Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1041944
35 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 21 OCTOBER 2018 SPORTS SAILING THE 50th anniversary Rolex Middle Sea Race is underway. A record fleet of 130 yachts was waved on its way by large crowds filling the bastions of Valletta and the Three Cit- ies, and other vantage points. Grand Harbour, Valletta, is a magnificent location in its own right. Each year, the lily is gilded by an intrepid fleet of Corinthian and professional sailors, adventurers and voy- agers, all determined to take on the challenge presented by this classic 606nm offshore race. By 5pm CEST, the majority of the fleet was hard on the wind heading for Capo Passe- ro on the southern tip of Sic- ily. The heavier displacement boats are enjoying the upwind conditions. Strategic deci- sions are beginning to play out, with most staying north of the rhumb line. Approach- ing the land, the breeze looks to be shifting and fading. Staying in the best pressure to round the cape will be the common goal. George David's Maxi Ameri- can Rambler 88 is leading the charge in the monohull fleet, with their closest rivals on the water two miles behind: Di- eter Schön German Maxi72 Momo, and the 115ft Baltic Nikata. In the Multihull fleet, Giovanni Soldini's Maserati and the Ned Collier Wake- field skippered PowerPlay were in close combat just off the coast of Sicily, locked in a duel, having blasted close to 70 miles upwind in just four hours. Just before going to press, Maserati reported suffering damage to the star- board rudder. She continues to race and the extent of the problem is being examined. The start line between the Saluting Battery on the Val- letta side and Fort St. An- gelo, on Birgu, is an intimi- dating setting. Atmosphere and tension within the crews is heightened by the crash of cannon fire for each of the seven starts. A 15 knot north- easterly developed a building sea-state outside the break- water, but importantly meant each start was able to get away in breeze. First away was the four boat Multihull class. Two pairs of contrasting boats making up this compact, but neverthe- less impressive-looking divi- sion. PowerPlay got the better of Maserati in the battle of the MOD70 racing trimarans, while Allegra was quicker off the mark than R-Six. Tack- ing a multihull is tricky at the best of times, within the gusty confines of the starting arena it becomes an art-form. Pow- erPlay's on-the-money start allowed her to choose her lanes and she led the class out of the harbour. For the considerably more numerous monohull contin- gent, the starts come in size order with the smallest and slowest going first. Class Six was marked by a number of double-handed crews, in- cluding the Austrian entry 2Hard, British yacht Jangada and the 2017 Overall Win- ner, Bogatyr. Having won the race fully-crewed last year, the owner, Igor Rytov, has chosen to take on the course short-handed. Few would bet against him pulling off anoth- er remarkable achievement given his early commitment. The Russian's competitive edge got the better of him at the start, with Bogatyr over the line early requiring a frus- trating turnabout to restart. Rytov, though, then lit the afterburners and by the turn- ing mark off Dragonara was back amongst his classmates. Seawolf looked to have the best start, but by the harbour entrance Timofey Zhbankov's Rossko was out in front. The last start was reserved for most powerful yachts in the fleet. The eight-boat class was one of contrasts. The mammoth 115-foot Nikata, the largest yacht ever to start the Rolex Middle Sea Race, towering over the likes of the 60-footers Wild Joe and Oz, at almost half the length. Rambler 88, the three-time Line Honours winner, with her all-star crew led by owner George David, with Brad But- terworth and Silvio Arriva- bene providing tactical advice and navigational input, was handed a lesson off the line by the Maxi 72 Momo. Just past the harbour entrance turning mark, normal order resumed with Rambler broadening her sailing angle and using her performance-enhancing assets to rapidly reel in and overtake the German pre- tenders. The starts sandwiched be- tween these two were just as dramatic, just as exciting. The breath-taking amphitheatre offered by Grand Harbour provides a start environment the equal of any other 600nm offshore classic. Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, one of the race's guests of honour, may have seen it all over the years, but even he was enthralled, admiring the scene from the Saluting Bat- tery: "It's a truly impressive spectacle; what a place to start a race." Fitting send-off for anniversary fleet ROLEX MIDDLE SEA RACE PHOTOGRAPHY BY JAMES BIANCHI