Rolex Middle Sea Race

[chuckr]

The Rolex Middle Sea Race left Malta Saturday for a race around Sciliy and back to Malta. Weather was good to start but today detererated badly. Winds in Malta are 30-35k gusting 45k. Marina just told us one boat has broken shrouds and another lost a rudder and winds in the race area have not peaked yet and are now 40k gusting 50k with 5m seas. They are still 100++ nm away from Malta.

Some have found shelter in and around Sciliy but most are to far away.

Let's prey they all get back safey.

[GordMay]

DAY 5 AM UPDATE 09:00 CET Analysis
92 yachts are still racing in the Rolex Middle Sea Race. The expected frontal system arrived around Midnight last night at the northwest corner of the course. Reports of storm force winds and big seas have been received by the Race Committee and 25 yachts had officially retired from the race by 15:00 CET on Wednesday 22 October. The Race Committee has received no reports of any injuries to crew from the fleet.
More ➥ Rolex Middle Sea Race: Latest News

[Polux]

I love this race. The med in the end of October can be quite nasty and from time to time the conditions on this race are pretty much extreme:


"Officially retired from the Rolex Middle Sea Race: Amapola, Aurora, Anouska, Azawak, Il Cavaliere, GYR Scarlet Oyster, Alcor V, Intuition Kabestan, Varuna, Walle G, Gordons, Lady Ruth ACR, Il Moro di Venezia XXVII, Unica, El Stan, Durlindana3, Ton Ton Kabestan, Salana, Mascalzone Latino, Magic Dragon, Little Emily, Gaetana, Zenhea Takesha, Manana and Stormy Weather of Cowes,

The yachts still racing cracked sheets last night, hitting the turbo, flying downwind at incredible speeds. It will be a blast on board, surfing down waves with the salt spray hissing at the rail and warm water breaking over the bows and cascading down the deck. This speed comes with a price, if the boat loses control or accelerates into the waves too fast, the loads involved can be too much resulting in damage. The saying; 'To finish first, first you must finish.' will be very much the mantra.

The yachts still racing cracked sheets last night, hitting the turbo, flying downwind at incredible speeds. It will be a blast on board, surfing down waves with the salt spray hissing at the rail and warm water breaking over the bows and cascading down the deck. This speed comes with a price, if the boat loses control or accelerates into the waves too fast, the loads involved can be too much resulting in damage. The saying; 'To finish first, first you must finish.' will be very much the mantra."

Rolex Middle Sea Race: Latest News

In 2007:

naufragio loki rolex middle sea race 2007 - YouTube

in 2008 was like that (55K on a small Dehler)

Rolex Middle Sea Race - Major Squall on a Dehler 34 - YouTube

in 2011 like that;

Rolex middle sea race 2011 - YouTube

and the top teams can fly:

Middle sea Race 2007 Cippa Lippa - YouTube

But not an easy race, at least in half the years

[model 10]

I'm not a racer but the sail trim in the 2008 video does not look good to me. What's up with that?

[Polux]

Originally Posted by Guy

I'm not a racer but the sail trim in the 2008 video does not look good to me. What's up with that?

You mean when they are getting 55K on a Dehler 34? I bet that sail trim was low on the list of their concerns

[Polux]

Things seem to be dificult for many this night: Strong winds and bad seas on a dark night. Many are still at sea. Italian Coast Guard at 1300 PM invited all to suspend racing: A f8 growing in something worse, but many declined that "invitation".

More here ( at the end of the post)

Interesting Sailboats: 2014 MIDDLE OF THE SEA RACE, A NASTY EDITION

[Suijin]

Originally Posted by Polux

You mean when they are getting 55K on a Dehler 34? I bet that sail trim was low on the list of their concerns

There is no way that is 55 knots at the time that video was taken. They are beating with one reef in and a blade up. Seriously overpowered as they are making hardly any headway. Looks more like 30-40 to me at the most. That's a pretty tender boat, relatively speaking and if it were blowing 55 with the sail trimmed like that they'd be flat over.

Sail trim looks fine...for what they are doing, i.e. racing and so heading for a mark. Close hauled, traveler completely dumped and the mainsheet out a bit to luff the sail. Looks like fun

[Polux]

Originally Posted by Suijin

There is no way that is 55 knots at the time that video was taken. They are beating with one reef in and a blade up. Seriously overpowered as they are making hardly any headway. Looks more like 30-40 to me at the most. That's a pretty tender boat, relatively speaking and if it were blowing 55 with the sail trimmed like that they'd be flat over.

Sail trim looks fine...for what they are doing, i.e. racing and so heading for a mark. Close hauled, traveler completely dumped and the mainsheet out a bit to luff the sail. Looks like fun

I don't agree. In fact they are sailing defensively and the boat is making very little speed, being kept very close to the wind for escaping the strong wind. On the first part of the movie they are going faster but the boat is sailing on its ears. They put it closer to the wind and the heeling diminished, as well as the speed.

The main sail is doing nothing, being to open to catch wind. If the two sails were trimmed to sail efficiently the boat would capsize since there was too much sail area.

The problem with race boats is that they are much more dificult to reef : They don't have a furler on the front sail, so the sail has to be changed and sometimes they don't even have reefs on the main (and have another main). The boat has carbon sails and almost for sure they didn't have three reefs. Anyway that is no settled strong wind but just a squall so instead of changing sails they are just waiting it to pass, or at least is what seems to me.

[Polux]

A J122 won in compensate and a Neo 400 made an incredible race. They got 50k winds and the guys from the Neo 400 say that they don't now how fast they sailed: Over 22K the log went out of the water and did't work anymore

Movies and race comments by the crew of the two boats here:
Interesting Sailboats: 20114 MIDDLE SEA RACE, A LOOK AT THE COMPARATIVE RESULTS AND OTHER STUFF
Interesting Sailboats: 2014 MIDDLE SEA RACE, A NASTY EDITION

[chuckr]

Got a chance to go to the finish line and meet a couple of guys who were logging everything. Unofficial they said about 50 boats or so left the race and are still scattered around Sciliy, Lambedusa, and Panternia (sp). One guy he personally took a report of 2 boats being demasted and he thinks there may be more when all the boats finally get in.
He did say some of the boats reported winds in the 50k range gusting 60 and seas in the 5-6m range or bigger.

On the good side no one got injured, no boat sank and the overall winner was a Maltese boat a j boat with an very experienced crew.

[robert sailor]

God don't tell me a run of the mill American boat beat all those European rocket ships!

[Polux]

Originally Posted by robert sailor

God don't tell me a run of the mill American boat beat all those European rocket ships!

Yes, American designed, made in Europe by Jcomposites. Europeans love it, it is a pity Americans don't give a dam about it to the point that it is not made in the States Personally I love that boat as a performance cruiser and thought seriously of having one: Too expensive and hard to find on the used market. My own boat is not very different.

The J122 won on compensated, on real time one of those European rocket ships (also a 40ter) was 4 hours quicker.

A sister ship of my boat was 4th on compensated (two handed) before following that order from Pantelleria port captain regarding a suspended race and obligation to enter the port. I saw that several boats entered respecting the order but some hours later, seeing that the race had not been suspended, sailed again from Patelleria. Probably the guys on that Comet, that was fighting for the podium, where so pissed that had just given up, since they would not be on that fight anymore.

Here a new post about a great seamanship feat on that race:
Interesting Sailboats: MIDDLE SEA RACE: AN INCREDIBLE STORY AND SOME GREAT VIDEOS

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[Polux]

More some great videos (with those conditions it was expected ;-)
Interesting Sailboats: MIDDLE SEA RACE: MORE GREAT VIDEOS

[Polux]

A video with that very fast new A13 that broke the mast. The mast broke at the foot, inside the boat. It seems odd to me. Someone want to comment on that?
Interesting Sailboats: THE A13 AND A J122 ON THE MIDDLE SEA RACE

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