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Rolex Middle Sea Race takes its toll as Rambler is on track to demolish course record

The 28th Rolex Middle Sea Race looked to be mirroring almost exactly its British cousin, the Rolex Fastnet, as retirement after retirement is phoned into the Royal Malta Yacht Club Race Control, whilw the front-runner makes record-breaking progress towards the finish. After a relatively benign start yesterday, the trouble began as yachts began to reach to the Sicilian coast. At 1600 today some 22 yachts had retired including four of the big ones - Titan 12, Valkyrie, Whisper and Ourdream - leaving 35 still racing.

Race leader Rambler has been eating up the miles over the 24 hours, since reaching Capo Passero shortly after 1700 on Saturday evening. George David's 90ft supermaxi, with Ken Read as skipper, belied her name and strode up the eastern seaboard of Sicily, springing out of the Strait of Messina at 0100 on Sunday morning. Rounding Stromboli at 0435, she has made reasonable progress across the top of Sicily and was just north of Favignana at 1600, making 19 knots. The forecast frontal system looks set to blow the big white supermaxi home at speed with winds from the northwest topping out at 40-45-knots. There is the probability of a confused sea state that may slow her up a little, but short of gear failure or breakage she could reach the finish at around 0900 on Monday. If so she would have smashed the existing course record. But she needs to finish before such predictions become meaningful. ...more


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