Memories and contrasts revived

With life being so hectic and demanding one rarely finds moments to bounce back in time and recall some nostalgic flashes of particular pleasant experiences one has had in distant years.

With the 29th Rolex Middle Sea Race only a few days away, I managed to share some thoughts on this classic race with a local yachting legend - Arthur Podesta.

For Podesta, then aged 22, was there 40 years ago, in 1968, on the first Middle Sea Race, and part of the winning crew of Josian, the local entry owned and skippered by John Ripard, an experience which marked the beginning of a unique and intimate relationship between sailor and event.

Arthur raced on all past 28 editions and was crew on the overall winning boat three times (Josian 1968, Tikka II 1970 and Saudade 1983) while in 1978 he was crew on Bermudan yacht Mistress Quickly, winner of line honours. Further to these major successes there were some 11 other occasions when he was on a boat that made the podium on class honours.

Another well-remembered moment by Podesta is the race of 1971 when he skippered his real first noteworthy boat, Morning Breeze, a Swan 43, and he even won a third in class.

With over 300,000 nautical miles under his belt, he sailed the 28 editions in 22 different boats. However, since 2002 he has always been at the helm of his Beneteau First 45F5 Elusive Medbank, where the core of its crew is made up by Arthur's own three children - Maya, Aaron and Christoph.

Changes throughout

You raced in all past 28 editions, I asked. What were the main changes that characterised racing the Middle Sea Race throughout the past 40 years?

"Indeed I have raced in all 28 editions to date and I can hardly believe it to be true," he said.

"Due to the unfortunate absence of the race for a 12-year period, 40 years have passed since the first race and yes the changes that characterised racing throughout these years have been enormous. There have been changes throughout.

"Yachts with an accent on racing are designed to be faster, particularly downwind, and to point closer into the wind, however, they are not necessarily as comfortable as the older yachts.

"The change in building materials has been even greater, wooden boats are now a thing of the past, wood has been replaced by GRP, Kevlar and at the top of the range carbon fibre. Sail material, too, has been through great development to become hi-tech.

"In 1968, Dacron was the "in" material to use, it was durable and resisted the sun, but it had a certain amount of stretch. Today Dacron has been replaced by hi-tech materials such as Mylar, Kevlar and Carbon. These materials make a sail perform well and look good, however they do not stand up to the sun or the creases when not in use.

"Back in the 60's and 70's navigation equipment was limited to lighthouses, a Radio Direction Finder (RDF) and an echo sounder to confirm depths. When that did not work one either had to use a sextant or depend on dead reckoning. Today, with the easy availability of GPS, navigation has become child's play.

"Although far from perfect, forecasting has also improved, especially for a three- to five-day coverage. This by large has helped sailors to prepare for what to expect during a race.

"One final item that has helped offshore racing is the availability of waterproof clothing (oilskins) as well as warm lightweight under layers and mid-layers. All these changes have completely revolutionised the Middle Sea Race over the past 40 years."

With regards to local sailors, has the Middle Sea Race left an effect on racing attitudes and standards?

"Local sailors have benefited enormously over the years," Podesta remarked.

"In 1968 there were just a handful of Maltese sailors who at the time put up with the relative shortcomings aboard the yachts, whereas today the numbers have grown into over a 100, who have been exposed to racing on local as well as on foreign yachts, thus gaining loads of experience.

"We have all had the opportunity to learn from the changes and improve our skills, which today can match those of world renowned sailors who visit Malta to participate in this classic race."

Yes, beautiful memories of the distant past that are bridged with the present by adventurous men and their magnificent events.

But time is pressing and the hectic and demanding preparations for the next race leaves no time to wonder about what happened but to concentrate on the happening.

Good winds and good fortunes to all on this 29th edition.