Balthasar the star of Malta, with Spanish taste

The Maxi 72 Balthasar of Louis Balcán was declared absolute champion of the 46 Rolex Middle Sea Race by establishing the best compensated time IRC among the fleet of 117 ships of 31 nationalities that faced the 2025 edition of the classic Mediterranean ocean. The Spanish Javier de la Plaza, Pablo Arararte, Simbad Quiroga and Diego Torrado were part of the team led by Louis Balcán.

The 46 Rolex Middle Sea Race will not go through history as a fast race, but the 110 crews who managed to finish their legendary 606-mile tour around Sicily can be proud to have completed the adventure and become part of the gold book of world ocean navigation.

The final award was awarded to the Balthasar of Louis Balcan as the absolute champion of the 46 Rolex Middle Sea Race. The Maxi 72 was the second to cross the line of arrival, setting a compensated time under ORC measurement that could no longer be improved by any of its rivals

This epic competition and its organizationThe Royal Malta Yacht Club has been supported by Rolex since 2002 as part of the Swiss watchmaker's commitment to sailing, which dates back almost seven decades and includes two other mythical 600-mile races: the Rolex Fastnet Race (which celebrated its centenary in July) and the Rolex Sydney Hobart (which will turn 80 next December).