The 35th Rolex Middle Sea Race was one to remember. Not only for the international fleet that, for the third year in a row, set a record number of entries, but for the array of conditions that the yachts faced.
From no wind to too much; from flat calm to turbulent seas; from going nowhere to flying fast and furious... the 608-nm mythical course offered everything.
The worthy winner had to conquer the elements as well as the competition.
Exceptional challenges bring out the best in exceptional characters. Step forward Lee Satariano and the crew of the Maltese J122 Artie, winner of the 2014 Rolex Middle Sea Race.
In all, 122 yachts from 24 nationalities, ranging in size from 9.5 to 30.5 metres, gathered at the start of the race on October 18. That was 23 more yachts than the previous record set in 2013.
“Having a larger fleet and different nationalities is satisfying, because it means that the popularity of the race is not only increasing in numbers but extending to many places,” enthused Godwin Zammit, Commodore of race organisers, Royal Malta Yacht Club.
The MSR was first run in 1968 and Rolex has been the title sponsor since 2002.
On October 18, the cannons of Valletta’s Saluting Battery overlooking Grand Harbour marked the start of the race under a clear sky, a subtle southerly breeze and the watchful gaze of a sizeable crowd.
According to Francesco de Angelis, tactician on defending champion B2 from Italy, the difficulty of this race is that you never know what the wind is going to do.
“It’s a long one, with a lot of corners, and the scenario is always changing,” he said.
“You know the wind you will start with, but you don’t know what you will find along the way. It is never easy.”
For Tom Addis, navigator on the 100-ft Maxi Esimit Europa 2 the thing about this course is that you get all angles.
“There is always something extreme – it is never an easy 10-15 knots of wind race,” Addis, who took line honours at the 2009 Rolex Sydney Hobart with this same boat when it was Neville Crichton’s Alfa Romeo, said.
The wind at the start was a light southerly. The first night at sea saw the fleet struggling to make ground towards the Strait of Messina. Concentration, attentive trimming, correct sail selection, precise helming and minimising unnecessary movements were the key to getting anything out of the conditions.
Twenty-four hours into the race, and only the leader had passed through the Strait of Messina.
The Jochen Schümann-skippered line honours favourite Esimit Europa 2 covered just 215nm in the first complete day of racing. By noon she was 10nm from Stromboli struggling to make six knots.
Ran, Shockwave and B2, the next yachts on the course, were still tacking the Strait, some 30 miles behind.
Some twenty-four hours later and Esimit Europa 2 had still yet to pass the halfway point.
Most of the fleet was wallowing 100 nautical miles astern. The second night proved another opportunity for crews to hone their ability to deal with little or no wind. As more yachts rounded Stromboli, some diverted north in the search of breeze.
The fact remained that everyone was barely moving. Esimit Europa’s hopes of overturning the 47 hour, 55 minute and 3 second race record (set by American Maxi Rambler in 2007) evaporated in the still heat.
Then, Esimit Europa 2 used the building breeze to confirm her status as favourite for line honours, finally crossing the finish line in Marsamxett Harbour at 22:47.05 on Tuesday night.
The Slovenian Maxi completed the course in 3 days, 10 hours, 42 minutes and 5 seconds.
This fourth line honours win, following victories in 2010, 2011 and 2012, set a new record for the Rolex Middle Sea Race: some compensation for failing to better the course record.
Two hours later, Niklas Zennström’s Ran arrived in Malta and was later declared winner of IRC One.
After three quiet nights, a dramatic change in conditions occurred late on the fifth day. The wind built progressively from the northwest.
Storm force winds began to sweep the course and the face of the race changed, just as most yachts were reaching the exposed westernmost point at Favignana.
GYR Scarlet Oyster reported 48 knots of wind just before retiring with a broken rudder. The German crew on the 48-ft Sjambok reported a massive gust of 60 knots.
Grey Goose sent photographic evidence of its instruments recording 50 knots. With the hours of darkness exceeding daylight it was a long and difficult night.
Proof of the extraordinarily treacherous conditions lies in the eventual number of retirees – 71 – and the litany of damage reported by the fleet, even close to the finish.
“The pin of our keel failed just as we left the Comino channel,” reported Portuguese skipper Diogo Caiolla, on the Swiss 42-ft prototype Kuka-Light.
Small boats’ chances
For those still racing, the building wind also brought opportunity. The race conditions now favoured a small boat.
As crews reached the finish line, their faces were a mix of elation, exhaustion, relief and, above all, a huge sense of achievement.
Satariano’s J122 Artie crossed the line at 00:45 on Thursday, after 4 days, 13 hours, 35 minutes and five seconds of racing.
Her nearest rival in class would finish eight hours behind on both elapsed and corrected time. Later that morning, with several yachts still racing, the Royal Malta Yacht Club declared Artie could not be beaten and had won the race overall.
An overwhelmed Satariano commented: “I can’t believe it. To win such a prestigious race, one of the most high level offshore races in the world, being a local boat and a local team is a great achievement.”
This is the second title for Artie in four years, after victory in 2011, and the seventh Maltese victory overall.
Saturday’s prize-giving ceremony was a true occasion.
Not only was it an opportunity to praise the victors as they received the MSR trophy and Rolex timepiece in recognition of their huge achievement, but it was also a chance to acknowledge the determination of everyone who had participated.
The 36th Rolex MSR will start on October 17, 2015 and entries have already been received by the Royal Malta Yacht Club.
Overall 2014 Rolex MSR result
| Boat | Type | Class | Elapsed time | Corrected |
| 1. Artie | J122 | Class 4 | d4 h13 m35 s5 | d4 h23 m7 s6 |
| 2. XP-Act Banks | Xp 44 | Class 3 | d4 h14 m1 s11 | d5 h4 m52 s20 |
| 3. Neo Bank Sails | Neo 400 | Class 2 | d4 h9 m30 s0 | d5 h6 m36 s0 |
| 4. Azuree | Azuree 33 | Class 5 | d5 h4 m38 s44 | d5 h7 m23 s15 |
| 5. Cuor di Leone | JOD 35 | Class 5 | d5 h8 m7 s49 | d5 h7 m29 s22 |
| 6. Otra Vez | J122 | Class 4 | d4 h21 m40 s35 | d5 h7 m54 s51 |
| 7. Courrier Du Coeur | Bermudian Sloop | Class 3 | d4 h19 m16 s51 | d5 h8 m32 s17 |
| 8. Kajsa III | DK46 | Class 3 | d4 h13 m7 s0 | d5 h8 m52 s0 |
| 9. Belladonna | Grand Soleil 46 | Class 3 | d4 h19 m55 s52 | d5 h9 m1 s52 |
| 10. Best Buddies | Swan 44 R | Class 4 | d5 h2 m54 s47 | d5 h9 m18 s16 |