The Middle Sea Race, or Rolex Middle Sea Race for sponsorship reasons, is a yacht race organised by the Royal Malta Yacht Club. The race was co-founded in 1968 by the Royal Malta Yacht Club and the Royal Ocean Racing Club.
The 607-mile (977 km) race starts and finishes in Malta, and takes the fleet in anti-clockwise around Sicily, Italy; a clockwise circumnavigation of Sicily including Lampedusa, Pantelleria and the Egadi and Aeolian islands.
In October 2023, Italian film producer and keen amateur sailor Marco Cohen was watching the live coverage of the Rolex Middle Sea Race. Having just celebrated a significant milestone birthday he was inspired by the spectacle unfolding on his screen, and made the decision to be on that start line himself one year later, thereby ticking off a major bucket list item for himself and every keen offshore sailor.
Earlier that year Marco had acquired a MAT12 racing sailboat, which had won a podium position in the same event under a previous owner just a couple of years before. It turns out he already had the right tool for the job. He just needed the skills and experience to complete the challenge, and negotiate the racecourse in a competitive but safe manner with the friends who form his regular crew.
He was introduced to Nick Jones and Barry Hurley, a renowned offshore racing partnership who have delivered significant results together over the years, but who more importantly had previously campaigned the same boat with the previous owner. After a number of meetings to plan the adventure, Marco waved his boat off the dock from her home port of Chaviari, and some friends of his delivered the boat to Malta, where Barry was waiting to receive her.
Having taken part in the Rolex Middle Sea Race nineteen times, and now living in Malta, Barry was in the perfect position to make sure the boat and the crew would be fully ready for start day. With local knowledge, and extensive experience of the event, Barry had access to the finest resources Malta had available, in order to ensure the best possible experience for Marco and his crew.
Key to this was the selection of a team base in the beautiful town of Vittoriosa. With the support of Camper & Nicholson’s Grand Harbour Marina, the boat was made fully ready in the month before the race. No stone was left unturned in the search for speed, reliability, and safety. A waterfront crew house was set up within walking distance of the marina, and with one week to go, everything was ready for Marco and his crew to arrive for the big event.
On race day, the wonderful staff at Grand Harbour Marina gathered in the morning to see off their newfound friends and wish them luck on the adventure of a lifetime. With canons booming to indicate the start of each class, the harbour was buzzing with excitement. Dajenu lined up on the Valletta side of the harbour, and when the time came her supporters cheered as she won her start and was the first of her fleet to cross the start line. To the surprise of several fully professional teams, Dajenu was up there mixing it with the best to find a fast route out of the harbour. After a windy and exciting run along the coast of Malta, the racecourse took a sharp right hand corner and the fleet headed off for the Eastern side of Sicily.
That evening the fleet encountered what some might describe as a ‘weather bomb’. The Mediterranean was unusually volatile this autumn, and at one stage the crew could see four waterspouts on the horizon. The whole fleet was nervous, making preparation for bad weather if and when it arrived. In the hour that followed, small but fierce storm cells ravaged the fleet causing mayhem and destruction. More than a quarter of the fleet were knocked out of the race in that one hour. Little Dajenu was somewhat spared, and approaching the Sicilian coast that evening the crew were licking their wounds and developing plans to fix whatever damage had been done.
Broken sails were recovered from the water and somehow stitched and patched back together. The whole crew were humbled by the weather, and thankful to be still pushing hard rather than limping home like so many competitors. By the next morning the fleet had too little wind rather than too much! A very different, but equally stressful situation.
As the race continued, the crew got into their stride. Being now an Italian boat, the food and coffee on board were far superior to what Nick and Barry were used to. A welcome treat in any conditions! They enjoyed a spinnaker run along the top of Sicily, before turning upwind through the Egadi Islands. The offshore towards Pantelleria and Lampedusa on the most exposed part of the racecourse. They encountered more storms around Lampedusa, but by now the crew knew what to expect and they powered through at full speed.
After four and a half days Dajenu approached Malta from the Western side, having completed her lap of the Middle Sea. In ‘champagne sailing’ conditions she tacked down along the coast and finished the race in front of the Royal Malta Yacht Club. Fourth in class! Everyone was happy.
Somewhat dazed and amazed by their accomplishment, the crew brought the boat back to Grand Harbour Marina where they were surprised to find a welcoming party on the dock! Hot showers, cold drinks, and great food on the waterfront there encouraged the crew to tell tales of their mighty adventures. The hospitality offered by Gordon Vassallo and his team at Camper & Nicholson’s Grand Harbour Marina will live long in the memories of this crew, especially Marco whose long term dream finally came to fruition in a truly spectacular manner!
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