$10,000 // 16 Days
Synopsis
Join us in Malta for the Rolex Middle Sea Race, including a week of performance sail training prior to the race itself! This Mediterranean offshore classic is one of the world's iconic 600-mile offshore races, alongside the Fastnet and the Sydney-Hobart. Steeped in history, the race originally came about due to a rivalry between members of the British Royal Ocean Racing Club and the Royal Malta Yacht Club in 1968 — making 2024 its 45th edition. Starting and ending in Malta, the counter-clockwise racecourse circumnavigates the island of Sicily and is known for its changeable weather conditions, and unrivaled natural beauty.
Click here to watch the Rolex Middle Sea Race wrap-up film.
Note:
We now reserve two spots for women on all of our passages, including the races! Learn more here.
The Route
Starting from the dramatic scenic backdrop of Grand Harbour beneath the Saluting Battery in Valletta, Malta, the race heads north past the infamous Mount Etna, and up through the challenging tidal currents in the Messina Straits. Leaving Stromboli — the second active volcano of the course — to port, the yachts turn west along the northern coast of Sicily to the Egadi Islands. From here, the route takes you south towards Lampedusa, and finally back east for the home stretch through the South Comino Channel and to the finish line outside of Valletta.
Expected Weather Pattern
Set in Fall, the weather for this race is always unpredictable. The Mediterranean is known for light winds or tons of wind, and typically she delivers both in good measure at this time of year. Previous years have seen gentle light winds at the start, only to be finishing in a gale with thunderstorms and squalls blasting the fleet. This makes for both a tactical race — both in terms of navigation, and crew and energy management.
Skippers and Mates
There will be three professional crew members on all our races.
Nikki Henderson will be skippering both the Caribbean 600 and the Middle Sea Race to add some consistency for anyone who wants to sign up for both. She brings with her over a decade of experience specialising in building offshore race teams from amateur crews to compete in races against experienced, sometimes even professional crews. As an example, in the last Middle Sea Race she participated in, Nikki put together and coached an all female youth team (aged 18 and under), drifted three days in light winds, survived 200 nm of upwind sailing in 40 knots, and crossed the line in 4th place.
Racing typically puts higher demands on the professional crew, so we will be hiring both a first mate and a second mate for this race who have race coaching backgrounds. Note the difference between being a racer, and a race coach!
Words from Nikki:
"To me, racing is a magnifier for sailing and all that it entails: teamwork, leadership, adventure, freedom, exploration, challenge. The sense of spaciousness of any of the passages on Falken and Isbjorn that allow room for the crew to discover the depth and adventure that offshore sailing offers can never be replaced. But it can be complimented. Fall in love with the ocean on a 59° North passage, and then fine tune your skills on a race. That to me, is the perfect package and one I have always wanted to be able to offer people!"
Recommended Experience
We have designed this passage to be accessible for anyone even if you come with no prior racing experience. This is why we include such substantial race training beforehand. Saying that, we recommend that anyone signing up does have some prior offshore sailing experience. This could include a trip with 59° North or equivalent offshore passage. Please note, age is not a limiting factor — a reasonable level of agility and fitness is much more important.
Tentative Itinerary
Oct 11: Join NIKKI onboard the race yacht in Malta at 17:00. Dinner with the group ashore.
Oct 12-15: Race training and safety briefing, including at least one overnight passage
Oct 16: Yachting the Malta Coast ‘training race’
Oct 17: Race prep & official Middle Sea Race welcome party
Oct 18: Passage briefing and final safety briefing
Oct 19: Race start! Warning signal 10:50
Oct 26: Official prize-giving
Oct 27: Depart the boat by 10:00
Travel Logistics
Fly into Malta International Airport (MLA), which is about a 20 minute taxi drive to Valetta.
Fly out of Malta’s MLA.
As with all our passages, we strongly advise organising the appropriate travel insurance to cover the cost of the trip.
The Yacht
We will be chartering 'race-focused' offshore sailing yachts with full sail wardrobes and all necessary performance equipment to be competitive in offshore races, rather than use the 59° North fleet. The current contender for The Rolex Middle Sea Race is an XP44. The XP44 has a good balance between performance, comfort and design, she can be competitive within the IRC rating system [handicap] whilst remaining manageable for a crew of mixed experience.
Accommodation
Accommodation will be offered onboard, however, we recommend that you budget to stay onshore while the boat isn't actually at sea as the interiors won't be quite as comfortable as FALKEN and ISBJORN.
How to Join
To register, complete the Offshore Passage Registration by clicking the 'Sign Up' button above, or at the bottom of the page. You'll be asked to complete the form - make sure you hit submit. Indicate '2024 // Rolex Middle Sea Race' as your preferred passage.
Once we receive your registration, you'll be sent an invoice for 50% of the balance, due immediately. The final 50% of the balance will be due 60 days prior to the passage date. Terms and conditions are in the registration form, and you'll be asked to agree to them before submitting your deposit. Please read them carefully.
Click here to read some of our most frequently asked questions from crew who have sailed with us in the past.