Global Yacht Racing, Galilieo, Alexandra Dreams, Northern Child and Faioahe have officially retired from the race. Remy Gerin sent this picture, so looks like the  two-handed team will be back next year!

On the way to Favignana!

Pasta and chill con carne or carbonara for dinner!

Jonas

After just over 3 days of racing the mood onboard Artie RTFX is still strong despite the very light winds & very slow pace. The last two nights have been a true test of nerves, patience & concentration. We managed to keep a decent boat speed through out the first 24 hours & had a lovely run, under A4 heading for Stromboli, after exiting the Straits of Messina at 1425hr on Sunday.

This is when the going started to get tough due to the very light conditions. It was a pleasure finally hearing the rumble of Stomboli’s
active volcano & the lava show kept our minds off our slow boat speed. All
Monday & Tuesday were pretty much more of the same. No wind, little boat speed & an anxious feeling that the competition is creeping up on us.
We are currently at Capo San Vito, heading for Levanzo doing a constant 5
knots boat speed. That’s it for now from Artie RTFX’s attempt to
send another update when we are in GSM range of Pantelleria.
Matthew Gusman, Navigator Artie RTFX

Finally, we’re rounding the corner!  Off the north western tip of Sicily and about to head south towards the coast of Africa.  What a day it’s been, full of all the vagaries that we have come to expect from this race.  The early morning watch was a complete blast as we finally managed to put Stromboli behind us, reaching under the kites and making the most of the wind that was available to us.  Only for that falsest of friends, the windhole, to reappear…

Most of the day has been spent yet again eeking out every tenth of a knot of boat speed from the 2-4 knots of wind available to us.  Constant trimming and careful helming have been our watchwords as we sought to make progress towards our current position.  Despite the lack of wind it’s been a beautiful day – the antithesis of much of the offshore racing that we are used to. Bright blue seas under a gentle sun – at times it has felt more like a cruise than a race.  Although that should not suggest that we haven’t been taking it seriously!

Even Pedro began to wax lyrical about how the sea was our desert and the clouds our oasis, as we looked to each cloud as a potential source of wind…. only to find that yet again it proved to be a mirage and our hopes were dashed.  Even so, our progress has been steady and our efforts are paying off as we believe that we remain well positioned in the fleet.

In typical fashion we have gained some miles then seen them eaten away as we lose wind and others gain miles as they find the zephyrs that we have lost.  It’s always heartening though to be surrounded by boats that are rated higher than we are.  Some of our closest competitors are sailing a very good race and they have become our benchmark, a measure of our relative progress.  So far, we are comfortable with how we measure up.  Let’s hope we can keep it up!

As we round Capo St Vito, this turning mark at the top of Sicily, we hope that we have left the lightest of the winds behind us and that we will finally start to make better progress towards that elusive finishing line.  The lightning flashes, which are accompanying our rounding, certainly suggest that this might be so!  Whilst the forecasts are unrealiable for the next few days, we are hoping for 3-15 knots, which will be a true feast of high wind sailing in comparison to what has gone before!!  And, as we have only now passed the halfway point, almost 3.5 days after we left Grand Harbour, Valletta, we certainly hope that we are more than halfway through in terms of time!

As I sign off on this blog, it’s worth saying just how cohesive this Quokka crew is.  I don’t think that I have raced with such a great bunch of people, whose spirits remain so high in all conditions.  It’s making this race such a real pleasure.  It’s also testament to all involved that we remain near the front of the fleet, despite never having all sailed together before our arrival in Malta.  However we do, this Rolex Middle Sea Race will rank high in my memories of good, fun sailing!

Less than 100 miles, with a north easterly wind which holds quite well. We are flying at 9 to 10 knots of boat speed, up wind on a calm sea water. We are aiming approximately at destination, Malta. Fighting hard to keep the boat as fast as possible to keep the distance with the rest of the fleet. We cannot see Stig anymore. We are hoping the wind will be with us as much as possible during the night. Aeolus, stay with us!

Greek Farr 52 passes Favigana much to the relief of the crew

Esimit Europa 2 have picked up a hitchhiker!