Esimit Europa 2 was outside record pace for the Rolex Middle Sea Race course but late Tuesday the 100ft canting keel Maxi still secured its fourth Line Honours, a feat that has never been achieved before in this Mediterranean offshore classic.
Royal Malta Yacht Club Commodore Godwin Zammit presented Esimit Europa 2 with their Line Honours flag on their arrival at Marsamxett Harbour.
“We would have come sooner if we could!” joked skipper Jochen Schumann while enjoying a bowl of pasta and a glass of wine at the Royal Malta Yacht Club.
“In a special way, light airs racing is also very difficult. The sail we used the most during the race was the wind seeker and using that to its full potential requires a huge amount of concentration from all of the crew on deck.
“We needed to keep alert because if we stop, the boats behind can see that on the tracker and avoid the wind hole we have found ourselves in.”
Niklas Zennstrom’s Maxi 72, Ran V, finished the race three hours behind Esimit Europa 2 to set the ‘bar to beat’ for the yachts still racing.
Royal Malta Yacht Club vice-Commodore, Mark Napier, welcomed Ran V back to base.
“All you can do is try to win your class and hope that the weather is in your favour,” Zennstrom said.
“As always, Team Ran prepared the boat and raced to a very high standard, so we can be happy with our performance.
“I would like to thank the Royal Malta Yacht Club for organising the race and coming out to the boat with cold beer and warm greetings at the end of a long race.”
By yesterday afternoon, 92 yachts were still racing as the expected frontal system arrived at the northwest corner of the course.
Reports of storm force winds and big seas have been received by the Race Committee and 25 yachts retired from the race. There were no reports of any injuries to crew from the fleet.
Meanwhile, Lee Satariano’s Maltese J/122, Artie, has emerged as the hot favourite to become the overall winner of the 2014 Rolex Middle Sea Race.
However, at 16.00 Artie was still 80 miles from the finish and the storm was still raging.
In addition, there were several yachts behind Artie that could still claim the overall prize.
“The waves have been as high as 30 feet and the wind speed often gusting above 40 knots, this is a really wild ride,” Sebastian Ripard said from on board Artie.
“With the full main and jib top sail, we have been flying along.
“The game plan has been a mixture of pushing as hard as we can but also protecting the boat, so we have been taking it a bit easier in the big gusts of over 40 knots and then going for it when the wind speed drops a little.
“Everybody will be on the rail, head down, hiking out for the final 100 miles. We expect to finish the race at around midnight.”