Slow progress

The 29th Rolex Middle Sea Race is taking on a life of its own, as have all the previous editions. The 77-boat fleet spent most of the day stuck together by a windless glue making painful progress along the northern coast of Sicily.

A mammoth high-pressure system centred on the Hungary and Black Sea, stretches from the Balearic Islands in the west to the Caspian Sea in the east covers the racecourse – and more besides.

Localised thermal breezes exist, and there is an extremely light wind flow from the east. Hooking into this for any length of time is testing patience, skill and nerve throughout the competing yachts. At 6pm the leaders, Alegre (GBR), Moneypenny (USA) and Rosebud (USA) were moving at 7 knots, approaching Capo Gallo after a long, slow, tiring day.

Last night (Sunday) and early yesterday morning were good for the smaller, slower boats. As they left the Strait they encountered a solid southeasterly breeze that carried them northwards to Stromboli. This gave them an advantage over the bigger, faster boats which promptly sailed into a hole shortly after rounding the northern most island of the course. The fleet compression was almost absolute. Last night the leaders were back into some breeze first and stretching away again. The question is how long would it last this time and how soon would it reach the smaller boats.

In one of the clumps towards the back, Ivan Mallia, on Windriven (MLT), called in last night as he left the Strait to report, "10 knots of wind from the south-east, spinnaker up and it couldn't be better. We'll dice with the traffic for a bit, but it's warm and we're about to have beef pie for supper." Today has been much harder. Little wind to speak of, little progress and worse still the beef pie was the last decent meal on the boat.

Windriven is in the group of nine yachts comprising, Ricomincio da tre (ITA), Escape (MLT), Stormvogel (ITA) (Line Honours winner in 1968 & 1969), Elusive Medbank (MLT), Solair (GER), Lazy Duck (MLT), Airmalta Falcon (MLT) and Nisida (GBR).

Hilary Cook of Nisida took advantage of the relaxed conditions yesterday afternoon to call in and advise that "we're stuck off Filicudi, west of Stromboli. We've seen up to 22 boats around us at times. We've got good banter going with the yachts next door and are making the most of the sunshine."

Cook and co-skipper Peter Hopps have done the race a number of times before and have always spent time stopped at Stromboli. Earlier this year they climbed the active volcano in May, and so did not mind the opportunity for "some minute by minute observations of her eruptions from every conceivable angle last night!"

It is not much better towards the front. The 56-foot VeoliaOceans, Bostik (FRA) is in close company with Adrian Lee's Cookson 50, Lee Overlay Partners (IRL), north of the dormant volcano of Alicudi – the western most island in the Aeolian chain.

Charles Caudrelier confirmed worst fears about the state of the conditions earlier yesterday, "there is not a single wrinkle on the water. The sea is smooth. The wind is insignificant and the day is tough. Luckily, the atmosphere on board is really good and we are making 2.5 knots on the direct course." Caudrelier had more reason to be cheerful on Sunday night, as he explained, "yesterday, we sailed for an hour after exiting the Strait in a breeze between 18 to 20 knots and we passed a lot of boats doing more than 15 knots. It was great."

Also up with Bostik is the first of the Maltese boats, David Franks' Strait Dealer. Like many others they took a direct course west after Stromboli, but have since dived south towards the Sicilian coast in the search for some if not better wind.

Benji Borg is one of two crew on the boat who learnt their skills with the Malta Young Sailors Club, the other being Yann Rossi. Borg was a gold medallist sailor from the 2007 Games for The Small States held in Monaco and is enjoying the race despite the lack of wind, "we're moving along well even though the wind is light and everyone on board is happy to be out here."

The Malta Young Sailors started 12 years ago and is based out of St Paul's Bay, it turns out a string of budding yachtsmen and women each year. Other members taking part in the Rolex Middle Sea Race 2008 include Sebastian Ripard and Daniel Calascione on Lazy Duck, Maya and Christophe Podesta on Elusive Medbank, and, Matthew Scicluna the principal helm on AirMalta Falcon.

Meanwhile an attitude of perseverance prevails through the fleet. On GYR Caspian Services (GBR), skipper Andy Middleton, reports that "the crew are coping well and pushing the yacht and themselves as much as they can. Moral and effort is high, which is not bad considering we had not sailed together as a team until last Monday." Middleton did the race last year and describes this one as being different for every reason imaginable, laughing that on the bright side, "at least we got to see Stromboli doing its stuff instead of hanging for dear life as we rounded."

This just about compensated for the light and patchy wind, complicated by shifts that are not showing on the grib files. "We're having to be careful with large patches of nothing that need to be sailed around or risk being stopped dead. It was frustrating to get caught in a hole last night and find the fleet behind sailing up to us, only to get away again and repeat the whole exercise later this morning."

One imagines more of the same tomorrow. At least George David may breathe a sigh of relief. The record of 47 hours 55 minutes and 3 seconds he set with Rambler last year will stand another 12 months at least.

Seventy-seven yachts started the 2008 Rolex Middle Sea Race representing 20 nationalities. Two yachts have so far retired.

The Rolex Middle Sea Race final prize giving is at noon on 25 October.