Ready, set in Malta

By midday yesterday, the bulk of the fleet for the 2011 Rolex Middle Sea Race was tied up in Marsamxett, ready for today’s start of the 32nd edition of the 606-nautical mile offshore race.

The race continues to draw a truly international cast of boats and crews with entries from 16 countries. Still the highest concentration is Italy with 26 entries, followed by Malta and the United Kingdom, with nine each.

The biggest in the 70-boat fleet is the 100-footer Esimit Europa 2, from Slovenia. Accomplished German sailor Jochen Schumann is onboard as skipper, in his first Rolex Middle Sea Race.

The four-time Olympic medallist has never visited Malta before.

“It’s my first time and I am very impressed. The different bays, the waterfront… the old walls, the forts – it is very impressive,” he said.

“In fact, the whole Valletta is a fort. It is a very interesting place – I think it would be good to come here and have the time to discover this city.”

One of the more closely watched rivalries will be between Niklas Zennstrom’s J/V 72, Ran (GBR) and Andres Soriano’s Mark Mills-designed 68-footer Alegre (GBR).

Alegre will be competing in her fourth race, having achieved a line honours win in 2008 and overall race win in 2009.

While this will be the Ran crew’s third time at the RMSR, Zennstrom’s team have been ticking off some important race wins including Rolex Fastnet Race (2009, 2011), the Mini Maxi Rolex World Championship (2010, 2011) and the Newport Bermuda Race (2010).

Zennstrom has assembled a formidable crew.

As Ran’s navigator Steve Hayles puts it: “This race has come on a bit in its standing. Niklas laid down our focus and he’s put this race in very high regard in terms of where we should spend our time and resources. We’re more focused on this race as part of a much bigger programme than we have been in the past.”

Hayles and tactician Adrian Stead will both be called on to decipher the best track around the race course, which features an anti-clockwise circumnavigation around Sicily and the Aeolian and Egadi island chain as well as further offshore, Pantelleria and Lampedusa, and through the channel of Gozo and Comino before the finish back in Marsamxett.

At the smaller end of the size spectrum, but no less competitive, is Chris Opielok on the Corby 36, AOC Rockall.

Though racing in the MSR for the first time, the German owner/skipper has been actively campaigning around the world for the last two years. He and his crew have raced in Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, France and the UK.

Opielok thinks the biggest challenge will be the unpredictable weather systems between the European continent and Africa, with Sicily and Malta in between.

As a professional master mariner, who spends his life on ships commanding offshore supply vessels in Australia and the North Sea, he may have a slight advantage.

“You have to be a very competitive boat and very good weather guys, and some experience on how to handle the weather and forecasting,” he said.

The Royal Malta Yacht Club has been welcoming the boats this week to their clubhouse in Ta’ Xbiex.

As luck would have it, a strong northeasterly breeze last weekend caused substantial damage to some of the pontoons and forced the temporary relocation of a number of the competing boats. In its normal whole-hearted, committed manner the club quickly effected repairs and had boats tied back on the dock again in time for the race.

Georges Bonello DuPuis, club Commodore, is the nerve centre of the race organisers, keeping everyone focused in the lead-up to the race. He was clearly excited for today’s start.

“Big names, big boats, small boats… there’s a great mix and so many returns which is the best thing about this race, you have people that keep coming back. You’ve got a maxi, mini maxis, Volvo Ocean racers, family cruisers, and this year, quite a few Open 40s,” he said.

This morning there will be four IRC starts at Grand Harbour, ­beginning with the smallest-sized yachts and ending with the largest at 11 a.m.