Blog
25/10/10 09:00
The 45-footer Comrade (RUS) turned back at Stromboli, retiring at 07:30 with rudder problems and was heading to Messina effect repairs; at 09.00, the Dufour 40, Bonito (ITA) retired and was also heading into Messina. All is well on board both yachts.
25/10/10 07:00
As the last of the boats in the race pass through the Messina Strait. Esimit Europa 2 had a fast ride around the west of Siciliy, making the island of Pantelleria just before dawn.
25/10/10 06:00
Big breeze and frightening seas on the way..last night in Malta’s capital, Valetta, the heavens opened and bright flashes of light and cracks of thunder accompanied a dark dawn. The wind is picking up, helping some and hindering others on this ever changing racecourse.
John Brinkers aboard Volvo 70, E1 sent back a taste of life in the Rolex Middle Sea Race;
“We got to the Messina straights in great shape having cut down Alegre’s lead down to half a mile, at which point I went to bed.By the time I got back up she had disappeared and while I was blissfully sleeping we fell into a hole and sat while the three TP 52’s sailed up to within shouting distance of us.
We managed to make our way to the top of the straights under asymmetric and building breeze which freshened to 22knots as we approached the exit. By the time we gybed on course for Stromboli the breeze had freshened to 25 gusting 30, and it was my turn at the wheel, blasting along under asail doing solid 20’s. These Volvo 70’s really are the mutts nutts.
Alegre had slaughtered us coming out of the straights but as we sailed away from Sicily and approached Stromboli she appeared on the horizon, sitting in much less breeze. Many tactical gybes later we had again closed on her to within a mile in the dying breeze.
We managed to punch through the hole to leeward of Stromboli, but again Alegre used her light air pace to get through first. She is currently some 4 or 5 miles ahead as I type this lying in my bunk.
I can hear the lads talking about re-hoisting the A2 so I better go give them a hand…..
JB
24/10/10 18:20
All to play for
As the second day of the Rolex Middle Sea Race draws to a close, the crews prepare themselves for the second night at sea. They will be becoming accustomed to life on board. Food will have become fuel and optimising boat speed will be the only real objective.
Tomorrow, the weather is due to change, as it so often does during this fascinating race. Fresh breeze is expected to arrive from the northwest, which will give the lead boats some fresh downwind conditions once they are past the northwest corner of Sicily. Esimit Europa 2 and ICAP Leopard could well be launched in big breeze with a wind direction of 125 degrees. Right on the sweet spot, the Maxis should be launched, for a while at least.
So far, in light to moderate conditions the lighter displacement boats have faired well. But the predicted change to heavy weather may well favour the heavier displacement boats, especially as it looks like the majority of the fleet have a fair amount of upwind work to contend with.
Local favourite, Artie is the over night leader, if they can hang on to that position there will be the biggest party at the Royal Malta Yacht Club for sure.
24/10/10 12:00
Giles Pearman reports on life – slightly off balance – on board one of the most historic yachts competing in the Rolex Middle Sea Race.
On Steinlager II, we are just drawing level with Reggio on the Italian mainland, on the eastern side of the channel approaching the strait. It has been raining for about an hour now, but not too hard. Steinlager II is touching 10 knots of boat speed, in 17 knots of wind from the southeast. We had a mad scramble an hour ago when first shower hit. The wind went from 6 to 16 knots and veered 30 degrees due south. We had to put in a quick and dramatic gybe but there were no big issues.
24/10/10 15:20
Johnny Vincent’s TP52, Pace, is having a close battle with boats on the water, as navigator, Mike Broughton explains via satellite link:
We are presently four miles south of Stromboli gybing on the shifts and playing nip and tuck with Wild Joe and and the other TP 52 – Lucky who have us on corrected time at the moment.
We had a great race up until about 0600 this morning when we parked up with most of the rest of the fleet 15 miles east of Catania. After a short lived windy run through the Messina Straits, we are now sailing in light airs just three miles behind E1 and Alegre.
Weather looks light until we see the approach of the cold front which should pass us about 1800 on Monday. Conditions then look lively and will make it a quick remainder of the race – could well be ‘fresh to frightening’ for a short while for a few boats. It looks as if umbrellas could be useful!
Our only drama and breakage so far has been to the port upper bunk that has broken. The finger of blame is being pointed at ‘Fumsey’ – the ‘honourable member for Hamble west’, but he is denying it profusely!
He has however voluntarily helped mend it. Spirits are still high and the boat forever pretty wet down below.
cheers
Micky B
24/10/10 11:00
Mike Slade has obviously not lost his sense of humour, as Leopard continues the hunt north of Sicily.
Skipper’s Blog
Usual excitement as all the boats prepare for the start in Malta’s magnificent Grand Harbour. A gentle breeze with light air forecast for most of the race.sent all 76 boats on their way with thousands of spectators crowding the ancient bastions. Its just not true when they say ‘once you have seen one bastion then you have seen them all’ !
Its not long before ICAP Leopard and Esimit Europa pull away from the fleet heading up to Sicily and the Straights of Messina. Wind was 8-12 knots from the SE giving us a beam reach at 110 TWA with full main and A5 fractional spinnaker. Esimit is the ex-Alfa Romeo, our old rival from the Rolex Fastnet 2007 and the Sydney Hobart 2009. So far our record against her is won one lost one. Sadly this race, like the last Sydney Hobart, is forecast to be a light air race particularly for the front of the fleet.
It has been a frustrating night, nothing to read as the boat has been stripped of all reading material in an all out effort to reduce weight. A number of shutdowns and dying breeze leaves us some ten miles adrift as we the perils of Scylla and Charybdis, Homer’s (not the Simpsons!) mythological sea monsters who guard the Straights of Messina.
At 10am we round Stromboli as it erupts and we wonder at the wisdom of a residential development scheme on its shores ! A lot of catching up to do as we head for Palermo doing 13 knots reaching in 11 knots of SE wind, hoping to catch Esimit in the anticipated new breeze tomorrow morning. Wish us luck.
Mike Slade and Chrissie darling from ICAP Leopard
24/10/10 11:40
Picture: Seb Ripard, one of six family members on Jaru.
Andrew Calascione sailing on Maltese entry, J/133 Jaru, reports from the racetrack.
Jaru is a truly family affair with six members of the Calascione and Ripard family in the crew; Andrew, Mark and Danny Calascione and John, Seb and Tommy Ripard are all members of the Royal Malta Yacht Club.
“We had a fantastic crossing to Sicily, really superb sailing, with the spinnaker up. But it was also hard work for the crew, as we were often switching between the Code Zero and the kite. Last night, we did have a two-hour spell of no wind, which meant that some of the boats caught us up. Right now, we have a rain squall giving us some good wind and we are achieving close to ten knots as we head towards Messina. All is well on Jaru.”
24/10/10 09:00
Esimit Europa 2, skippered by Flavio Favini, rounded the volcanic island of Stromboli in good pressure achieving a speed in excess of 13 knots. Mike Slade’s ICAP Leopard is expected to round Stromboli within the hour, having lost a little ground to the race leader over night. Next on the water is Andres Soriano’s Mills 68, Alegre, which is on final approach to the Strait of Messina.
