Rolex Middle Sea Race opens its arms still wider as entries flow

The 32nd Rolex Middle Sea Race is just under three months away.

Entries for the 606-nautical mile classic are beginning to stack up and the Royal Malta Yacht Club (RMYC) is contemplating another bumper crop of international yachts and crews.

Preparations for the event are well underway and competitors can look forward to the usual-level welcome that is rarely matched in the yacht-racing world.

The start is scheduled for October 22 and, once again, will be in the unparalleled setting of Grand Harbour.

With 31 yachts entered, the event is well on the way to matching last year’s fleet of 76 and the record fleet of 78 set in 2008.

The first boat to register was the German Rogers 46 Varuna, owned by Jens Kellinghusen.

Varuna finished 13th overall in IRC and won her ORC class in 2010, and is an enthusiastic returnee.

Varuna’s interests extend beyond just this race since she is actively participating in the 2011 Atlantic Ocean Racing Series (AORS) having just completed the Transatlantic Race and about to embark on the Rolex Fastnet Race.

With the prospect of a considerable number of sea miles under her belt before October, it would be fair to suppose that the Varuna crew will be supremely well-drilled come the start of the Rolex MSR.

Next up were Jason and Judy Payne-James with their Dufour 45, Heartbeat IV (GBR), followed by the current headline act: Niklas Zenn-strom’s 72-foot Judel/Vrolijk designed Ran 2, the 2009 winner of the Rolex Fastnet.

This will be the third visit of the Ran crew, the second on the world champion mini-maxi. Their best result to date was fourth overall in 2009, something they will be looking to improve upon.

The spread of entries currently includes boats from most seafaring nations in Europe, plus Russia and South Africa.

Chris Frost’s 54-foot Prodigy (RSA) is another yacht competing on the AORS. She finished the race 30 minutes behind Varuna and will be looking to turn that table in the Rolex Fastnet ahead of the MSR.

This year, foreign crews will be offered a substantial upgrade on the already excellent facilities available at this race. The RMYC is in the process of installing some 60 pontoon berths at Marsamxett, right off the clubhouse in Ta’ Xbiex.

This will be the first time in the 43-year history of the event that the RMYC would be able to accommodate the main bulk of the competing fleet so close to the centre of operations.

“It is a great achievement for the club and great news for the competitors,” Commodore Georges Bonello DuPuis said.

“It was a substantial investment, but is part of our vision for the general expansion of the yacht club’s activities, plus we have long wanted to moor boats adjacent to our facility so we can host them in the best possible way.

“We have a well-earned reputation for really looking after the visiting international crews, but this year will raise the bar still further.”

And, while the local Maltese participants might not benefit directly from the improved moorings, they will certainly enjoy the increased party atmosphere anticipated at the club ahead and after the race.

Jonas Diamantino’s ILC 40 Comanche Raider II Gasan Mamo was one of the first hometown boats to enter, with Aaron and Edward Gatt Floridia’s J/122 Otra Vez and Jonathan Gambin’s Dufour 44 Ton Ton Surfside hot on his heels.

More are sure to follow.