Royal Malta Yacht Club Crews Reflect on the 47th Rolex Middle Sea Race

The 47th Rolex Middle Sea Race started from Grand Harbour on Saturday 17 October, with 107 yachts setting out on the 606-nautical mile course around Sicily. Ten of those boats flew the colours of the Royal Malta Yacht Club. The crews included veterans and teenagers, international sailors as well as locals, and some newly formed professional campaigns. Not every boat reached the finish, but each came back with its own story.

At the experienced end of the fleet was Artie III. Lee Satariano, sailing his 17th race and his eighth aboard the HH42, took class honours and was the first Maltese boat to finish. He has twice won the race overall with a previous yacht. His co-skipper, Christian Ripard, reached a record 36th participation. “This is what I love about Artie: the crew, the team, the bond,” Satariano said. “We pushed hard from beginning to end.” For Ripard, the appeal is unchanged. “I love this race, and I’d love to do it again.”

Calypso, the smallest boat among the Club’s entries, carried a more personal story. For Sebastian Ripard the race has always been tied to his grandfather and race co-founder John Ripard Snr. “One of the highlights I always looked forward to came after the race. We would go to my grandfather’s house and talk it through with him. He would tell us where we had made mistakes and go over the crew’s tactical choices, and we would live those moments again with him,” Ripard said. “It is sad that I can no longer do that. But I am grateful that I had those experiences with him, and grateful that I can continue to build on his legacy. Doing the things he was involved in, and enjoying the same passions he had, is how we keep his spirit and memory alive.”

Racing the smallest boat is a challenge Ripard cherishes. “I want to step out of the fast pace of life and do something difficult that makes me feel uncomfortable. It makes me anxious, but I appreciate it, and it has given me a sense of priorities.” Sailing a small, exposed boat against much bigger yachts brings its own reward. “There is hardship, but there is a great sense of achievement in knowing that we can do it.”

The contest that kept followers glued to the tracker was between the Podesta siblings – Aaron, Christoph and Maya on Elusive 2 – and Jonathan Gambin’s Ton Ton Laferla. Gambin was on his 19th race with a crew that has changed little over the years. On the upwind leg home, in more than 30 knots, Ton Ton’s J2 ripped just before the finish, off Dragonara. “My son had asked whether the J2 could take 28 knots, and I said yes,” Gambin said. “We saw 31. It gave way at just the wrong moment. That was my fault.” Gambin, who counts this year’s crew among his best, already knows his priority for next year: upwind performance in heavy weather.

Ton Ton Laferla crossed the line ahead, but corrected out six minutes behind Elusive 2, leaving the Podesta siblings to pick up the Arthur Podesta Trophy, named after their late father, for being the first Maltese boat under IRC. “This race throws everything at you, and it is one of the toughest mentally,” said Aaron Podesta. “The battle with Ton Ton started right from the gun, and we had to slowly claw our way back. There’s a saying on board: the race ends at the finish line.”

Behind that result was work that never shows on the tracker. Maya Podesta, co-skipper of Elusive 2, is among the most experienced of the growing number of women racing in the Maltese fleet. “This type of race is not all about strength,” she said. “There are a lot of other jobs on the boat, and it’s all about fitting into the right spot.” Her own role includes keeping the boat in order, making sure the crew eats and drinks and that everything is where it should be. “When you’re out there, you don’t know how much wind is going to be thrown at you. If things aren’t in their place, how are you going to find them when you need them?”

Chiara Scerri Herrera, the only woman aboard Vivace, last year's winner of the Arthur Podesta Trophy, was racing with the crew for the first time, having completed two previous editions of the race. Vivace was sailing well in around 10 knots just before Favignana, she recalled, when an injured crew member forced the team to retire 14 miles outside Marsala. "Safety comes first," she said. She sees every race as a lesson. "It can be intimidating, but it brings out your strengths and lets you focus on them. Your phone isn't next to you, so you switch off and absorb the moment." Despite the retirement, the crew took it in good spirit and made the most of the sail home.

“We don’t take passengers,” said Stefan Debattista, skipper of Geisha MeDirect. “I put a lot of emphasis on the personalities and chemistry within the team. Several days of offshore racing in demanding conditions takes more than sailing ability. Having the right people on board, who get along, work hard and enjoy the experience together, makes a huge difference.” His crew blends local and international sailors and includes 17-year-old Pippa Bartolo Parnis, who completed her third race. After a tactical leg from Stromboli to Favignana, the legs to Pantelleria, Lampedusa and home were tougher still. “Maintaining boat speed, concentration and team morale while living at a 45-degree angle for days on end is no easy task,” Debattista said. “Every race teaches you something, and we’re already looking at how we can come back stronger.”

Youth featured strongly among other Club entries. Luis Azzopardi’s Kixx Me, a late entry, brought both some of the youngest sailors in the fleet, Lily Ellul (15) and Nathaniel Raute (16), and its eldest, Joe Farrugia (71), to the start line. Preparations were as thorough as time allowed, and although the crew had to deal with minor problems with the wind vane and sails, they sailed her through to the finish. Azzopardi praised the way each crew member’s strengths were put to good use. “Lily, on her first race, and Nathaniel, on his second, were consistent, quick and brave in all conditions despite their lack of experience. They did an excellent job. I would always consider having them with us in future races, because they gave 100% to their roles.”

The Jarhead Young Sailors' Foundation's JYS Jan, skippered by Gary Mercieca, sailed with a largely new crew. They were forced to retire near Pantelleria after tearing the mainsail. "The crew worked very hard and didn't stop for a second," Mercieca said. "This race taught us when to retire the boat, and what a hard decision that can be."

Rear Commodore House Mario Debono, long associated with the race’s Corinthian spirit, returned with Seven by Malta Sotheby’s International Realty, overhauled with new rigging, keel, instruments and sails, and sailed by a Malta-based international crew. He described her as a performance boat that rewards careful handling. The campaign is now professionally managed and sponsored, with the Caribbean circuit planned within two years. “This does not mean leaving the Corinthian spirit behind. The race was born out of it, and I will continue to push for it and support it.”

Kevin Pisani Zammit, racing the newly acquired Amuni, admitted she is not as comfortable offshore as Dimm, but said she performed far better than expected for such a small yacht, in both strong and light winds. Shortly after rounding Favignana in 25 knots and heavy seas, the crew found damage to the rigging and made the immediate decision to retire.

“This was our best Middle Sea Race ever,” he said. “We sailed in flat calm waters for the first three days on a boat that performs so well, and the whole crew really enjoyed it.”

From a sailor on his 36th race to teenagers on their first, and from family boats carrying generations of history to professional campaigns, the Club’s crews each took something different from this year’s race. Many are already looking ahead to 2027.