Podesta is at it again

This week Malta takes pride in hosting yet another edition of the Rolex Middle Sea Race, the 607-nautical mile Mediterranean challenge organised by the Royal Malta Yacht Club, which over the years, has been repeatedly acclaimed by different sailors as 'the most beautiful race course in the world'.

There have been 26 editions of the race since its inception in November 1968 where a modest fleet of eight local yachts made the start line.

Josian, a Class III yacht, owned and skippered by John Ripard, won that first race which also turned out to be the slowest ever in the series - 148 hours 20 mins.

This is all history now, yet these are milestones one can neither overlook nor fail to acknowledge as these were the foundations of the internationally acclaimed Classic which the Middle Sea Race has now become.

As crew onboard the winning boat Josian was a 22-year-old youngster whose passion and dedication for the sea has today made him a legend where the Middle Sea Race is concerned having competed in all editions.

On Saturday, Arthur Podesta with more than 40 years sailing experience and over 300,000 nautical miles under his belt, will again be on the starting line.

Twenty-six editions spread over 37 years which saw Arthur race on different yachts, as crew, skipper, gaining experience, enjoying adventure, tasting glory and enduring disillusions too.

"I was born in July, so I was probably taken on my father's boat within weeks of being born," he recalls.

"Ever since I can remember boats played a great role in my upbringing and in my life. I always had my little canoe, rowing dinghy or sailing dinghy.

"Indeed at a very young age, I had converted a rowing boat into a sailing dinghy, well before sailing dinghies the way we know them today were thought of."

In those days there was very little opportunity for a kid to do any sailing so Arthur used to try to be crew on one of the British Forces' dinghies.

Officers of the Army, Navy and Air Force used to race Swordfish and Albatross dinghies in Marsamxett and most of these races then were run by the Garrison Sailing Club and the RMYC.

The Garrison clubhouse was located at what is now known as the patrol boats base while the RMYC was at Hay Wharf near the present Vikings Sailing Club.

When it came to yachts the variety was also limited. The main attraction was a small fleet of boats, seven in all, which again were used by officers of the British Forces.

These 30-Squares, as they were referred to, were windfalls from Germany after the war.

On a number of occasions teenage sailing enthusiast Arthur was even crew for Sir Maurice Dorman, then Governor General of Malta. Further to this there were just a few privately owned boats among which were Paul Ripard's Sylla and Rosanna, owned by George Fiorini Lowell.

In fact, it was on Sylla during the 1962 Malta-Syracuse Race that Arthur experienced his first offshore racing.

Gradually, the young sea 'buccaneer' expanded upon his sailing ambitions by fulfilling the role of skipper during many local races mainly on Zeza, a Nicholson 26 made available by its owner Hanny Scicluna.

However, it was in the Middle Sea Race of 1971 that he skippered his real first noteworthy boat. This was Morning Breeze, a Swan 43, and on this occasion he even won a third in Class.

In the past 25 MSRs, Arthur sailed on 22 different boats, and was crew on the overall winning boat three times (Josian in 1968, Tikka II in 1970 and Saudade in 1983). In 1978 he was crew on Bermuda's Mistress Quickly, winner of Line Honours.

On that 10th edition Mistress Quickly also established a new record time of 79.34.92 hours. Further to these major honours there were eight other occasions when he was on a boat that made the podium on Class honours.

The past three MSRs saw Arthur at the helm of his Beneteau First 45F5 yacht Elusive which last year had a very successful race attaining a fourth overall, a second in Class and first Maltese boat across the line.

Family team

However, the distinct characteristic of Elusive is that the core of its crew is made up by Arthur's own three children - Maya, Aaron and Christoph.

How does this father-skipper role fare when at sea?

"As father, I feel privileged to be able to sail with my children who are the backbone of my crew, and I try very much to be their friend, but at times it is not easy because the parental corrective attitude cannot be ignored," admits Arthur.

"I do my utmost to strike a balance between being the friend and the father; in general it works out pretty well but at times it is so nerve-racking.

"We have had a rewarding season so far where Elusive has reached the podium in most races she has taken part in. At this point I would also like to thank our main sponsors, namely, Shireburn Software, Selective Quality Letting, HSBC and Thuraya Satellite Tel communications and also Harken equipment and Hempel Paint.

"Sponsors in sport are indispensable as through their support they contribute towards upgrading both the quality and standard."

While focusing on Podesta's impressive record, which this week will be further improved upon, one cannot fail to acknowledge the success that the Middle Sea Race is attaining.

This is not only reflected by the annual increase of participants but mostly in the quality of the boats entering.

This is certainly an obvious indication that the organisers-sponsors tandem, made up of the Royal Malta Yacht Club and Rolex, is reaping the fruit of the hard work this 'partnership' is putting into this venture.

Forty-seven boats in 2003, 50 in 2004 and 68 from 13 nations this year, is definitely a satisfying result which is bound to strengthen the organisers' endeavour to put the Rolex Middle Sea Race in a fêted status as one of the 'must do' classics in the yacht racing world.

This 26th edition will be a real year of records should the current course record of 64 hours 49 minutes and 57 seconds be broken.

This was established in 2000 by American yacht Zephyrus IV, skippered by Robert McNeil.