Django 7x triumphs

Maltese crews excel

Lee Satariano’s HH42 Artie III, co-skippered by Christian Ripard, claimed IRC 3 honours by approximately three hours on corrected time, having led the division for virtually the entire race.

Artie III was also the first Maltese yacht to finish, ahead of Petar Dimitrov’s ClubSwan 42 About Time and Milan Hajek’s Daring Sisters.

For Ripard, competing in his record 36th Rolex Middle Sea Race, the result carried particular significance. His father Paul and uncle John were among the race’s founders.

“It means a lot to me because the crew really worked hard,” said Ripard. “This race is just full-on all the time.”

In IRC 4, the Podesta family’s First 45 Elusive 2 staged a remarkable comeback to defeat fellow Maltese entry Ton Ton Laferla.

After trailing by more than 40 minutes, Elusive 2 steadily reduced the deficit over the closing stages. The crew also overcame an unexpected setback when a large crate became caught on the keel, hampering performance until it was dislodged.

Ton Ton Laferla provisionally finished second, with Sam and Andrew Hall’s J/125 Jackknife third.

French offshore success

French offshore racing veteran Géry Trentesaux secured IRC 5 victory aboard his new Courrier Pogo, racing with a crew of four.

After struggling through light winds early in the race, the yacht excelled in stronger conditions south of Sicily, regularly reaching speeds of 12 to 14 knots during the final passage to Malta.

Trentesaux, whose crew also won this year’s Round Ireland Race aboard the yacht, described the Rolex Middle Sea Race as one of offshore sailing’s greatest challenges.

The battle for second remained exceptionally close, with double-handed entries Solenn For Pure Ocean and Libertine provisionally separated by just five minutes on corrected time.

Double-handed dominance

Italian sailors Massimo Juris and Pietro Luciani delivered an outstanding performance aboard the JPK 1080 Colombre, winning both IRC 6 and the IRC Double Handed division.

The experienced partnership, which previously enjoyed success aboard Blue Colombre in 2013, overcame the demands of racing two-handed around Sicily.

Double-handed sailing is getting tougher and tougher because we now have so much information on board,” said Luciani.  “You get tons of information from the tracker, from AIS and from the weather forecast. It’s a full-time job.”

American entry Red Ruby provisionally finished second in IRC 6, ahead of Diavolina. In the double-handed standings, Solenn For Pure Ocean took provisional second ahead of Libertine.

Multihull and Class40

Kimmo Nordstrom’s ORC 50 Calamity secured multihull line honours and the MOCRA corrected-time victory, despite a mainsail problem in the South Comino Channel.

The crew managed to recover the sail using a spinnaker halyard before racing to the finish in winds reaching 30 knots.

Lukasz Komierowski’s Outremer 5X Luke Seawalker finished second, with Cesare Dania’s Garbina J, skippered by Alfredo Mecozzi, third.

In Class40, Louis Torreilles’ Stella Nova emerged victorious after a closely fought contest with Optimus Prime, skippered by Matic Vrecko, and Flamingo Rosso.

Stella Nova and Optimus Prime exchanged the lead throughout much of the race before Stella Nova secured victory by just over 55 minutes.

With the major class honours decided, the remaining fleet continued towards Malta. At the latest race update, 65 yachts had finished, 28 remained at sea and 14 had retired.

The 47th Rolex Middle Sea Race has once again delivered a demanding test of seamanship, tactical judgement and endurance across one of offshore racing’s most celebrated courses.

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