The Yachting Malta Coastal Race, organized by the Royal Malta Yacht Club, delivered a dramatic showdown on Wednesday, October 16, with 56 yachts vying for supremacy under ideal racing conditions.
The race kicked off right on time at 09:30 CEST, with the fleet sailing a 19 nautical mile course to a cardinal mark 200m off Munxar Point, a popular dive location at the eastern end of Malta.
The largest yacht in the fleet, the Maxi 72 Balthasar co-skippered by ocean racing legend Stu Bannatyne and Dutch sailor Rogier van Overveld, stormed around the course claiming Line Honours with an elapsed time of two hours, 38 minutes, and eight seconds. Balthasar would go on to win IRC Class 2 on time correction.
True excitement, though, was reserved for the battle for the overall winner, determined by IRC time correction. In a photo-finish Walter Watermann’s German yacht X-Day, a GP 42 designed by Bruce Farr and skippered by Lars Hückstädt, emerged as the provisional winner by the slimmest of margins – a mere two seconds. Hot on their heels was Peter Lezhnin’s J/112 Jedi from Kazakhstan, which secured a hard-fought second place overall and first in IRC Class 5.
“It was a great race, and we are very happy with the result,” said a jubilant Lars Hückstädt. “Getting X-Day to Malta took a lot of effort. We sailed shorthanded all the way from Marseille, covering about 600 miles. Today’s race was ideal preparation for the Rolex Middle Sea Race, with plenty of manoeuvres and sail changes, which really got the crew working in sync.” X-Day’s exceptional performance also secured IRC Class 3.
The contest to be top Maltese boat also reached a nail-biting climax. The Podesta family’s Elusive 2, a First 45, was the first Maltese yacht across the finish line, just edging out Jonathan Gambin’s Dufour 44 Tonton Laferla. After IRC time correction, Elusive 2 maintained their lead, winning IRC Class 4 and the Maltese duel by another tight margin, in this case seven seconds. The local fleet had even more to celebrate as Matthew Gabriele and Andrew Agius Delicata’s Reflex 38 Vivace claimed victory in the IRC Class 6.
“There has always been strong competition among Maltese boats, and this year is no different,” said Elusive 2’s Aaron Podesta. “With top international teams coming here for the Rolex Middle Sea Race, the level keeps rising, and it’s fantastic to see young Maltese sailors stepping up as well. Today was a valuable learning experience for us, and now we’re eager to take on the big race.”
A group advanced Class40 designs have sailed to Malta to take part in the Rolex Middle Sea Race and the Yachting Malta Coastal Race provided an early skirmish for four of the trans ocean flyers.
Racing in their own level-rating class, French skipper Mikael Mergui’s Lombard-designed Centrakor was first to finish. In second place was Italian sailor Matteo Sericano with his VPLP designed Lucente. Third and also from Italy was Andrea Fornaro’s Guelfi-designed Influence 2 launched in 2023.
The 56 yachts from around the world formed an impressive sight in Marsamxett Harbour ahead of the race start.
After leaving the harbour, the fleet left the Valletta Harbour Fairway Buoy to starboard and enjoyed a lively beat eastwards along the northern coast of Malta to the cardinal mark situated over one of Malta’s many natural wonders: the Munxar Reef, one of many unspoilt dive sites in the archipelago.
After leaving the cardinal mark to port, the crews eased sheets and hoisted spinnakers for a long downwind leg back to a Yachting Malta Mark, laid off Saint Mark’s Tower on Qrejten Point in the north east Malta.
A final beat back to the Fairway Buoy followed, before a short sprint to the finish at the entrance to Marsamxett Harbour, in sight of the Royal Malta Yacht Club.
The Yachting Malta Coastal Race Prize Giving will be held this evening during the Rolex Middle Sea Race Skippers’ Reception in St Julians.
Meanwhile, excitement continues to build for the 45th edition of the Rolex Middle Sea Race, which starts at 11:00 CEST on Saturday, October 19,from the iconic Grand Harbour in Valletta.
