By midday yesterday, the bulk of the 70-boat fleet for the 2011 Rolex Middle Sea Race was tied up in Marsamxett Harbour – ready for today’s 11am start of the 32nd edition of the 606-nautical mile offshore race. The race continues to draw a truly international cast of boats and crews with entries from 16 countries. Still the highest concentration is Italy with 26 entries, followed by Malta and the United Kingdom, with nine each.
The biggest boat in the fleet is the 100-footer Esimit Europa 2, from Slovenia. The accomplished German sailor Jochen Schümann, is onboard as skipper, in his first Rolex Middle Sea Race. The four-time Olympic medallist is more known for his inshore racing and said, “I am more focused on short distance races, and more used to round the buoys. I think to learn to sail better you learn more in short distance races. But the combination with crew who are experienced in long distance races, is absolutely fine. I would say this makes the perfect team.”
The rich history and numerous historic sites are not lost on the competitors. Schümann, who has never visited Malta before, said, “It’s my first time and I am very impressed. The different bays, the waterfront… the old walls, the forts – it is very, very impressive. In fact the whole city of Valletta is a fort. It is a very interesting city – I think it would be good to come here and have the time to discover this city.”
One of the more closely watched rivalries will be between Niklas Zennstrom’s J/V 72, Rán (GBR) and Andres Soriano’s Mark Mills-designed 68 footer, Alegre (GBR). Alegre will be competing in her fourth race, having achieved a line honours win in 2008 and overall race win in 2009.
While this will be the Rán crew’s third time at the Rolex Middle Sea Race, (they competed with the TP52 in 2007 and the current boat in 2009), Zennstrom’s team have been ticking off some important race wins including Rolex Fastnet Race (2009, 2011), the Mini Maxi Rolex World Championship (2011, 2010), and the 2010 Newport Bermuda Race. Rán’s preparation is methodical, and Zennstrom has assembled a formidable crew.
Most navigators and tacticians seem to agree that this racecourse is trickier than most, with varying wind systems, tidal currents and significant land formations, such as the two active volcanoes. After the start, the fleet sails 50 miles across to Sicily. Once there they begin to position themselves for one of the most complex parts of the course: the Strait of Messina, the narrow passage between the eastern tip of Sicily and the southern tip of Calabria in the south of mainland Italy. The passage is characterised by strong tidal currents, as it connects the different densities of the Tyrrhenian and the Ionian Seas.
At the smaller end of the size spectrum, but no less competitive is Chris Opielok on the Corby 36, AOC Rockall. Though racing in the Rolex Middle Sea Race for the first time, as “it’s on the list to tick off”, the German owner/skipper has been actively – and successfully – campaigning the boat around the world for the last two years. He and his crew have raced in Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, France and the UK, were they competed in the Rolex Commodores’ Cup in 2010 winning Class 3 and helping the Hong Kong team into second place overall. But a race around Denmark proved his yacht’s offshore capabilities. Opielok explained, “It was really brutal and tough: it was force 8-9, heavy winds. This is a serious offshore boat.”
Opielok thinks the biggest challenge for the race competitors are the unpredictable weather systems between the European continent and Africa, with Sicily and Malta in between. As a professional master mariner, who spends his life on ships commanding offshore supply vessels in Australia and the North Sea, he may have a slight advantage.
The Royal Malta Yacht Club has been welcoming the boats this week to their clubhouse in Ta’Xbiex, with its new marina facility. As luck would have it a strong northeasterly breeze last weekend caused substantial damage to some of the pontoons and forced the temporary relocation of a number of the competing boats. In its normal whole-hearted, committed manner the yacht club quickly effected repairs and had boats tied back on the dock again by yesterday afternoon.
Georges Bonello DuPuis, Commodore of the Royal Malta Yacht Club spearheaded the marina project (and repairs) and is the nerve centre of the race organisers, keeping everyone focused in the lead-up to the race. Bonello DuPuis was clearly excited for today’s start, “Big names, big boats, small boats…there’s a great mix and so many returns which is the best thing about this race, you have people that keep coming back. You’ve got a maxi, mini maxis, Volvo Ocean racers, family cruisers, and this year, quite a few Open 40s.”
Today, is the start of the Rolex Middle Sea Race. First warning signal will be at 10.50am in Grand Harbour, Valletta. There will be four IRC starts, beginning with the smallest sized yachts and ending with the largest.