With the news that last year’s monohull and multihull line honours winners have entered, entries at the 44th Rolex Middle Sea Race have shifted gears again. The Dutch 30 metre (100 foot) Leopard 3, skippered by Chris Sherlock and which delivered new owner Joost Schultz his first silverware, returns to renew old rivalries and perhaps create some fresh. Alexia Barrier was skipper on Riccardo Pavoncelli’s MOD70 Mana in 2022 when it beat immediate rival Zoulou across the line by 56 seconds.
In 2023 Barrier is back this time as skipper and owner of the multihull, now named Limosa. The Swiss Botin 52 Caro, owned by Maximillian Klink and overall winner under IRC of the Rolex Fastnet Race (and with Dublin Bay's Cian Guilfoyle onboard), will be looking to add a second win in an ambitious trifecta of offshore races that includes the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.
The Royal Malta Yacht Club (RMYC), which founded the race in 1968, would like to remind prospective participants that entries officially close on Friday, 22 September, although the club reserves the right to accept late applications up to 29 September.
Alexia Barrier’s The Famous Project is a new racing team whose ultimate ambition is an all-women Jules Verne record attempt on the 32 metre Idec Sport. Taking over Mana after last year’s epic contest, the multihull has been renamed Limosa, after a small bird that holds the record for a non-stop migratory flight. According to Barrier, “This remarkable feat of endurance and navigation is a testament to the incredible capabilities of these birds. I hope that we can be equally enduring and efficient during our upcoming flights in the MOD70!”
This year’s crew will look very different to last year. Barrier will no longer be the lone woman, with Dee Caffari, Elodie Mettraux, Marie Riou and Sara Hastreiter joining her in a mixed team. “Taking the helm as both skipper and owner is an exhilarating shift in status,” advises Barrier. “I am relishing the newfound responsibility and control. Our goal is the highest level of multihull sailing and I’m looking forward to this opportunity to train with the crew and continue our progress.”
“I really love the Rolex Middle Sea Race, first of all because the Mediterranean is my playground,” says Barrier. “This will be my fourth time. The first two were truly wild on a Class 40. I can’t wait to find out what conditions we will face this year.”
In the monohull line honours contest, Leopard 3 is currently up against BlackJack, Spirit of Malouen X and Pyewacket 70. This illustrious group is expected to be joined by Lucky, the former Rambler 88 which holds the record for being first to finish in five consecutive races between 2015 and 2019, as well as the Wally Bullitt, which made its debut last year.
Beyond the headline acts, the core constituents of any Rolex Middle Sea Race are to be found in the lower orders of the multinational fleet. One such entry is first-time participant Simon Xuereb owner of the Maltese entry Spirt of the Winds, a Dufour 40. “I have known about the race for years,” explains Xuereb, whose introduction to sailing came some decades ago when David Anastasi (a two-time winner of the race with the Podesta family’s Elusive 2) took him for a trip in a dinghy in the North Comino Cannel. “It was a real baptism, but an experience which stuck with me and two of my great friends since that time, Chris Tonna and Robert Cassar, both of whom are in the crew. Over the years, we have talked about doing the Rolex Middle Sea Race, but this is really the first opportunity.” Xuereb is quick to admit he and his friends are a competitive bunch, but realists. “Our aim is to complete the race but, moreover surpass the expectations of our wives!” he laughs.