The 47th Rolex Middle Sea Race gets underway from Malta’s Grand Harbour on Saturday, with 107 yachts and around 940 sailors from 55 countries and territories preparing for a demanding 606-nautical-mile contest around Sicily.

With unsettled conditions forecast throughout the coming week, the race promises to test navigational skills, tactical judgement and endurance as much as outright boat speed.

The fleet will start at 11am, heading towards the Strait of Messina before rounding Stromboli and continuing along Sicily’s northern coast towards Pantelleria, Lampedusa and the finish in Malta.

Weather forecasts suggest a challenging opening in relatively light winds, followed by strengthening south-easterlies from Tuesday. Conditions could deteriorate further on Wednesday, with thunderstorms, gusts reaching 35 knots and waves of up to 2.4 metres.

Veteran navigator Mike Broughton, competing aboard Jens Kellinghusen’s Ker 56 Varuna VI, believes the changing conditions could prove particularly difficult for smaller yachts approaching western Sicily later in the race.

Black Jack 100 faces strong opposition

Defending monohull line honours winner Black Jack 100, owned by Remon Vos and skippered by Tristan Le Brun, returns as one of the leading contenders.

The 30.45-metre yacht is targeting a passage of approximately 54 hours, although modifications to its sail configuration could influence performance.

Among its principal challengers is Johnny Vincent’s Volvo 70 Pace, which arrives following an impressive victory in August’s RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race, claiming both line honours and overall IRC success.

Experienced sailor Stu Bannatyne believes Pace could struggle to match Black Jack 100 in the lighter opening conditions but expects the stronger winds later in the race to favour the Volvo 70.

Defending overall IRC champion Balthasar, skippered by Louis Balcaen, is another leading contender after winning Wednesday’s Yachting Malta Coastal Race on both elapsed and corrected time.

The Mills 72 faces competition from Django 7X, while Bernard Arkas’s TP52 Arkas Blue Moon is seeking a third major Mediterranean offshore success this season following victories in the Giraglia and Palermo–Montecarlo races.

Maltese yachts targeting success

The Maltese contingent includes several experienced competitors with a distinguished history in the race.

Lee Satariano’s HH42 Artie III will feature four-time overall winner Christian Ripard, who is making his remarkable 36th appearance.

Satariano, himself a two-time winner alongside Ripard, believes the opening stages could prove crucial, particularly the need to reach Capo Passero before dusk and negotiate the potentially weakening winds around the Strait of Messina.

Another strong local challenger is the Podesta family’s First 45 Elusive 2, which won the race overall in 2019 and 2020.

The yacht demonstrated its competitiveness by finishing fourth overall in Wednesday’s Coastal Race, emerging as the leading Maltese entry.

The Podesta family maintains a remarkable connection with the event, having been represented in every edition since the inaugural race in 1968.

Meanwhile, Sebastian Ripard and Daniel Calascione’s Farr 30 Calypso will be the smallest monohull in the fleet.

Its crew includes five grandchildren of race co-founder John Ripard Snr, who passed away earlier this summer. Despite its modest size, Calypso has enjoyed notable success, including victory in IRC 5 in 2023.

Class40 contest adds another dimension

The five-boat Class40 fleet will provide a separate competition, with victory determined by the first yacht to cross the finishing line rather than corrected time.

Among the competitors is Optimus Prime, owned by Croatian skiing legend and four-time Olympic silver medallist Ivica Kostelić.

Skippered by Matic Vrečko, the Slovenian-led team arrives in Malta following victory in the Cannes–Malta Race.

The remaining Class40 entries are Talanta, Stella Nova, Moonpalace and Flamingo Rosso.

Tactical decisions could determine outcome

With forecast wind holes around Lampedusa and potentially severe conditions elsewhere, navigators face difficult choices throughout the race.

Some smaller yachts are considering longer routes to secure more favourable wind angles and avoid heavy seas.

Leonardi Servi, competing aboard the double-handed 38-foot Scricca, is examining a route outside Marettimo that could offer better sailing conditions despite the additional distance.

Broughton believes larger yachts may ultimately hold the advantage in the battle for overall IRC honours, although he acknowledges that the unpredictable weather could produce surprises.

The event also features a new generation of sailors, including 12 competitors under the age of 18.

The youngest is 14-year-old Max Toms, who will compete aboard Zephyr alongside his 16-year-old brother Alex.

In addition to the overall IRC title and line honours, competitors will contest various class, double-handed, multihull and national trophies.

The race also opens several international offshore racing championships for 2027.

The final prize-giving ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, 24 October, bringing to a close another edition of one of international offshore sailing’s most prestigious events.