The 46th edition of one of sailing’s great offshore races commenced earlier today from the Maltese capital Valletta. A revered and historic event, the Rolex Middle Sea Race always welcomes an impressive and diverse international fleet which this year counts 117 entrants from 31 nations.
The Challenging 606-Nautical Mile Course
Following this morning’s race start from the imperious Grand Harbour, competitors tackle a challenging and scenic 606-nautical-mile course taking in an anticlockwise circumnavigation of Sicily and two active volcanoes.
The coveted prize is the Rolex Middle Sea Race Trophy awarded to the overall winner on corrected time. A diverse range of yachts and crews have claimed this scalp in recent years.
Line honours is the target for the fastest boats in the fleet with the current monohull course record standing at the 40 hours, 17 minutes and 50 seconds set in 2021.
Fleet Highlights and Line Honours Favourites
The largest yacht in the 2025 fleet is the 100-ft Maxi Black Jack 100, favourite for monohull line honours, while Sebastian Ripard and Daniel Calascione’s 30.93m Farr 30 Calypso is the smallest.
A History of Offshore Excellence
The race, founded in 1968, is organised by the Royal Malta Yacht Club (RMYC). Rolex has supported this epic 600-nautical-mile offshore contest and the RMYC since 2002.
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