23 October, Valletta, Malta: With confirmation that the Mills 72 Balthasar is the overall winner of the 46th Rolex Middle Sea Race, interest is now focuses on the class podiums particularly under IRC time correction. Wednesday afternoon brought a change in fortune to the yachts around Lampedusa, and since midnight some 52 more yachts had finished by 1600 CEST today, leaving 37 still racing, with five retirements. Class podiums across the IRC category have begun to fill, some with more certainty than others, although with boats home in all groups. Of great importance for the homegrown sailing community, the first Maltese boats have crossed the finish with some excellent results.
Provisional class winners under IRC time correction are as follows:
IRC 1 Balthasar
IRC 2 Django Deer (ITA)
IRC 3 Chenapan IV (FRA)
IRC 4 Ton Ton Laferla (MLT)
IRC 5 Noisy Oyster (GBR)
IRC 6 Zephyr (GBR)
Lee Satariano’s HH42 Artie III, co-skippered by Christian Ripard on his 35th race, claimed the honour of being first Maltese home, finishing at 0203 CEST. An impressive performance by Vivace, finishing 11th overall, has put Andrew Agius Delicata and Matthew Gabriele’s Reflex 38 in pole position for the local win under IRC.
DAY 6 IRC FORM REPORTS @ 1600 CEST
With IRC 1 and IRC 2 covered in previous reports, this one looks principally at IRC classes 3 to 6, and the double handed class.
IRC 3
Gilles Caminade’s French Ker 40 Chenapan IV came out on top after a terrific battle for much of the course with Artie III. The two teams were ranked first and second for the entire race. In third is Jean Yves Thomas’s French ICE 53 Soleag from Marseille, which finished with a strong push, only securing a podium ranking after Lampedusa.
Caminade’s love affair with the race dates back four successive editions. While the French team has previously tasted success in class, finishing third in 2022 and 2023, last year Chenapan was one those dismasted on the first night. This year’s class win is not just a step up in results, but a poignant reward for perseverance.
“This was a very special year for us. It’s our fifth participation, and it feels like redemption,” commented Caminade. “Last year, we broke our mast barely an hour after the start. This time we came back determined to finish what we’d started. The boat was perfectly prepared, and the team was stronger and more focused than ever.”
“We had two key moments in the race. The first came at the Western tip of Sicily, where several boats ahead of us hugged the cape and lost the breeze. We stayed two or three miles offshore and managed to gain close to an hour. The second came at Lampedusa. The fleet compressed in light airs, but a small, gentle breeze arrived just as we reached the island, and we slipped through while the others were becalmed. This was pure luck, timing and patience.”
“To win our class after so many attempts is deeply satisfying. The Rolex Middle Sea Race is, for me, the most beautiful race in the Mediterranean — perhaps in the world. The organisation, the scenery, the spirit — it’s everything that makes offshore racing so magical.”
Artie III ended up second on corrected time after losing touch with Chenapan en route to Lampedusa. Despite that disappointment, the team were very satisfied with their result and performance. “We had no breakages on the boat whatsoever, the crew chemistry was really good, and we really enjoyed it,” said Ripard. “We never actually stopped during this race, but we did go slow, and it was very tactical and on this we did not do too badly at all. We lost out to our main competition on the leg from Pantelleria. We were just half a mile apart, and Chenapan just seemed to sail away from us. They may have had more wind, but they had been sailing the boat really well all course.”
“70… 80 percent of the crew have been together for several years now. Along with Christian, we have Timmy Camilleri who has done the race 31 times. Between all of us we have 127 races. That is some experience,” said Satariano. “However, in building the crew, we look at more than the sailing capability. It is the personalities that make the crew so special. If you want to see results you need the right mix of skill and attitude, and this year worked very well.”
IRC 4
Jonathan Gambin’s Maltese Dufour 44 Ton Ton Laferla has captured top spot after a dramatic few hours. Just after 0800 this morning, Giulio Cafaro’s Italian Adria 49 Ars Una took class line honours, and the time correction win looked possible too. Less than nine minutes later, Taavet Hinrikus’ Estonian MAT 1220 Nola finished and moved into lead. Ton Ton Laferla was still racing, just about to enter the South Comino Channel. According to the tracker, victory was within their grasp, but they needed to cross the line to seal the result. Doing so just after 1100, Ton Ton Laferla secured victory by a mere two minutes and 25 seconds from Nola, with Ars Una third. Just four of the 18 boats in IRC 4 have yet to finish the Rolex Middle Sea Race, and none can better Ton Ton Laferla.
Ton Ton Laferla is an all Maltese entry representing the Royal Malta Yacht Club. Gambin is a veteran of the race, following his debut in 2008. While their previous class win in 2020 was noteworthy, this win was against red hot competition from Estonia. Italy, France, Greece and Great Britain.
“This was one of the hardest races we’ve ever sailed,” commented Gambin. “From the start, we knew it would be a test of patience and persistence. We had our share of problems — at one point we hoisted the spinnaker with the bag still attached, and our J2, which is our main foresail, jammed completely. We were forced to use the J3 all the way up to Sicily, which cost us a lot of ground.”
“Then came a four-hour park-up before the return to Malta. We watched the boats ahead sail away, and I honestly thought the race was lost. But when the wind finally came, the team gave everything. We pushed hard, kept our target speed, and somehow crossed the line just ahead. This victory belongs to my crew, who never stopped fighting.”
IRC 5
Nikki Henderson’s British J/122 Noisy Oyster is the winner of IRC 5, eight boats in the class are still racing, but none can beat Noisy Oyster’s corrected time. Ranked in second place is Gianrocco Catalano with his Italian First 40 Mon Ile. Matic & Maks Vrecko’s Slovenian Elan 450 Karpo is third, edging out Leonardo Servi’s Italian Comet 38 Scricca by just three minutes on corrected time.
Two days after her 25th birthday, Nikki Henderson skippered Visit Seattle to second place in the 2017/2018 Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. She was the youngest skipper in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race history. These days Henderson is a sought after skipper, racing all over the world. The international Noisy Oyster crew come from USA, Ireland, Spain, Australia and Qatar.
“This race was unpredictable from start to finish — the kind where you think you’ve lost it ten times before you realise you might actually win,” commented Henderson. “At dusk last night, the entire fleet parked up off Lampedusa. You could see every boat around you, motionless, and it all came down to who would catch the first puff of breeze. It felt almost cruel, watching the lead come and go, but that’s the Rolex Middle Sea Race — you have to stay mentally strong and believe it’s never over.”
“Our focus was always on teamwork. Offshore racing is the most intense kind of sailing; you need every single person on board to step up, pull together, and support each other through the frustration and fatigue. That’s what made the difference for us.”
IRC 6
Just three boats have finished in IRC 6. Simon Toms’ British Sun Fast 3300 Zephyr is the clear winner as none of the 15 boats still racing can better its corrected time. Currently ranked second in class, and the highest ranking Maltese boat in the overall IRC standings, is Andrew Agius Delicata and Matthew Gabriele’s Reflex 38 Vivace. Michele Puggioni’s Italian JPK 1030 Diavolina is ranked third.
This was Toms’ second Rolex Middle Sea Race with Zephyr, and the team have won back-to-back class titles. Zephyr, which was third overall in the 2025 RORC Season’s Points Championship, was shipped to Malta, especially for the race. Simon’s normal crew of Josh Dawson was strengthened by the addition of Ollie Hill, top non-French sailor in this year’s Solitaire du Figaro.
“This year’s race was a complete mix of emotions – from exhilaration to utter frustration,” commented Toms. “We got off to a solid start, had a clean passage through Messina, and for a while it all felt in sync. North of Sicily, the wind disappeared and we spent what felt like an eternity staring at Lampedusa on the horizon, going nowhere. That’s when you really have to keep your nerve.”
“When the breeze finally filled in this morning, spirits lifted instantly. We stuck to our plan, stayed on the rhumb line while others tried to chase pressure north, and it paid off. The last run into Malta was fantastic — fast, focused, and full of relief.”
“The key to the win was the crew. We’ve sailed together a long time and that makes a huge difference in a race like this. Everyone knows their job, we keep calm when it gets tough, and that consistency counts. To win our class two years in a row feels incredibly rewarding — a real testament to the team and to this amazing race.”
IRC Double-Handed
Marco Paolucci’s Italian JPK 1180 Libertine, racing with Niccolò Bertola, was the first two-handed team to cross the finish line. This was Paolucci’s 14th race and his eighth double-handed. Libertine was followed three and a half hours later by Ivica Kostelić’s Croatian Figaro 3 Amelicor, racing with Filip Miroić. Guido Baroni’s Italian Sun Fast 3600 Lunatika, co-skippered by Alessandro Miglietti, finished at 1540, and is provisionally leading the class on time correction.
Four double-handed teams are still on the course, and the fight for the podium places remains wide open. Jeremi Jablonski’s American Hanse 430 Avante, racing with Marek Mirota is 12 miles from the finish. Eric Muller’s Polish J/99 K’Mena, is 30 miles from Malta.
Patrick and Vincent Harris’ British classic Mowgli of Portsmouth and the Taiwanese pair of Filippo Moroni and Latiri Mondher racing the J/99 Calypso, have both just rounded Lampedusa, and remain in contention for a place on the podium.
TOP MALTESE CREW
With only three local yachts left on the course, and none able to overhaul the time posted by Vivace, Andrew Agius Delicata and Matthew Gabriele have taken the top honour among the Maltese crews.
The two sailors have been friends since racing against each other in dinghies at the Royal Malta Yacht Club when children. The pair have raced together double-handed in the Rolex Middle Sea Race in the past, but decided to race their 25-year-old Reflex 38 fully-crewed this year. Vivace’s performance is all the more impressive for ranking 11th in an international fleet of 100 IRC-rated crews containing world class sailors.
“For us, teamwork is everything,” commented Gabriele. “Trust is what gets you through a 600-mile race. Everyone on board has an important role — there’s no hierarchy, just good chemistry and shared focus. When things go wrong, like ripping a sail in the middle of the night, no one panics. One person’s helming, another’s sewing, someone’s cooking — everyone just gets on with it. That’s what keeps the boat moving and the mood positive.”
“This race was an emotional one for us,” explained Agius Delicata. “To finish as the top Maltese boat, ahead of so many world-class teams, feels surreal. We’ve always raced Vivace for the love of it, but to be recognised among names like Artie, Elusive and Calypso is a huge honour. We’ve worked hard for years, improving the boat, learning every edition, and this time everything came together — great team spirit, solid preparation and a bit of Maltese determination.”
Standing on the prize giving stage, representing Malta, in front of the international fleet, will be a moment of real pride for the crew. Maltese sailors with passion and persistence; a good group of friends competing at the highest level.
“We’d love to see more Maltese crews out there taking on this incredible race, maybe young dinghy sailors like we used to be. The Rolex Middle Sea Race is tough, but it’s the best feeling in the world when you cross that finish line,” concluded Gabriele.
The performances of all crews will be celebrated on Saturday 25 October at the final prize giving of the Rolex Middle Sea Race