Many yachts and crews from abroad have chosen to come back and do the race again. One such case is Sean Murphy who is tackling the race double-handed for the second time on his J-105 Slingshot. He had originally planned to race with Bonello DuPuis, but a turn of fate left Slingshot sitting in Malta. "
The Greek Farr 52, Superfast Racing (Optimum 3), is also back again and in their case for the fourth time. Having won the race in 2004, owners Pericles Livas and Nikos Lazos are keen to repeat their victorious odyssey, as Livas describes, "we first competed in the 2003 Rolex Middle Sea Race finishing 12th. It was the first time the team raced continuously for 5 days. Every member got excited and in the stormy 2004 edition the team returned combat-ready and won first place overall. We could not defend our title in 2005 and then 2006 was a very light winds for us. So this year we are back again and very hungry. We are 15 Greek amateur sailing enthusiasts looking forward to create another great set of memories."
The Rolex Middle Sea Race takes the fleet on a 606 nautical-mile adventure that starts and finishes in Malta. The start line is unique, lying as it does between the 18th century Fort Manoel and the 16th century bastions of Valetta. The route takes yachts up the eastern seaboard of Sicily to the Strait of Messina, passing the active volcano of Etna. At the second active volcano - the island of Stromboli - the fleet turns west to the Egadi Islands and the northwest corner of Sicily. Here the fleet heads south passing the island of Pantelleria before turning back towards Malta at the island of Lampedusa.
The Rolex Middle Sea Race 2007 starts from Marsamxett Harbour, Malta, on Saturday 20th October 2007. The Malta Rolex Cup, a two-race inshore series on the 16th and 17th October, will precede the main race.
Robert McNeill's Zephyrus IV established the current Course Record of 64 hours 49 minutes and 57 seconds in 2000.
http://www.rolexmiddlesearace.com
At close of entries, the 28th edition of the Rolex Middle Sea Race has attracted sixty-nine yachts, one more than started in 2006 and, if they all hit the start line this coming Saturday, the race will have set a new record entry level albeit only just. Perhaps most worrying for the organisers, the Royal Malta Yacht Club, not all the yachts are yet in Malta, which is currently being battered by 30 miles an hour winds. These winds are expected to steadily subside over the coming few days, hopefully sufficiently to enable all foreign competitors to arrive.