After winning the 44th edition of the Barcolana regatta with a tactically perfect race, the Esimit Sailing Team left Trieste at 10:00 PM CEST on the same day, heading for Valletta. The European crew is aiming to establish the benchmark time for the approximately 700 nautical mile passage record Trieste to Valletta, recognized by the World Sailing Speed Record Council.
After leaving the Gulf of Trieste, the crew is heading south-east in the Adriatic. Once they are south of Italy, they will turn south-west towards Malta. The straight line course goes fairly close to Calabria and southern Sicily, therefore the decision whether to stick to the straight line course or go further offshore will be made based on the weather conditions.
For monohulls breaking the established passage record from Trieste to Valletta, a very special trophy has been created. The Medot Sailing Trophy is under the patronage of the Deputy Prime Minister of Malta, which was presented on Saturday night (13th October) at the Esimit Europa Gala in Trieste. But not all challengers are going to be presented with this unique award. The world sailing record has to be broken by monohulls in the time frame between the Barcolana and the Rolex Middle Sea Race.