Rolex watch Middle Sea Race to start in Valletta
For the first time ever, the Rolex Middle Sea Race will take off from Grand Harbour this year, closing off the port for 4 hours.
Rolex said that the start line would stretch from the Saluting Battery at the Upper Barrakka Gardens to Fort St Angelo on the Vittoriosa side. This is the first time that the race will start in Malta’s main port. In previous years the line ended in Couvre Porte but a new venue had to be sought after the Royal Malta Yacht Club moved from there after it failed to reach an agreement with the Midi Consortium that is developing the Manoel Island.
Rolex watchThe 606-mile race will start on October 17. The 30th edition is expected to attract the usual high calibre of participants, with Mike Slade's ICAP Leopard as the star, still flushed with their success at taking line honours at the Rolex Fastnet.
Karl Kwok's brand new Farr 80 Beau Geste could be breathing down their neck, despite being 20 foot shorter.
The Royal Malta Yacht Club expects Niklas Zennstrom's Rán 2 (overall winner of the 2009 Rolex Fastnet) and the STP 65s of Udo Schütz (Container/GER), Patrizio Bertelli (Luna Rossa/ITA) and Roger Sturgeon (Rosebud/USA - overall winner of the 2007 Rolex Sydney Hobart) to be joining Hap Fauth's Bella Mente (USA) and Andres Soriano's Alegre (GBR) - the 2008 Rolex Rolex watchMiddle Sea Race Line Honours winner - in the race line-up.
The Maltese will be out in force again this year. Jonathan Gambin has entered his own boat, Ton Ton, for a second time and whilst this will be only his third race, it confirms a growing enthusiasm for the course.
Kevin Dingli will be leading a crew on his 40-foot Beneteau, Fekruna.
Rolex watchOther yachts to watch out for are: Kees Kaan's GS43 ROARK/Claus en Kaan's Architecten (NED), Boat of the Series at the 2008 Rolex Commodores' Cup, and fellow countryman Piet de Vroon and his latest Tonnerre de Breskens.
As for the yacht club premises, Commodore Georges Bonello DuPuis said that work was proceedeing and they should be ready in time for the race.
Rolex watchThe 2008 winner of the magnificent Rolex Middle Sea Race trophy for victory overall was the 40 foot French yacht Spirit of Ad Hoc.