Record time in the balance

The 30th Rolex Middle Sea Race is proving to be one of the most fascinating in recent years.

The pressure is on for Mike Slade and the crew of ICAP Leopard if they still have ambitions to improve on the race record as well as take line honours.

At 17.00 yesterday, the potent supermaxi had not turned the northwest corner of Sicily and is now behind Rambler's 2007 pace.

For the moment it remains a big boat race for overall honours with, so far, the mini-maxis dominating the top five handicap positions at Capo Passero, Messina and Stromboli.

Yet, the game is far from over.

Bella Mente and Rosebud/ Team DYT are the biggest named casualties to join the list of retirees. With only six monohulls left to pass through the speed trap at Strait of Messina, the challenging conditions encountered so far may have proved more testing for the front runners.

It took the fleet between five and 11 hours to cross the sea between Malta and Sicily on Saturday; certainly one of the faster fleet passages on record.

ICAP Leopard was first to Capo Passero, only four minutes ahead of Karl Kwok's Beau Geste.

Last boat to pass, some six hours later was Zizanie, the veteran Sparkman & Stephens design that last did the race in 1974, winning the cruising division in the process.

She was narrowly beaten to the rocky cape by Manana, surely the most romantic story in the race.

Just a few days ago, skipper Kevin Dingli was cutting the remains of his mast free from his yacht Fekruna after a disastrous encounter with a waterspout during the coastal race. Step in the following morning his close friend Peter Ellul Vincenti, owner of Manana, with an offer of his boat.

Some quick work to bring her up to standard and Dingli is back in the long-distance race. His worst nightmares reverting to a dream come true.

Dingli would like to do well, but right now is relieved just to be taking part.

Saturday night, Sunday morning saw fun and games for all the crews, though a few will be ruing their luck as the pressure on equipment that typifies an offshore race started to take its toll.

Wizsoft's mishap

Wizsoft was the first to pull into port with equipment failure, followed by Apepazza H30.

With reports from boats such as Elusive II Medbank and Otra Vez Fexco making reference to squalls coming from nowhere in the darkness, retirements were to be expected.

Maya Podesta on Elusive reported: "These things always seem to happen at night! Knock down after knock down with squall after squall. The lower spreader even managed to get a taste of salt in a 40-knot gust. Everyone aboard is a little wet, but fine."

The good news was that the crew were managing to tuck into some smoked salmon sandwiches.

No news of the menu from Otra Vez, but clearly some bruising reminders of 2007 for Edward Gatt Floridia's crew, as they wondered what else the gods of sea and wind had in store, advising "wild conditions last night. Sailing with a second reef and small jib. Sea state up and we've no numbers after losing the wand (which records wind speeds at the top of the mast) in a squall."

The daylight hours of yesterday have been easier towards the back of the fleet, but drama was unfolding from early morning at the front.

First, Hap Fauth's Bella Mente pulled out with equipment failure. Then, a couple of hours later, news arrived that Roger Sturgeon's, 2007 Rolex Sydney Hobart winner, Rosebud/Team DYT, had broken her mast.

Yesterday evening, the overall handicap leader at Stromboli was Andres Soriano's Alegre, line honours winner at the 2008 Rolex MSR.

At this point, she led Luna Rossa and Rán 2 by a matter of a few seconds and minutes respectively.

Just as on Saturday night, though, this is far too early to be popping the champagne cork.

For ICAP Leopard, just passing north of Capo San Vito, her line honours position is commanding going into the second half of the course.

For the record she is going to need to put on the afterburners down the western side of the course.

With the wind forecast to remain from the northwest for the next 18 hours and in excess of 20 knots, the glimmer of hope remains... Slade will surely be hoping so.