This year, autumn is starting with a bang for all sailing enthusiasts who will have another opportunity to participate in a fleet racing regatta. Between Friday 21 and Sunday 23 September, the Sliema seafront will host a competition of races during the Vodafone Autumn Regatta, organized by the Royal Malta Yacht Club. The weekend-long event will see a number of sailing boats, competing in various races, which will be held between 10 am and 5pm.

“Vodafone believes in the development opportunities available through sport and has been supporting local sport for a long time. Maltese have strong ties to the sea making sailing a very popular sport. Vodafone wants to support this passion by sponsoring the Vodafone Autumn Regatta organised by the RMYC. With its ongoing investment in the latest technology, Vodafone offers mobility to sailors by means of voice and data services, which are versatile, easy to use and moreover available anywhere,” said Maria Vella-Galea, Business Segment Marketing Manager at Vodafone Malta.

Georges Bonello Dupuis, Commodore of the RMYC, was very enthusiastic about this event. “It’s just a few weeks away to the Rolex Middle Sea Race and the Vodafone Regatta will make a perfect test to those boats and crew participating in the race. Besides, we are very grateful to having Vodafone support us as we positively look forward to shortly having our new Club premises.”

The Vodafone Autumn Regatta is open for all boats holding a valid IRC (International Rating Certificate) certificate. IRC allows boats of different sizes, shape and design to equally race against each other. Each boat (depending on size) will have a crew of 6 to 10 individuals, depending on size of boat. Eight races will be held over the weekend with two classes.

Races will start from either the Sliema Fortizza or Surfside area, weather permitting. RMYC will be giving the winner a feature packed Raymarine VHF radio, with Digital Selective Positioning Request and twin handsets allowing for a convenient intercom feature for communication between stations. Vodafone will be also giving prizes consisting of data related devices and PDAs.

More details can be obtained by calling on 99493909 or send an email to: [email protected]. More information about the Royal Malta Yacht Club can be found on http://www.rmyc.org