Malta Events - Rolex Middle Sea Race 2012

The 33rd edition of the Rolex Middle Sea Race started on October 20th 2012 .

The Route

From the Grand Harbour, Valletta, beneath Fort St Angelo and the Saluting Battery in Valletta the fleet heads north along the eastern coasts of Sicily up towards the Straits of Messina. Mt Etna is usually visible on the fleets port side, billowing ashes and lava throughout the night. Once through the Straits, the course leads north to the Aeolian Islands and the active volcano of Stromboli where the yachts turn west to the Egadi Islands. Passing between Marettimo and Favignana the crews head south towards the island of Lampedusa leaving Pantelleria to port. Once past Lampedusa the fleet turns northeast on the final leg towards the South Comino Channel and finish at Marsamxett Harbour. En route the crews take in an amazing diversity of landscape and sea conditions, all of which combine to create the attraction and challenge of the race.

A prizegiving ceremony will take place on the 27th October.

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Malta Events - Rolex Middle Sea Race

The Rolex Middle Sea Race is taking place on the 20th October 2012 and one should not miss the opportunity to make their way down to Malta’s Grand Harbour to witness the start from any of Valletta’s fortifications. This race is a sight worth viewing.

This exceptional race is a highly rated offshore classic and a spectacular event hosting a record of 78 boats in recent years thanks to its Organising Committee who have managed to bring Rolex on board as the title sponsor. This year, in 2012, the Royal Malta Yacht Club is organising the 33rd Edition of this race with 70 participants.

The Middle Sea Race began as the result of sporting rivalry between great friends, Paul and Jimmy who competitively raced in Malta in the early sixties. Paul and Jimmy, together with a mutual friend Alan Green, set out to map a course designated to offer an exciting and unique race. The resulting course was so inspirational that it is the same used today.

The race is considered to be a true challenge to skippers and crews who have to be at their very best to cope with the often changeable and demanding conditions that they face during the race. The race is blessed with unsurpassed scenery, taking competitors close to a number of islands, which form marks of the course. This magnificent race has been recognised all over the world including many prestigious figures such as Ted Turner, CEO of Turner Communications (CNN), who has written that the Middle Sea Race “must be the most beautiful race course in the world. What other event has an active volcano as a mark of the course?”

The race begins in Malta and heads for the Straits of Messina before circumnavigating Sicily. The course then goes on to take the racers past the breathtaking islands of Pantelleria and Lampedusa before returning to Malta and features Stromboli’s active volcano.

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