Tough Rolex Middle Sea Race: gusts over 60 knots, 30 retirements

The Rolex Middle Sea Race does not let up, in the first 48 hours on the race course, bad weather has been the talk of the town, and there are already more than 30 withdrawals. A storm front, or rather a “downburst,” grooves with vertical wind gusts from all directions, swept over the fleet on the first evening of racing, with peaks reported up to 70 knots. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DA0kyx_bAVI Among the boats forced to retire due to sail or equipment damage, there is also one of the eve’s favorites, the Wally 93 Bullitt, winner in IRC overall in the last edition, which also had Checco Bruni on board.

Rolex Middle Sea Race – how it’s going

They recently lapped Favignana’s outriders, the 100-foot Black Jack and Skalliwag, head to head. The fleet is divided into three blocks: the two 100s and a small group of boats chasing them, among which the excellent Tp 52 Red Bandit is already notable in Favignana. Then there is a group of boats off Palermo that came out well from the first part of the race but is now slowed in the becalmed conditions. And then there is another group, of smaller boats and some larger ones that have instead lagged in the first phase, under the storms, and are now still approaching Stromboli. Difficult to make predictions now for the overall standings, but the feeling is that the 100-footers and their closest pursuers (which also include Lucky and Balthasar and another trio of boats still up to Favignana), may make the break even on handicap time. In fact, a southerly flow has been created south of Sicily, allowing a slow but steady advance for the outriders. The group of medium and small boats, on the other hand, is almost totally at a standstill, and will remain there for a while yet.

Tracking Middle Sea Race