will have an advantage over the rest of the fleet struggling to head west. If so, the scenario will have a tremendous impact on the contest for the overall win on corrected time.

The tactically challenging conditions on the first night were used well by several smaller yachts, including Lee Satariano’s Maltese J/122 Artie, which was leading the fleet at Messina and has made good progress towards Stromboli. However, if as expected, the windless zone on the course spreads east along the northern coast of Sicily, these slower yachts may find their podium prospects severely dented. Of course, this is yacht racing, there is much to play for and no one is giving up just yet.

Day 4-  In what appears to be a private battle between the J/Boats, two-time winners, Lee Satariano and the Maltese crew on the J/122 ARTIE co-skippered by Christian Ripard and Sebastian Ripard was leading by just under 40 minutes from Laurent Charmy's French J/111 SL ENERGIES FASTWAVE. Yves Grosjean's French J/133 JIVARO is striving to keep in touch, currently lying third.

The weather conditions have been a moveable feast, gorging and starving the fleet throughout the past three days. Unsurprisingly, they look set to change again and perhaps decisively in favor of those yachts closest to the finish. The southeasterly wind that has provided a relatively quick passage from Palermo to the finish for the faster yachts is due to fade overnight. If so it will dramatically slow the progress of the smaller yachts, particularly those still to round Lampedusa. Whether this change comes to pass and the effect it has on the fortunes of those in contention for the overall prize will be the subject of tomorrow’s news.

Finish-  After four days at sea, the J/Teams all sailed remarkably well.  In the IRC Doublehanded division, the J/109 2HARD sailed by the duo of Martin Hartl and Harald Wolf from Austria took the silver overall and in the IRC 6 Class took an 8th in division.

The big battle in IRC 5 Class saw the top three J/Teams dominate from start to finish.  Winning class, again, was Lee Satariano’s J/122 ARTIE with Christian and Sebastian Ripard as navigators; the team from Royal Malta YC included Gordon Bugeja, Sonke Stein, Fabio Galea, Jordi Smith, and Matthias Almakerdims.

Second was Laurent Charmy’s J/111 SL ENERGIES FASTWAVE (crew of Benjamin SCHWARTZ, Vincent AILLAUD, Gregory BAUM, Francesco BERTONE, Loic DONY, and Fabrice MERLE) and third was the J/133 JIVARO (with team of Yves Grosjean from France and the Societe Nautique de La Trinite-sur-Mer with crew of Goulven ROYER, Jean-Paul MALLET, Séverin RICHTER, Philippe DELHUMEAU, Andrea PAWLOTZKI, Anne GEOFFROY, Thomas ROBIN, Melanie GAGGERO, and Pietrzak Filip).  Taking 8th in class was the J/122 DAMACLE, with the other J/122s- SELMA RACING and JOLOU taking 12th and 13th, respectively.

What was most interesting was to see how the ORC Overall scores worked out amongst the various J/teams.  While the J/122 ARTIE took 5th overall with a corrected time of 2d 20h 56m 11s, it was just over 1 minute corrected time over the J/111 SL ENERGIES FASTWAVE after 600nm+ of sailing!

The JIVARO Experience
What was the experience like to be sailing in this year’s exasperating race?  Here are some excerpts from the J/133 JIVARO blog that was posted on a daily basis by Yves Grosjean, skipper/owner of the J/133 JIVARO:

“October 18- With a huge sigh of relief we got moving again at 7:54pm … after the morale had sunk to its lowest since the start of the succession of stop- and-go endured since we reached the first patch of calms in the lee of Etna at 9:27am.

We started the day quite high as our choice to aim for the katabatic winds supposedly flowing down the Catania Valley in the late hours of the night seemed to have worked well, allowing us to catch up somehow with the leaders of our class. We watched gleefully the boats to our right slow down and then hit the calms first.

But then what next?  How could we avoid the calms to come?  Right or left?  Keep to the coast of Sicily or aim for the possibly more stable breeze off the coast of Italy?  The two looking equivalent, we chose to stick to the left.

Alas (I skip here a few episodes – more than 10 hours) we finally discovered that the boats that had chosen the right side had done much better than us. And the morale further dropped when we saw the boats both on our right and our left start gathering speed while we remained becalmed in the middle!

That’s just how frustrating racing in light winds can be!

From the crew of JIVARO, well rested and fed owing to our shore support, and eager to fight back!

October 19- The night started at a slow pace with the smoke of the Etna lit up by the last rays of the sun to the West.

The wind gathered strength as we entered the Traffic Separation Scheme of the Strait of Messina just before 10pm.

On rounding Capo Peloro at 11pm, it had built up to a nice 25 knots, which was driving us at more than 12 knots at times – our highest speed since the start of the race. But this was having my heart beat faster for other reasons: the upper wind speed for our light A1.5 spinnaker is only 14 knots! So, I summoned all crew on deck and a nice peeling was swiftly executed under the stars. With our A2 runner up, we were elated to see the breeze hold until the late hours of the night.

As dawn was breaking, the shadow of Stromboli with its cloud of smoke emerged due East!

October 21- morning- a new crewmember has joined Jivaro as we approached Lampedusa.  After a few nautical miles and some well deserved rest, he flew away ahead of us, leading the way to the last landmark before the final run towards the Maltese finish line.

October 21- evening- as we are about to clock 4 full days of race, we feel at last alive again! Maybe we will regret it tomorrow when the gale force winds are due to hit us but for the time being we saw with great relief the wind finally pick up as expected (more or less …) this morning.

We sailed past Pantelleria quite painfully during the night. We gave it a very wide berth to avoid the wind shadow we expected particularly developed due to heavy and cold air on the island in the middle of the night. This strategy worked well already two days ago in the lee of the Aeolian Islands. It was once more pretty nerve-wracking but did allow us again to catch up with our dearest competitors the other J- Boats Artie, Fastwave and Juno.

The Italian Coast Guards have been transmitting Gale warnings since yesterday … we were hoping to catch the fore-runners of the stronger wind system soon after rounding the western end of Sicily and get back to Malta in just a few long surfs (so to speak …). This is also what the weather files were initially showing. But as usual, they proved inaccurate in the details and requiring a good deal of interpretation to match them against the observed weather. Apart from a few gusts due to a distant thunderstorm as we crossed the Castellammare Gulf the weather remained excruciatingly light.

This being said, more cloudy conditions started to settle from yesterday as we rounded the Egadi Islands and the atmospheric pressure has been going down slowly but surely since Monday. The pressure has just started rising again this morning around 9am, as we crossed just another lull followed by a textbook 90 degrees anti-clockwise rotation of the wind, now WSW 10 to 12 knots. So, we are now expecting the wind to progressively return to NNW and gather strength up to 20-25 kts by the end of the day (with more to come tomorrow).

We still have our light spinnaker up and are now exceeding 9 knots at times. There are now 50 miles left to Lampedusa that we should reach before sunset. This being said, we are enjoying the dry conditions and the temperature is very nice, even at night. A light vest is enough for the night and none of us had to wear their body warmers yet. The sea state has also remained very pleasant all through except for a short sea from the South that shook our spinnaker badly yesterday after the Egadi Islands.

The “dry” packaged meals (that need water) are finally OK- - barely so, for our French palates not so used to this kind of fast food. It is indeed the first race where we did not prepare our freshly cooked and vacuum packed menus. Anyway, we are glad we left Malta with our holds full of these and also with full water tanks! We could even allow short fresh water showers! We also applied the “dry race” rule that I have just decided to reject!  Next time, I will allow some measured rounds of wine, beer or whisky– provided all the crew commits are behaving!

We have managed to pass the J/111 EL ENERGIES FASTWAVE during the night!  But, we are struggling to increase our lead. And with the J/122 Artie, overall winner of last years’ edition, we came within a mile of them several times, but soon, lost ground again very systematically. The speed of these two boats is just impressive.

From the crew of JIVARO, more upbeat than ever!  We hope to at least beat our two classmates (J/122 and J/111) boat-for-boat!  They are both smart and fast!”  For social media coverage- check out Rolex Middle Sea Race on Facebook  For more Rolex Middle Sea Race sailing information

J/122 ARTIE Wins Rolex Middle Sea Race

(Gzira, Malta)- The Royal Malta YC is proud to be hosting the 36th edition of the Rolex Middle Sea Race. The race has attracted 100+ competitors from 22 countries from all over the world. The 606nm race starts and finishes in the spectacular surroundings of Malta's capital city, Valetta.  The weather forecasts of light to medium winds for most of the race have been true to form.  No records broken.  In fact, 88 ft canting-keelers (Rambler 88) were beating 70 ft record-breaking trimarans (e.g. Phaedo) through the Straits of Messina between the volcanic island of Sicily and the Italian mainland- the famous “boot”.

It was a drama-filled several days of sailing for the various J/teams in the event. Here were some of the reports.

On Monday 1600 hrs on the third day of the Rolex Middle Sea Race, a pulsating battle had emerged between six Maltese yachts close to the Aeolian Islands, north of Sicily. The six yachts are all in sight of each other, vying to be the first Maltese yacht to finish the race and lift the Transport Malta Trophy. Last year's overall winner, the J/122 ARTIE, co-skippered by Lee Satariano and Christian Ripard, leads the pack of Maltese boats by a single mile and was the first Maltese boat to finish the race last year. The six Maltese yachts are only three miles apart after 250 miles of racing!

Tuesday at 1600 hours at Favignana Rock, the scenario was not much different.  In IRC Four, Sönke Stein and David Anastasi’s Maltese J/133 OIL TANKING JUNO was in a dead heat for the class lead and, potentially, overall lead.  In IRC Five at Favignana, Lee Satariano and Christian Ripard's Maltese J/122 ARTIE held a narrow lead of just 16 minutes on corrected time from Laurant Charmy's French J/111, SL ENERGIES GROUPE FASTWAVE.

Thursday 0800 hours at the finish line- there was high drama in the early hours of Thursday morning, with five Maltese boats all finishing the race in sight of each other at the Royal Malta Yacht Club. Lee Satariano & Christian Ripard's J/122 ARTIE, was the first Maltese yacht to cross the line with David Anastasi & Sönke Stein's J/133 OILTANKING JUNO completing the scene.

Lee Satariano & Christian Ripard's Maltese J/122 ARTIE corrected out to win IRC Five and placed fourth overall in a fleet of over 100 yachts. ARTIE was also the Maltese yacht with the best-corrected time in IRC and ORC, winning both of the Teddy Borg Trophies. After the race, the ARTIE crew were happy with their performance, despite not winning the race overall, as they have done on two previous occasions.

“Mentally that was a very tough race and at times very frustrating, overall I don't think there was anything more we could have done to achieve a better result. At many stages of the race, if we could have found more wind, we would have done, but there is an element of luck to that and this year, we were not so lucky but tactically we sailed pretty well and amongst the crew, we agree that we probably sailed the boat better this year than we have ever done. We set out to win our class and we are very happy that we have achieved that.”

“I think that the fact that so many Maltese boats finished so close together shows that we are very competitive people. The level of sailing amongst the Maltese teams has definitely gone up, we have all improved, because the standard starts somewhere, someone takes that on, and so we drive each other to new levels. Maltese sailors are also taking part in more racing internationally, this race is getting bigger, and the Maltese sailors are taking it more seriously.”

The Royal Malta YC has been buzzing all day, with crews arriving back in Malta, rubbing shoulders with fellow sailors, describing the story of their own Rolex Middle Sea Race. About half of the fleet has now finished the race with many more yachts expected to arrive today and tomorrow.

In IRC Five, the J/122 ARTIE was the winner. Taking third in a terrific performance was Laurant Charmy's French J/111 SL ENERGIES GROUPE FASTWAVE from the South of France.   Sailing photo credits- Rolex/ Kurt Arrigo   For more Rolex Middle Sea Race sailing information.