Loki enters Rolex Middle Sea Race

by Giles Pearlman on 6 Mar 2007 Interest in the 2007 Rolex Middle Sea Race is ahead of expectations and, with the news that Stephen Ainsworth's 60-footer, Loki, from Australia will be on the start line, and the Royal Malta Yacht Club is once again anticipating the possibility of another exciting, record edition.

With eight months to go to the start on the 20th October, the Royal Malta Yacht Club (RMYC) has received a number of entries even though the Notice of Race only went online a week ago. This burst of activity may be due in part to a complete revamp of the event website.

Prospective competitors, unfamiliar with the race course and history of the Rolex Middle Sea Race, will find plenty of useful information on the new website at www.rolexmiddlesearace.com; from the entry requirements to competitor lists from the previous 27 editions along with anecdotes about boats and participants. The RMYC dedicated considerable effort over the winter months transferring records and data from print archives to the website.

Loki's entry is a great fillip for the race. The yacht, designed by Reichel-Pugh and launched in 2005, has been one of the foremost racers in Australia during the past couple of years. Her record includes a Division win in the Rolex Trophy Rating Series in 2006 against some very tough competition.

After a problematic Rolex Sydney Hobart, when Loki suffered damage to a hydraulic ram pipe and picked up some kelp crossing Storm Bay, Ainsworth is looking forward to a busy season in Europe where he plans to participate in Skandia Cowes Week and the Rolex Fastnet Race before heading to the Mediterranean.

As for Malta and the Rolex Middle Sea Race, Ainsworth explains, 'I heard about the race from a number of crew off Alfa Romeo, who all said it was a great race to do if I had the opportunity. I have been to Malta in the past on business and liked it a lot.' Ainsworth has already secured some key crewmembers, with Cameron Miles the 1999 Etchells World Champion as Sailing Master and Adrienne Cahalan on board as Navigator, joining Gordon Maguire the Whitbread & Volvo Ocean Race veteran.

Other entries include Georges Bonello Dupuis (MLT), recently re-elected as Commodore of the RMYC and his Prima 38 Primadonna Medbank; the perennial Arthur Podesta (MLT) aiming to make it 28 races out of 28, this time on his Beneteau 45f5 Elusive; Christopher Wuttke (GER) with the DK46 Guts ‘n' Glory (formerly Erivale); Steven Thorpe (GBR) and the J-125 Wings of the Wind, no doubt anticipating another match-race battle with David Frank's former RMSR winner the J-125 Strait Dealer; and the smallest to date, Beppe Bisotto (ITA) with the X-119 XE.

In 2006, a record fleet of 68 yachts was on the start line, ranging from some of the largest and fastest racing monohulls on the planet, including Alfa Romeo, Morning Glory, ABN Amro 1 and Maximus, to some of the best sailed cruiser-racers around. The finish was a nail biter, with Hasso Plattner's Morning Glory taking in pole position amongst the larger yachts, but having to wait two days until two of the smallest boats had arrived home before the victory could be confirmed. As it was, the double-handed crew of Shaun Murphy & Ric Searle on the J-105 Slingshot and the young crew on Lee Satariano's J-109 Artie came close, but not quite close enough finishing third and second overall respectively just over 2 hours outside the winner's time.

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.
Entries close on 14th October. The final prize giving is at noon on 27th October.
Robert McNeill's Zephyrus IV established the current Course Record of 64 hours 49 minutes and 57 seconds in 2000.