Middle Sea Race

[capnsensible]

Anyone else watching the progress? Been a bit light and tricky so fay. 6 retirements. However the wind is going to get up towards gale force tonight for the beat along the top of Sicily. Up to 40 knots on the way back east.

Been there in those conditions, the seas were very big, very quickly. Stay safe!

Friend of mine has completed the race on his Panavia 38 quite a few times. Seawolf. Been watching his progress,

http://www.rolexmiddlesearace.com/tracker/#pt

Weather news:

http://www.rolexmiddlesearace.com/news/?ID=474&

:nonchalance:

 

[savageseadog]

Looks to have been a bloodbath, 50 boats retired so far, Including Seawolf

 

[capnsensible]

Yeah, Rambler 88 nails it, looks to be half the fleet retired. Dont blame them!

 

[MoodySabre]

Been seeing Alex T on his Facebook feed. Lovely photos. We are going to Valetta next week on holiday. When I told my wife that the Valetta Boat Show was on she was downcast!

 

[flaming]

Maverick is coming good then...

A 46 foot boat, the smallest in class 1 looks like it's won that class and may well podium overall. As that's the DSS boat, that is very interesting! Those guys have a very active facebook account, so I'm looking forward to some video, they must have been smoking on the high wind blast home.

 

[sailaboutvic]

We watch them leave on sat , was plain to go into Valletta to see them arrive but with the strong winds we had here in Malta plus it was around 10pm we didn't bother .
Might go in to night to watch a few others

 

[Stotty]

Couple of my friends did it.

One retired (Dehler 38) - they had gusts over 40knts, and a 3-4m chop. Sought shelter, and decided to retire as no sign of weather easing.

Owner of the 1st 45 I sail on paid to crew on another 1st 45. They finished this morning, 7th in class, 19th overall. Haven't heard the full report yet, but they sailed the last 3rd of the race with a stay sail as they blew the main running in >30knts. He said it was pretty rough and most of the crew had been sick at some stage... he also mentioned having to bail at one stage, but don't have any details yet.

Sounds like fun!

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

With 7 boats still to finish, the overall winner is the Russian boat BOGATYR.
As far as I remember this is the first time in 38 editions that the RMSR has been won by a Russian team although they regularly participate in considerable numbers.

 

[Fox Morgan]

Couple of my friends did it.

One retired (Dehler 38) - they had gusts over 40knts, and a 3-4m chop. Sought shelter, and decided to retire as no sign of weather easing.

Owner of the 1st 45 I sail on paid to crew on another 1st 45. They finished this morning, 7th in class, 19th overall. Haven't heard the full report yet, but they sailed the last 3rd of the race with a stay sail as they blew the main running in >30knts. He said it was pretty rough and most of the crew had been sick at some stage... he also mentioned having to bail at one stage, but don't have any details yet.

Sounds like fun!

Aye, it was a Dehler 36 we were on (not 38), and wave heights were confirmed as 5m at short intervals just outside Messina and up to Stromboli. our wind instrument wasn't working but the one on the boat next to us that I radioed for info had measured a steady 40 kts over deck and gusts around 53kts.
we'll have to go and do it again since we didn't finish. Are you fancying it next time Stotty? I think we moored up next to your skippers boat on our return. (the one sporting the trisail with blown out main)

met some really fab people though on the way back and in the bar. All was not lost.

 

[Stotty]

Aye, it was a Dehler 36 we were on (not 38), and wave heights were confirmed as 5m at short intervals just outside Messina and up to Stromboli. our wind instrument wasn't working but the one on the boat next to us that I radioed for info had measured a steady 40 kts over deck and gusts around 53kts.
we'll have to go and do it again since we didn't finish. Are you fancying it next time Stotty? I think we moored up next to your skippers boat on our return. (the one sporting the trisail with blown out main)

met some really fab people though on the way back and in the bar. All was not lost.

Hey hey

Our plan was Fastnet this year, Middle Sea 2018, ARC 2019, then leave the boat in the Caribbean and do some races over there in 2020, before having the boats shipped back (don't fancy a Northern Atlantic crossing much!)

Unfortunately we will now need to go back and do the Fastnet in 2019 after our disappointment this year.

Our owner/skipper paid for his crew slot, and from limited conversations so far, he absolutely loved it - and all the crew want to do it, including our Aussie, who will fly in specifically for it... So yes, I think we will, just not 100% which year.

Quite looking forward to doing some of the delivery legs - I've already bagged the Med run

Let me know if you need crew on yours any time after April - would be good to catch up.