Esimit Europa – first boat home

Early yesterday, at 00.54 a.m., Esimit Europa 2 crossed the finish line of the 2011 Rolex Middle Sea Race in Marsamxett to take Line Honours.

The Slovenian maxi completed the course in an elapsed time of 61 hours, 24 minutes and 35 seconds, far off the course record set in 2007 by Rambler (USA) – 47 hours, 55 minutes, 3 seconds.

Igor Simcic’s 100-footer adds this success to their list of line honours wins this season, which included the Giraglia Rolex Cup.

In 2010, Esimit Europa 2 was also the line honours winner with an elapsed time of 54 hours, 52 minutes, 32 seconds.

The maxi sails with an impressive 20-man crew, which includes the all-star afterguard of skipper Jochen Schumann and navigator Juan Vila who were competing in their first Rolex MSR but have raced together in the past, including as part of the Alinghi 2007 America’s Cup team.

“It’s one race I’ve always wanted to do,” Vila said.

“I was a bit nervous because everyone told me how difficult it was getting around Sicily – there are many high points where you have to be very careful.

“Everyone on the boat did a good job and we probably managed to keep going with the little bit of wind that was going north.

“To keep the boat moving in these light airs, we knew it would be tricky especially the first night.”

From Messina, Esimit Europa 2 had a spinnaker run from Stromboli, then a slow approach to the tip of Sicily, where there was no wind.

“We struggled to keep the boat going and then we put our nose into the southeasterly and kept stretching slowly,” Schumann said.

“There were three or four thunderstorms, very violent with rain and breeze. These huge clouds were changing the wind patterns dramatically. It wasn’t easy to handle it, but I think we passed all those moments quite nicely.”

A few minutes after crossing the line, Esimit owner Simcic was presented with a Rolex Yacht-Master timepiece by Malcolm Lowell Jr. from Edwards’ Lowell, as well as the RLR Line Honours Trophy by Royal Malta Yacht Club Commodore, Georges Bonello DuPuis.

Niklas Zennstrom’s Rán was the second boat to finish yesterday, crossing the line at 11.10 a.m. with an elapsed time of 2 days, 23 hours, 40 minutes.

Rán beat Esimit Europa 2 on corrected time but the crew will have to wait until today (when several competitors with the potential to topple them arrive) to see how they have fared against the rest of the handicap leaders.

At 17.16 yesterday, Andres Soriano’s Mills 68 Alegre crossed the finish line.

Med Spirit (FRA) was expected to enter Marsamxett later in the evening as a half dozen boats were sailing in a light 5-10 knot easterly between Gozo and Lampedusa.

Further up the track, between Lampedusa and Pantelleria, the bulk of the fleet – close to 40 boats – were beating into a headwind, hoping to reach Valletta today.

Meanwhile, the weather conditions, which included a very rough sea state, took their toll on the fleet.

Just after midnight, Jonas Diamantino’s Comanche Raider II, retired with rudder problems and headed to Favignana.

Another Maltese boat, Aaron and Edward Gatt Floridia’s Otra Vez, suffered some damage but stayed in the race.

Sean Arrigo Azzopardi, crew member onboard the J/122, said: “We broke the bowsprit. We were carrying the Code Zero a bit too high in a big chop, and seem to have blown it.”