Esimit Europa 2 was expected to reach Marsaxmett Harbour late last night for the Slovenian boat to make it three successive Rolex Middle Sea Race Line Honours titles to emulate the feat of Italian boat Bembow between 1975 and 1977.
With Niklas Zennstrom’s Ran, Stig, of Alessandro Rombelli, and Sergey Borodinov’s Med Spirit falling behind in the chase for first boat home following Saturday’s departure from Grand Harbour, Esmit Europa 2, skippered by Jochen Schumann, practically had no challenge for Line Honours after rounding Lampedusa at around midday yesterday on the final stretch for home.
The race for Line Honours may have been a clear verdict but the battle for classes and the overall crown are totally undecided as the majority of the fleet made slow progress along the top of Sicily and down to Pantelleria in whispering wind.
In Class 4, Lee Satariano and Christian Ripard’s Artie RTFX was leading the category with Favignana in sight.
The Rolex MSR Trophy holders were using every means possible to speed their progress to the northwest corner of the 606-mile course.
Possibly their biggest threat to an overall win is now the Maxi yachts in front of them.
Every hour that goes by the high performance yachts, the likes of Ran and Stig, were speeding away, diminishing the corrected time lead that Artie RTFX has built over the previous two days.
Artie RTFX also had a threat from behind to contend with.
Of the chasing pack in Class 4, Three Sisters, Pita Maha and Trustmarque Quokka look to be their biggest challengers.
In Class 1, Ran’s average speed for the entire race nearly doubled overnight. Propelled by the fresh nortwesterly wind, Ran powered up the rankings and were the provisional leaders of Class 1.
Stig and fourth-placed Med Spirit had fallen behind Ran but still pose a serious threat in this category.
In Class 2, a pack of boats approached the crucial turning point of Favignana early in the day.
Germana Tognella’s Cookson 50, Cantankerous, was there first to extend its lead on the fleet as they turned downwind. However, three other yachts are very much in contention, taking into account their ratings. Speedy, Hi Fidelity and Optimum 3 Aspida are very much in the hunt for class honours.
In Class 3, Natale Lia’s Zenhea Takesha had a sensational night, the all-Italian crew, mostly from Sicily, pulled out a lead of several miles from Josef Schultheis and Paolo Semeraro XP-ACT.
Jonas Diamantino’s ILC 40 Comanche Raider II GasanMamo was engaged in a close battle on the water with Swan 56, Noonmark VI, and the all-Malta crew was still very much in contention after time correction.
“At times, we were so close to Noonmark that we could hear their conversation,” Diamantino said when he contacted the race headquarters yesterday.
“There was very little wind last night but the occasional puff was used as best as we could. We have plenty of food and water but I would ask the Royal Malta Yacht Club to make sure the bar is fully stocked for our arrival.”