With only 15 yachts home and hosed, the 46th Rolex Middle Sea Race is far from over. Some 85 of the 96 yachts still at sea are competing for the main trophy determined under IRC time correction. Balthasar, which finished on Tuesday morning, remains in pole position.
The crew has endured two heart in mouth moments already, and there may well be more to come. Few of those still racing will give up the quest to be first overall until the combination of distance to finish and time to beat make it mathematically impossible.
The first gulp for the seasoned crew on the Mills 72 led by Louis Balcaen, came some eight hours after they crossed the finish line at the entrance to Marsamxett Harbour. French yacht Daguet 5, the Carkeek 54 entered by Frédéric Puzin, was first to probe Balthasar’s defences.
The green machine had established its credentials early on it the race, leaving its IRC 2 classmates standing just abeam of Capo Porco di Murro. Making short work of the trip north through the Messina Strait and onto Stromboli, Daguet was third on the water ahead of most the IRC 1 fleet.
“This is the sixth time we have done the Rolex Middle Sea Race, in three different boats, so we have a lot of experience. The crew love the race, and we are very committed to do our best,” explained Puzin.
“Just before the strait during the night, it was rainy, not so windy, but we found a good way to get out of the pack and to enter the Strait of Messina ahead. We were really happy with that.”
Sailing their own race from then on, the team were almost tripped up coming into the turn at Favignana where those behind could learn from Daguet’s experience and find a better way through the maze of windless zones. Puzin admitted they got away with it, saying “it could have be much trickier for us.”
Pushing on south, Whisper in IRC 1 used her greater waterline length to catch Daguet, while Django Deer also succeeded in closing the gauge. Reaching Lampedusa at 11.30 AM on Tuesday, Daguet switched on the turbo and hared off to the South Comino Channel at an average of 18 knots.
“Lampedusa is usually a trap,” explained Puzin. “This time, though, it was a very good part of the race for us. We start to have strong wind between 18 and 20 knots downwind. This is very good for the boat.” Reaching the narrow channel at around 1700 CEST with 10nm still to run, Daguet was in with a slim chance of overhauling Balthasar but were seemingly unaware.
“We really just follow what our class is doing, we are not in the same weather as the boats ahead so need to focus on what we have,” said Puzin. In the end, it was too much. The north shore of Malta has been a thorn in the side of many crews, and this year was no exception.
Daguet 5 crossed the line 20 minutes in arrears on corrected time. Puzin, though, was content: “The crew is more than just a crew, it is a real team. We created this new boat with Rolex Middle Sea Race and other 600 milers in mind. We have had great satisfaction racing her this year, achieving good results with a boat we enjoy. So, all in all we’re very satisfied, very happy with our performance.”
The Italian entry Django Deer had been in Daguet’s slipstream for much of the race. So, it should have been with a slightly lower rating. However, this team led by Giovanni Lombardi Stronati is on something of a roll this year.
Finishing the Admiral’s Cup in third overall and winning class in Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup on different boats had demonstrated their skill and versatility. Lombardi Stronati, together with tactician Vasco Vascotto, has built a campaign based on the value of never giving up.
No cause is ever lost. Django Deer is the old Caro, the Botin 52 and winner of the Rolex Fastnet Race in 2023. Clear pedigree. Matched with a proven team she is a weapon. “I have the luxury to sail with an unbelievable crew,” said Vascotto. “The guys on board are so good that I feel very comfortable and safe. When you go offshore, sometimes you need to be a little smart to avoid bad risks.” The first night almost terminated the crew’s challenge for the overall trophy.
“We had a huge storm in the beginning with a lot of rain, a lot of rain,” continued Vascotto. “What is usually raining in one month, came in one night. We had started very well, and were at the front, but after the storm, we were at the back.”
This is where the character of a team comes to the fore. “From then on, we pushed very hard to come back. Every single corner, every single island, every single possibility to gain some metres, we did it.”
And they almost did it.
Having got lucky at Favignana, being just behind Daguet, Django scooted south in the slipstream of the French. Lampedusa was rounded at midday on Tuesday, and then Stronati’s crew applied the high press on the leg back to Malta. What looked impossible some hours earlier suddenly became the possible as Django split Comino and Malta at 18.30.
Against a declining breeze, Django suddenly popped up on the radar as a real threat to Balthasar. Of course, now, nearly 24 hours later it is easy to wonder what the excitement was about. Django fell 5 minutes short on corrected time, a slow one and half mile beat from the Fairway Bouy putting paid to an extraordinary effort.
“We were very close to coming back to Balthazar just at the end,” agreed Vascotto.
“But we are still very proud about our result and how we sailed during the whole race as a team. We played every shift, every single idea. We made every decision to go left or right or use the current. Some of the decisions may not have been the best, but they were all our decisions and that is really important.”
Since these remarkable finishes, the monohull battle has raged far from the Maltese archipelago. The bulk of the fleet has spent the past day fighting its way from Favignana to Lampedusa.
A massive parking lot at the southernmost point has effectively led to a restart. A few, including Chenapan 4 from France and Artie III, the first Maltese boat on the water, have wriggled clear and are on the leg home in a fresh breeze.
For the remainder, prayers are being said to the wind gods to have pity and stay in play long enough for the pack to benefit. This is a key moment in the race and could well decide if Balthasar takes home the trophy or not.
In the Multihull Class, long-time leader Allegra from Switzerland forged a path home in the same breeze as Daguet 5 and Django Deer, crossing the finish line at 1723 CEST on Tuesday to secure Multihull Line Honours and in all probability the MOCRA trophy too. Their nearest competitor on the water is Falcon, which is currently 15nm shy of the South Comino Channel. Adrian Keller, the owner, had this to say:
“This race was unfinished business for us, so to finally cross the line in Malta feels incredibly rewarding. We had a good start, but then came the rain — far more than expected — and for hours north of Sicily there was simply no wind. Even the birds came to rest on board! But once we rounded the corner, the breeze filled in, and Allegra came alive again. Finishing off Valletta is always something special. After 600 miles at sea, to sail through that historic entrance surrounded by those ancient walls really feels like coming home. It’s a privilege to be part of this race and to see multihulls gaining more recognition each year.”
Paul Larsen, the Racing Skipper, added: “This race is always a love-hate affair, beautiful one moment, maddening the next, but that’s what makes it so special. We had everything: rain, calms, and then a spectacular, fast finish.
For Allegra, this was a milestone. We’ve raced every major 600-mile event in the world, but this was the one we hadn’t finished — so it mattered.
The crew has been together since the beginning, and the bond shows when things get tough. We’re a performance cruiser, but once we’re on the racecourse, we’re here to race anyone, monohull or multihull, it doesn’t matter. Good races are where you find them, and this was one of the best.”
The floodgate at Lampedusa must surely break soon, and tomorrow should hopefully see a flood of finishers, once again filling the dock and terrace of the Royal Malta Yacht Club with yachts, crew and stories of derring-do. We might also have an overall winner to declare.
