The Mediterranean’s oldest and most captivating races, the Malta–Syracuse Race, is set to take place this Saturday.

Conceived in 1952 by Captain Illingworth of the Royal British Navy, this historic event covers an 84-mile course between Italian and Maltese waters. Hosted by the Royal Malta Yacht Club and the Lega Navale Italiana (Sezione di Siracusa), the race alternates every year, with a start from Syracuse taking place this year.

Starting at 1030am on Saturday, the fleet will race on a route to Marsamxett Harbour, crossing one of the most unpredictable and fascinating stretches of the Mediterranean Sea. Changing weather conditions make navigation both technically demanding and full of surprises for all participating crews.

The Royal Malta Yacht Club will be well represented, with several boats who have already undertaken this race several times. Amongst them are Alecto (Charles Cronin), Calypso 3.0 (Seb Ripard), Dimm (Kevin Pisani Zammit), Inspiration (Godwin Zammit) and Ton Ton Laferla Insurance (Jonathan Gambin)

Additionally, Club member Oliviero Emaldi’s Safran Rouge will compete under a Sicilian club but with several Maltese crew members on board, this highlights the strong ties between the two sailing communities.

Many of these boats and sailors are seasoned veterans of the race—Godwin Zammit, for example, has participated in about 17 editions, including 10 on his current boat, Inspiration. Maltese teams have enjoyed considerable success in recent years: Amongst those racing this weekend are Calypso who claimed the overall ORC Class victory in 2023, while Ton Ton Laferla Insurance secured second place in the IRC Division in 2021

The Malta – Syracuse Race celebrates not only technical excellence but also the spirit and tradition of sailing.  Several trophies will be awarded during the prize-giving ceremony at the Royal Malta Yacht Club on Sunday evening:

Race enthusiasts can follow the action in realtime via the Race Tracking feature on the Club’s website.