The Rolex Middle Sea race is one of offshore yacht racing’s top 3 events alongside the Rolex Fastnet and the Rolex Sydney to Hobart races. The 2021 race will be the 42nd edition of this epic race.
This race starts and finishes in the dramatic Grand Harbour of Malta, a sun baked Mediterranean Island with strong British links and loads of history. Flights via Easy Jet and Air Malta serve the island from major European airports and internal travel is easy by taxi.
This event is one of our 600 Mile Club events.
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The Rolex Middle Sea Race course is 606 nautical miles long and is sailed anti-clockwise. Starting 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. Providing a great opportunity to build up your offshore miles and also to add to or start your 600nm race collection.
On arrival in Malta, the Middle Sea Race team will train in the days prior to the race, acclimatising themselves to the conditions and putting the yacht through her paces before the start of the Middle Sea Race.
We know we are trying to sell you every race on our website but really no word of a lie, this one is actually our number one favourite race! Firstly we love it because of the overwhelming hospitality and friendliness of the RMYC commodore Godwin Zammit, his assistant Alana and all the other wonderful yacht club and marina staff. They do an amazing job to make all competitors feel very welcome in a superb family friendly atmosphere. The start line of this race has to be one of the most spectacular too.
The pre race build up includes the now famous pre race party where the free drinks and delicious Maltese cuisine never run out and the dancing goes on long into the night! The race start is spectacular for competitors and spectators alike set against the backdrop of the awe-inspiring Grand Harbour and the racing is tactical and interesting in changeable and challenging Mediterranean conditions. The race course provides breathtaking sights of volcanoes erupting in inky night skies, spectacular coastal scenery and an ever changeable sea. Add an international list of top competitors and you have a must-do offshore event
The Global Yacht Racing Team has had great success over the last 11 years in the Middle Sea Race, in 2006 the team came second in the coastal race two, and of course we can’t forget the epic race of 2007 where just finishing was a huge achievement in a race where the difficult conditions and very strong winds broke many of the yachts and lead to many retirements. In spite of huge winds and confused seas we managed an amazing 2nd in class that year and 11th overall out of 56 starters.
