MSR completes

By 7AM this morning five more yachts had crossed the finish line of the 28th Rolex Middle Sea Race. British yacht Nisida led the minor charge finishing just before midnight, whilst Martin Scicluna's Air Malta Falcon (MLT) completed the course just before seven. In between came the Swiss boat Tai Shan, Elusive Medbank and finally Guts 'n' Glory (GER), which sailed most of the race with only a trysail after their main gave out before she reached Stromboli. By 5PM two more - Obelix (ITA) and Slingshot (GBR) - were back on their berths, with Global Yacht Racing (GBR) hoping to arrive at some point this evening.

The yachts finishing now are in conditions that were all but unimaginable 48 -72 hours ago. The Royal Malta Yacht Club has been bathed in warm sunshine for much of the day, with members enjoying lunch outside on the terrace overlooking the finish and watching those boats coming home having to short tack up Marsamxett Harbour on the vaguest of zephyrs. A far cry from the extreme winds faced by the crews from Saturday night until Tuesday morning. The frontal system that put three-quarters of the fleet into harbour durign the first 36-hours is a distant memory. It is only the stories and faces of those who completed the course that give a true measure of the race.

Rambler Wins All, After All

George David's Rambler (USA) has been confirmed as the overall handicap winner of Rolex Middle Sea Race 2007.

George David's crew, led by Ken Read, has secured an historic treble - overall win, line honours and course record - achieved only once before in the 39 year history of the race, in 2000 - coincidentally by Bob McNeill's Zephyrus IV whose Course Record Rambler smashed yesterday.

George David will be awarded the Rolex Middle Sea Race Trophy at the race prize-giving to be held on Saturday 27th October 2007.

MSR Line Honours

George David's 90-foot super-maxi Rambler (USA) took line honours in the 28th Rolex Middle Sea Race at 11.45.03 this morning.

In doing so, Rambler, skippered by Ken Read has taken over16 hours off the previous course record set by Zephyrus IV in 2000.

Middle Sea Race Retirements

Retirement after retirement is phoned into the Royal Malta Yacht Club Race Control, whilst the front-runner makes record-breaking progress towards the finish. After a relatively benign start on Saturday, the trouble began as yachts began to reach to the Sicilian coast. On Sunday afternoon some twenty-two yachts had retired including four of the big ones - Titan 12 (USA), Valkyrie (CAN), Whisper (IRL) and Ourdream (GBR) - leaving thirty-five still racing.

Race leader Rambler (USA) has been eating up the miles over the 24-hours since reaching Capo Passero shortly after 1700 on Saturday evening. George David's 90-foot supermaxi with Ken Read as skipper belied her name and strode up the eastern seaboard of Sicily, springing out of the Strait of Messina at 0100 on Sunday morning. Rounding Stromboli at 0435, she has made reasonable progress across the top of Sicily and was just north of Favignana at 1600, making 19-knots. The forecast frontal system looks set to blow the big white supermaxi home at speed with winds from the northwest topping out at 40-45-knots. There is the probability of a confused sea state that may slow her up a little, but short of gear failure or breakage she could reach the finish at around 0900 on Monday. If so she would have smashed the existing course record. But she needs to finish before such predictions become meaningful.

Behind Rambler lie Atalanta II (ITA) and Loki (AUS). This rosy picture of last night's proceedings was not echoed further back in the fleet where the retirements started coming in thick and fast at about 1800 on Saturday night. The smaller, slower yachts encountered very difficult conditions as they made their way up Sicily towards the Strait of Messina.

Middle Sea Race started

The 2007 Rolex Middle Sea Race set off today from Marsamxett Harbour with the crews apprehensive about what may lie ahead but displaying a quiet confidence that they are prepared for tough race and some tough decisions. Last night, 60 yachts were registered to take part. Following a pretty sobering weather briefing, three yachts chose not to start this morning. Since the start four yachts have retired, leaving 53 yachts on the course. In the absence of a record fleet, the event may still make history. This morning's routings for the two fastest monohulls - George David's 90-foot Rambler (USA) and Tom Hill's 76-foot Titan 12 (USA) - suggested a finish time of between 7 and 8AM on Monday morning! The fleet was divided into five starts, the first group of the smallest yachts setting off at 1100 to the thunderous echo of the field gun. The doublehanded British yacht Slingshot of Shaun Murphy and Roger Barber repeated its excellent start of last year and led the fleet off the line. It was the Maltese old-stager Arthur Podesta and Elusive Medbank that claimed the glory of first boat out of the harbour and round the turning mark off Tigne Point. Podesta was closely followed by Georges Bonello DuPuis' Primadonna (MLT) and the Ripard/Calascione family on Jammin (MLT). A short break in proceedings allowed the crowds to catch their breath and the bigger yachts time to enter the harbour before the final group of three starts. The Greek yacht Superfast Racing, a former winner of the race (as Optimum 3), led the third start away whilst Cippa Lippa (ITA) found herself red-faced and over early. Not a crucial error in 607 mile race, but not good in front of so many onlookers. Start four saw the big boys come to line. Taking full use of the ten minutes between the preparatory signal and the start gun, these behemoths appeared to sniff the air at the line one or two times before returning into the depths of the harbour. Stephen Ainsworth's Loki from Australia seemed to get the best of it closely followed by Titan XII nearest to the Royal Malta Yacht Club. Rambler with Jerry Kirby on the bow and Ken Read on the helm had a decidedly second row start but soon carved her way to the front. At 4.45pm this afternoon Rambler was abreast of Sicily making 12 knots, with Titan 12 behind and then a chasing pack comprising Superfast, Ourdream Damiani (ITA), Whisper (IRE), Atalanta II (ITA), Valkyrie (CAN) and Loki about three miles further back. Talking to the skippers and navigators this morning, they were all keenly aware of the weather approaching the racecourse. Nick Lykiardopulo (owner of Aera that won overall the storm ridden Rolex Sydney Hobart in 2004 and who participated in the infamous '98 race aswell) is racing as Navigator on Nikos Lazos and Pericles Livas' Superfast Racing. Lykiardopulo felt the 52-foot Greek yacht could be well-postioned for the system despite its strength, "I think we'll see 55 knots tops, which is probably more than we saw in 04, but quite a bit less than in '98. But we'll be fine. She is a strong boat, we'll have to spend a bit more time on the wind than the maxis but we should be most of the way across the north of Sicily before the wind hits. It might get a bit bumpy on the western corner." He even found time to laugh that, "the good thing about being navigator when it pours with rain is that you get to sit down below and check the equipment."

Rolex MS Race

This time last night only 41 of the 70 yachts on the entry-list for the Rolex Middle Sea Race 2007 had completed their formalities. At 4.00pm today that number stood at 55 with more expected, a whole host of yachts arriving during Thursday making the most of the improved conditions. In place of the cold northeasterly that prevailed last evening with driving rain, the crews have enjoyed a warmer day in which to prepare themselves and their boats.

The yachts and crews have been arriving steadily throughout the day and the level of activity at the Royal Malta Yacht Club and Grand Harbour Marina has stepped up considerably. Scrutineering by the race officials continues, as provisions and equipment are being loaded onto the yachts and cruising paraphernalia is removed. Boats that were on the hard and could not be launched in the face of the huge swell that has battered the northern shoreline for the last four days are now going in. And, boats stuck in the water needing to be lifted are finally coming out for last-minute attention to the hull.

MSR07

With a Force 6-7 Gregale (described as ‘moderate winds' on the local weather websites) blowing through the islands overnight and showing no signs of abating during the day, the Royal Malta Yacht Club was forced to cancel the first of two coastal races scheduled as warm ups for the main event - the Rolex Middle Sea Race that starts this Saturday at 1100. The strong Easterly wind being generated is forecast to continue until tomorrow raising the possibility that the second coastal race could also be cancelled. Better news is that on Wednesday evening the wind should start to decrease, at least to a Force 5 or 6, and back to a more northeasterly airflow. If the decrease continues, it may allow some of the twenty or so yachts currently stuck in and around Sicily to make the passage to down to Malta in time for the start.

Greece in Middle Sea Race

At close of entries, the 28th edition of the Rolex Middle Sea Race has attracted sixty-nine yachts, one more than started in 2006 and, if they all hit the start line this coming Saturday, the race will have set a new record entry level albeit only just. Perhaps most worrying for the organisers, the Royal Malta Yacht Club, not all the yachts are yet in Malta, which is currently being battered by 30 miles an hour winds. These winds are expected to steadily subside over the coming few days, hopefully sufficiently to enable all foreign competitors to arrive.

Many yachts and crews from abroad have chosen to come back and do the race again. One such case is Sean Murphy who is tackling the race double-handed for the second time on his J-105 Slingshot. He had originally planned to race with Bonello DuPuis, but a turn of fate left Slingshot sitting in Malta. "

The Greek Farr 52, Superfast Racing (Optimum 3), is also back again and in their case for the fourth time. Having won the race in 2004, owners Pericles Livas and Nikos Lazos are keen to repeat their victorious odyssey, as Livas describes, "we first competed in the 2003 Rolex Middle Sea Race finishing 12th. It was the first time the team raced continuously for 5 days. Every member got excited and in the stormy 2004 edition the team returned combat-ready and won first place overall. We could not defend our title in 2005 and then 2006 was a very light winds for us. So this year we are back again and very hungry. We are 15 Greek amateur sailing enthusiasts looking forward to create another great set of memories."

Recalling 2004, Livas tells how the year was an amazing one for the crew, "Greece won the European Championships in soccer out of nowhere and then hosted the Olympic Games in Athens with unbelievable success. As a Greek athletic team we showed up for the 25th anniversary of this race in very high spirits. We raced very well from the start and were among the top 3 in all turning points. That win was major for the team and Greece and we were very proud!"

"The Greek Sailing Federation praised the team, which was very rewarding. But even more rewarding was surfing at 30+ knots of speed on the fourth night out at sea between Pantelleria and Lampedusa on mountainous waves and winds up to 56 knots in a pitch black night heavily loaded with thunder and amazing lightning! We later called it "Hollywood Night" and remains until today the team's favourite experience! And, that is what drives us back."

The Rolex Middle Sea Race takes the fleet on a 606 nautical-mile adventure that starts and finishes in Malta. The start line is unique, lying as it does between the 18th century Fort Manoel and the 16th century bastions of Valetta. The route takes yachts up the eastern seaboard of Sicily to the Strait of Messina, passing the active volcano of Etna. At the second active volcano - the island of Stromboli - the fleet turns west to the Egadi Islands and the northwest corner of Sicily. Here the fleet heads south passing the island of Pantelleria before turning back towards Malta at the island of Lampedusa.

The Rolex Middle Sea Race 2007 starts from Marsamxett Harbour, Malta, on Saturday 20th October 2007. The Malta Rolex Cup, a two-race inshore series on the 16th and 17th October, will precede the main race.