Organisers aiming for bigger entry in 2003

The Rolex Middle Sea Race (MSR) has been another huge success for the Royal Malta Yacht Club.

This was all too evident during yesterday's prize-giving ceremony at the Coastline Hotel as the organisers of this Mediterranean offshore classic were showered with praise by the 42 entries for this year's race, won by local entry Market Wizard on corrected time which was 132:24.00.

The general view among sailing enthusiasts is that the MSR, thanks to the sponsorship of Rolex, has reached a new dimension, further strengthening optimism that the allure of this race is likely to increase throughout the world in the forthcoming years.

Commodore Georges Bonello Dupuis remarked that this year's race has been one of the best ever organised by the club, a fact underlined by the participation of campaigns from several top sailing nations around the world. Bonello Dupuis promised that next year's event will be even bigger.

"There is no doubt that this year's edition of the MSR has been one of the best ever organised by the club. Having a brand of the stature of Rolex associated with our race certainly enhanced the prestige of the event. This has been reflected by the top quality of participants in this year's regatta that helped to make the event a spectacle of sailing," Bonello Dupuis told The Sunday Times.

"However, having said that, this does not mean that we will stop here. The organising committee is determined to make the most of the positive image this year's race has purveyed," the MSR commodore added.

"With the help of Rolex, we are targetting a much bigger entry list for next year's event. Our plans are to promote the MSR in every sailing event sponsored by Rolex in a bid to attract more boats."

Bonello Dupuis believes that the participation of high-profile yachts over the last years has contributed considerably towards the progress shown by Maltese yachts.

"We are particularly pleased with the effort put in by the Maltese boats. There is no doubt that the Maltese campaigns have come a long way in recent years and can no longer be considered inferior to foreign crews.

"Having the race won by two Maltese teams for two consecutive years is ample proof of this. The presence of more top foreign campaigns will continue to accelerate the development of the sport in Malta."

In the past two years, the MSR has turned out to be a family affair for the Ripard family. Last year, Christian Ripard skippered Strait Dealer to line honours and overall victory.

This year, another member of the Ripard family, John Jnr along with Andrew Calascione, steered Market Wizard to the MSR trophy after placing first on corrected time.

"Words cannot describe my delight at having finally won this race. This regatta means a lot to our family as both my father John and my cousin Christian have won the race twice. I am really proud to join them on the winners' list," Ripard, who formed part of the Strait Dealer crew that triumphed in 2001, said.

"Right from the outset, I was very much confident that we stood a good chance of winning the MSR trophy. We also knew that it was impossible for us to claim line honours as yachts such as the Nautor Challenge were much faster than us.

"However, even though we have only been using our J-109 for just three weeks, we knew that the race course suited our boat and thanks to the work of all my crew members, we reached our goal," a beaming Ripard said. "There is one person whom I would like to thank for making this dream possible... my father. If it was not for his devotion to teaching me sailing, I wouldn't be holding the winning trophy," Ripard commented.

Arthur Podesta is another illustrious figure in the regatta as he is the only sailor to have participated in each of the 23 editions of the MSR.

This year he was on board Elusive, skippering a crew made up of various young sailors including his three children, Maya, 19, 16-year-old Aaron and Christof, 13. Another young face on the Elusive was that of Yasmin Degiorgio, 15.

"The Middle Sea Race has come by leaps and bounds during the past 23 years. The development in technology was decisive to the progress of sailing in Malta. With the popularity of the sport always increasing, it was inevitable that the level of the Maltese campaigns would also improve," Podesta said.

"This year my crew comprised many young sailors and the reason for this is that it is their enthusiasm that drives me on to continue sailing. I think attracting youngsters to the sport is very important for the future of sailing in Malta. Next year I am planning to race again and more youngsters will be on board my yacht."