The Rolex Middle Sea Race is organized by the Royal Malta Yacht Club and has been sponsored by Rolex since 2002. Final awards will be held in Malta next Saturday

A fleet of 110 ships with a thousand regatists from 42 countries already competes for the 45 edition of the Rolex Middle Sea Race. Magnificent wind conditions pushed the competitors on the spectacular exit from Grand Harbour in La Valeta (Malta) to start the legendary 606 nautical mile tour around Sicily that takes as a beacon the active volcano of Estromboli.

The exit of the Rolex Middle Sea Race is always a spectacle worthy to contemplate, but when the wind collaborates it becomes an incomparable visual experience. That was the case of the 45 edition of the classic Mediterranean ocean: a raging wind and in favor with intensities above the 20 knots pushed the first ships to take the exit at the impressive Grand Harbour of Malta, at the foot of the historic bastions of La Valeta. Although the breeze went down as the different categories were released, the image was exceptional. Once again, the Salutting Battery cannons indicated the beginning of the competition for each of the seven groups in which the participants were divided: the first gunshot sounded at 11: 00 and the last at 12: 10.