Sailing - Rolex Middle Sea Race

While going through long-forgotten correspondence, photographs and other documents, I recently came across a significant manuscript.

This was dated 1977 and referred to an interview I had then with a marvellous gentleman whose brainchild enhanced the local nautical scene with an outstanding event and placed Malta among the distinguished venues that hosted classic international regattas.

I am referring to Jimmy White and, with the 30th Rolex Middle Sea Race less than a week away, it is refreshing to recall how White himself had described his involvement and contribution to make it happen.

Reviving old memories, this story was published in the 1977 edition of my publication Spinnaker, then recognised as 'the Journal of the Royal Malta Yacht Club'. It was printed on the occasion of the 10th Middle Sea Race.

Narrated by Jimmy himself... definitely an unforgettable and pleasant story.

I retired from business in 1966 and I planned to spend the next few years with my yacht Sandettie in the West Indies.

My parents were both in frail health and when I arrived at Gibraltar bound for St Lucia I developed a guilt complex at leaving my sisters with this responsibility.

I had a few drinks with an American who was sailing from the Mediterranean to the West Indies. We dined together and I told him my problem.

He said: "OK buddy. You give me your charts and I'll give you mine of the Mediterranean. Take my advice and base yourself in Malta, where they are developing a large marina and from where you can fly back to England in three hours if the need arises."

And that is just what I did. I turned left instead of right and finally arrived in Malta on December 4, 1966.

I made landfall off Gozo during the morning of that day and during 1967 sailed Sandettie in many local events but no long distance offshore races were available.

My most regular sailing companion was E. Alan Green who was at the time working on the island for the Royal Navy. We often discussed the possibility of a long, hard race from Malta and finally came up with the plan for the Middle Sea Race.

A small sketch of the course was made by Alan and pinned up over Sandettie's chart table.

We had in mind a winter race of over 600 miles to compare with the British Fastnet. A great deal of thought was given to the direction in which the course should be sailed and it was finally decided that the race should be run clockwise for the following basic reasons:

• The worst wind in Malta is a severe Gregale. If such wind should blow at the start, the clockwise direction would mean that apart from the initial difficulty of beating out of Marsamxett, competitors would have the wind free for the first leg to Lampedusa, whereas if sailed anti-clockwise there would be a very hard beat to Sicily and we feared early retirements might be the result.

• Should there be a Gregale at the end of the race the clockwise course would provide a run to the finish whereas the anti-clockwise course would give a hard beat from Lampedusa to Malta and should there be dismasting or other serious trouble with a yacht, North Africa would be a lee shore lacking in rescue facilities.

• Apart from these dangers we also considered that from the historical point of view, it would be of more interest to crews to sail down from Stromboli, through the Straits of Messina in the path of Ulysses.

All this was still a dream race in 1967.

In 1968, we entered Sandettie for an Italian race from Anzio to Palermo. At a reception, given by the Palermo Yacht Club at Mondello, Alan and I showed our sketch to Admiral Bernotti who had also competed in Corsaro II, a big Sparkman-Stevens designed ketch, used by the Italian Navy for Cadet Training.

Admiral Bernotti immediately said: "Fantastica. If you can get the Royal Malta Yacht Club to put on that race I will promise you your first Class I entry."

He was as good as his word and entered the first race in December 1968 with Stella Polare, another big Sparkman-Stevens boat belonging to the Italian Navy. Since then he has taken part in the race every year.

Encouraged by this valuable support, Alan and I returned to Malta and requested an urgent meeting of the RMYC. This was held at the club premises in Hay Wharf and the committee were most enthusiastic.

Since time for preparation was short, it wisely delegated the basic organisation of the first race to Alan Green, acknowledged as one of the best and most knowledgeable administrators in the offshore sail racing world.

From the original team, the present excellent organisation has grown to become one of the best Race Administrations in Europe and the Mediterranean.

From that day in December 1968, with eight starters only, and, incidentally, the slowest race on record, Malta has welcomed many famous yachts and yachtsmen to its shores and one can be forgiven for hoping that this 10th anniversary will prove the finest and fastest Middle Sea Race to date.