Sponsored by Rolex since 2002, the international reputation and profile of the competition have increased considerably throughout its 55 years of history, reaching unsuspected heights when it was first held in 1968. This year's edition expects a fleet of more than 100 sailboats representing 25 countries and manned by some of the world's best ocean sailors

The Rolex Middle Sea Race faces its quadragesimocuarta consolidated edition as one of the world's most important ocean classics. With departure on Saturday, October 21, the 606-mile race is a demanding test of navigation skill.

It is one of several 600-mile races that Rolex supports as part of its almost 70-year association with the sailing sport. Like its historical counterparts, the Rolex Fastnet Race and the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, it exercises a natural magnetism for its unique features.

It is a sense of achievement that the participants share since the race was founded in the late 1960s by a group of amateur regatists eager to test their skills and their resistance by competing on the high seas. This spirit has been fundamental to its success over the years.

Another aspect that has not changed is that the race begins and ends in the same place. The exit from the impressive Grand Harbour of La Valeta, the capital of Malta, is one of the most iconic of the candle. The spectators are agitated in all the viewpoints as the cannons at the top of the bastions announce the departure of each class. The circumnavigation of Sicily in an anti-schedule sense is then divided into several different sections, each with its own reputation and appeal. Two active volcanoes, Etna and Estromboli, occupy a prominent place on the list.