Rolex Middle Sea Race 2026: The battle for line honours
by Royal Malta Yacht Club 14 Oct 10:02 BST
17 October 2026
Black Jack 100 during the 46th Rolex Middle Sea Race © Kurt Arrigo / Rolex
Black Jack 100 returns to defend her title against seven former round-the-world racing yachts while, as always, the unpredictable Mediterranean weather will have the final say in determining whether the course record can be challenged.
The 47th Rolex Middle Sea Race starts from Malta's spectacular Grand Harbour on Saturday 17 October, sending an international fleet on a 606-nautical-mile race around Sicily. From the Strait of Messina and Stromboli to Favignana, Pantelleria and Lampedusa and back to finish at the Royal Malta Yacht Club, the course combines stunning scenery with notoriously difficult conditions. Four-time overall winner Christian Ripard, preparing for his record 36th participation aboard Lee Satariano's HH42 Artie III, knows the challenge better than most.
"You have to be prepared for everything. Right now, the forecast is predominantly light winds, but thunderstorms could completely change that picture. Local effects are always a factor, and every 30 to 50 miles you can find yourself in different conditions, needing different sails."
"That is why this race demands a really good crew. Not just ten excellent sailors, but a team that works together. It can be relentless."
The Race Management Team of Martin Azzopardi, Chris Jackson and Nigel Biggs anticipates a light-air start.
"We are still a little too far from the start to be certain, but the forecast currently suggests a fairly light downwind start, with the breeze shifting right and gradually decreasing through Saturday into Sunday morning. Progress towards the Strait of Messina could be slow, particularly with significant holes in the wind overnight."
"For spectators at the start, the outlook is encouraging, with sunshine and warm conditions expected in Grand Harbour. There may even be some thermal assistance to help the fleet get away from Malta."
Monohull Line Honours - Thoroughbred Black Jack and the Ocean-Racing Pack
Remon Vos' Reichel/Pugh designed Black Jack 100, skippered by Tristan Le Brun, starts as firm favourite to defend her Monohull Line Honours title. However, seven former round-the-world racing yachts are hoping for conditions that could favour their powerful offshore designs.
Black Jack 100 completed the 2025 race in 65 hours, 44 minutes and 7 seconds. Previously racing as Esimit Europa 2, the yacht took line honours in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2014, following an earlier victory in 2006 as Alfa Romeo II. The yacht's fastest Rolex Middle Sea Race was in 2010, taking 54 hours, 52 minutes and 32 seconds. A regular and extensive programme of modifications have since transformed the 100-footer.
"The changes have been quite significant," explains Le Brun. "The hull design, increased ballast, longer keel fin, lighter rig, different sail configurations and a longer bowsprit. A lot has changed."
The ultimate monohull benchmark remains Comanche's 2021 course record of 40 hours, 17 minutes and 50 seconds. Breaking it requires averaging more than 15 knots over the shortest course distance—an extraordinary challenge when the actual distance sailed is invariably greater.
"We would need the same conditions as Comanche," says Le Brun. "If the wind could turn counterclockwise as we go around Sicily, that would be great. We could do a little bit of downwind and reaching all the way."
The current forecast suggests that a record-breaking passage is unlikely. However, Black Jack is not in the same configuration as 2025, having undergone further optimisation. Improvements include a new sail wardrobe and modifications specifically targeting IRC corrected-time performance as well as chasing line honours and records.
"This year we are racing in a different way," reveals Le Brun. "We have set up the boat differently to have a little crack at corrected time."
In the contest to be first to finish, heading the opposition is Johnny Vincent's Volvo Open 70 Pace, winner of both Monohull Line Honours and IRC Overall in the 2026 RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race. A remarkable 486-nautical-mile-day in that race demonstrated exceptional speed in strong reaching conditions. The Dutch Volvo Ocean 65 JAJO is another serious challenger, having finished second overall under IRC in the stormy 2023 Rolex Fastnet Race and winning IRC Super Zero in 2025.
Joining this pair are the Volvo Open 70s Dinzer Doo, Ocean Breeze and Il Mostro, together with two more Volvo Ocean 65s Sisi and Wind Whisper. Le Brun acknowledges their potential, particularly when the breeze builds.
"Pace can be extremely fast at reaching angles in more than 20 knots of wind. They can almost stick with us. As soon as there is less than 15 knots, the bigger sail area and longer waterline of the 100-footer make a difference."
However, he believes the real danger lies in changing conditions. A major wind transition could allow the pursuing fleet to catch up and potentially take a different route into new breeze. That scenario contributed to Black Jack 100's narrow defeat by Scallywag 100 in 2024.
Two further outsiders could also threaten in lighter upwind conditions or smart sailing through transitions. Filip Balcaen's Mills 72 Balthasar, the defending IRC Overall champion, and Giovanni Lombardi Stronati's Wallyrocket 71 Django 7X, debuting at this race but 2025 Rolex IMA Maxi Grand Prix World Champion, both possess exceptional light-air performance potential and world class crew to maximise potential. With shifting winds, tactical decisions and potentially prolonged calms ahead, outright boat speed may not decide the contest.
Multihull Line Honours - An open contest
Four multihulls will compete, with three more than capable of claiming line honours. The highest-rated yacht under MOCRA is the Italian Kinetic 54 Garbina J, owned by Cesare Dania and sailed by Alfredo Mecozzi. She faces the ORC 50 Calamity, sailed by Kimmo Nordström with experienced offshore sailor Ryan Breymaier aboard, and the Polish Outremer 5X Luke Seawalker, sailed by Lukasz Komierowski with Spanish maestro Jens Lindner on the crew. All three possess the potential to finish first, depending on the weather around Sicily. The fourth entry, Turbolenta, has the lowest MOCRA rating and could become a significant contender for the overall multihull victory on corrected time.
Class40 - Five nations, one winner
Five Class40s flying the flags of France, Czechia, Slovenia, Switzerland and Austria will contest a closely matched race, with the first boat across the finish line taking victory. All are of a similar generation, making boat handling, tactical decisions and the ability to negotiate the Mediterranean's unpredictable conditions potentially decisive. Among the contenders is Optimus Prime, owned by former Olympic skiing star Ivica Kostelic and skippered by Matic Vrecko, which took line honours in the Cannes-Malta Race earlier this month.
Yachting Malta Coastal Race
Before Saturday's main event, the Yachting Malta Coastal Race on Wednesday 14 October provides an opportunity to sharpen competitive skills. The race of approximately 30 nautical-miles has attracted 45 entries, with veteran navigator Mike Broughton, racing aboard Jens Kellinghusen's Ker 56 Varuna VI, predicting northerly or north-westerly winds of up to 14 knots decreasing during the afternoon.