Renaissance continues as entries flow in

With entries currently standing at 50 from 13 countries for this year's Rolex Middle Sea Race, the Royal Malta Yacht Club is looking forward to writing another chapter in the history of this classic offshore race

Recent events have attracted a variety of yachts and this year is no exception.

Fastest monohull boat and longest in the fleet is Rambler (USA), the oldest boats, both built in 1973, are CS & RB (Italy) (a participant in the first Whitbread Race) and Nana (Italy), whilst the smallest boat is the X-332 Aria di Burrasca (Italy).

Fastest boat overall may well prove to be the ORMA 60, Skywalker (UK) - depending on conditions.

Connections with history the Odyssey abound when it comes to the Rolex Middle Sea Race. And this year is no exception. The participation of Titan XII (USA), Tom Hill's 75-foot Reichel-Pugh sled, offers a new link for those interested in the voyage of Odysseus.

For some years the Maltese have claimed that Gozo, the second island in the archipelago, is in fact Oygia, where Odysseus was imprisoned for seven years by Calypso the daughter of the Titan, Atlas. Titan XII has no intention of keeping her crew hanging around that length of time.

She has every intention of shattering the record set in 2000 by Bob McNeill's Zephyrus IV, another Reichel-Pugh sled.

Up against Titan XII is the 90-foot Rambler (which previously participated in the Rolex Middle Sea Race in 2003 and 2004 as Alfa Romeo).

Now campaigned by George David, with Ken Read as skipper, she too is more than capable of breaking the race record in the right wind conditions - something the race has failed to deliver in recent editions.

RMYC Commodore, Georges Bonello Dupuis, is confident that record-breaking conditions will return, though he's not giving any guarantees.

"October is typically an unsettled period, so having wind is not unusual. In recent years the wind has simply not coincided with the race. Maybe this year will be different," Bonello Dupuis said.

Two more yachts expecting to slip around the course at speed are Valkyrie, a Bill-Tripp designed, custom-built Swan 78 launched this year and Michael Cotter's Whisper (Ireland), a 78-foot Reichel Pugh design for Southern Wind, which came home fourth on the water in the 2006 Round Ireland Race.

Carlo Puri Negri's Atalanta II (Italy), which won Line Honours and Overall at the Rolex Middle Sea Race in 2005, is back for another try - Puri Negri clearly enjoys taking part since this is his third in a row after a break of some years.

Looking forward to an offshore outing is Australian yacht Loki. After some testing racing at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup where he finished a narrow second in the Racing Division, the opportunity to show the pedigree of his latest Loki over a distance course is clearly an exciting prospect to owner Stephen Ainsworth and skipper, Cameron Miles - a former Etchells world champion.

Maltese challenge

As usual, the Maltese will not let the international crews have it all their own way.

Lee Satariano almost caused an upset last year as his team of young buccaneers, with an average age of 25, in the J-109 Artie almost pushed the eventual winner Morning Glory into second. Artie finished just two hours outside the required time to take home the mythical Rolex Middle Sea Race trophy (a bronze representation of Valletta).

Other local entries include Sandro Musu's Aziza, Willie Carbonaro's Bordeaux 3, Arthur Podesta's Elusive, Bonello Dupuis's Primadonna and David Frank's Strait Dealer.

Sean Murphy (UK) and his J-105 Slingshot head the double-handed class by reputation.

RORC Yacht of the Year in 2006, Murphy almost got his hands on the Rolex Middle Sea Race trophy last year, after an epic quest worthy of Odysseus, with crew Ric Searle. Slingshot finished just behind Artie.

This year the yachts will berth in the luxurious surroundings of the Camper & Nicholsons' facility at Grand Harbour Marina (see picture).

The Rolex Middle Sea Race 2007 starts from Marsamxett Harbour on Saturday October 20. The Malta Rolex Cup, a two-race inshore series on October 16 and 17, will precede the main race.

Entries close on October 14.