Rolex Middle Sea Race 2026, Black Jack in Command as Artie Dares to Dream

Remon Vos’ Black Jack 100, skippered by Tristan Le Brun, has taken command of the battle for line honours in the 47th Rolex Middle Sea Race. The jet-black maxi has opened a 25-nautical-mile advantage over its closest competition Louis Balcaen’s Mills 72 Balthasar and Giovanni Lombardi Stronati’s Wallyrocket 71 Django 7X, as the leading yachts race west along the north coast of Sicily. The chasing pair has been locked in a fascinating duel ever since crossing the start line on Saturday. Meanwhile, the latest estimated IRC standings suggest an intriguing contest for the overall prize.

The first 24 hours or so have delivered plenty of challenges, particularly through the Strait of Messina and around Stromboli. Light winds and shifting pressure have created tactical choices leading to changes in fortune throughout the fleet. As the leaders head towards the northwest corner of Sicily, the race remains far from settled.

Black Jack out front

Black Jack 100 is firmly in the driving seat in the race to be first to finish. By the afternoon of Day 2, the advantage over Balthasar and Django 7X is commanding. Further back, Marton Josza’s much modified R/P 60 Wild Joe from Hungary has put in an impressive performance and is running third on the water, four miles ahead of James Neville’s Botin 65 Artemis Bleu from the United Kingdom, with Dean Barker in the afterguard.

Although Black Jack 100 has established a substantial lead on the water, the IRC 1 picture is very different. At 16:00 CEST, the estimated time correction rankings placed Balthasar at the top followed by Django 7X, Black Jack 100, the British Volvo 70 Pace and Team Jajo, a Volvo 65 from the Cayman Islands. These are projected corrected-time positions, rather than based on confirmed checkpoint timings. They remain sensitive to changes in wind strength and consequential boat speed as the fleet progresses around the course.

Artie III heads the overall ranking

While the larger yachts battle for line honours, Lee Satariano’s HH42 Artie III, co-skippered by Christian Ripard, has emerged at the top of the estimated IRC overall standings. At 16:00 CEST, Artie III provisionally led ahead of Michele Puggioni’s Italian JPK 1030 Diavolina, the Wolfe’s American Sun Fast 3300 Red Ruby, Massimo Juris’ JPK 1080 Colombre from Italy and Sebastian Ripard’s Farr 30 Calypso from Malta. The presence of three IRC 6 yachts in second, third and fourth overall is particularly striking. It illustrates the strength of the smaller-boat challenge at this stage in the race.

A long-distance duel

Few contests have been more closely fought so far than the one between Balthasar and Django 7X. Michele Ivaldi, reporting from Django 7X, described an eventful opening night as the team negotiated the Strait of Messina. “It was full of action. Luckily, we had wind all the way through.” The ongoing tussle clearly demonstrates how even closely matched boats, in real proximity, can encounter different patches of wind strength. Aboard Django 7X, Shannon Falcone described how the team had been making good progress before sailing into a windless zone, which their opponent successfully avoided. “We were going fast, and then we ended up in a no-wind zone, and they just went around it. They gained four miles.”

Whether tactical nous, luck or a bit of both, the move brought Balthasar back into close contact, setting up an absorbing match race around the Aeolian Islands. After passing Stromboli at dawn on Day 2, the pair headed offshore to the north-west still locked together. Two hours later, both boats gybed south. At 16:00, they were sailing south of the rhumb line, approximately 30 miles north-east of Palermo, still virtually side-by-side. On estimated IRC corrected time, Balthasar held the advantage.

Close contests

In IRC 2, Germany's Red Bandit, the former race winner skippered by Carl-Peter Forster, leads the provisional rankings, followed by Guido Paolo Gamucci’s Vismara 80 Cippa Lippa X from Italy and Wild Joe. The latter's performance is particularly impressive given its position among the leaders on the water. The Marten 72 Aragon and Frederic Puzin’s Daguet 5 complete the provisional top five in class. Artie III leads IRC 3, ahead of the Neo 430 Mia Gioia and the brand new FC44 Zephyr, with the ClubSwan 42 Daring Sisters and the Swan 651 Lunz Am Meer completing the leading group.

In IRC 4, Maltese yachts occupy the top two positions, with Jonathan Gambin’s Dufour 44 Ton Ton Laferla leading the Podesta siblings’ First 45 Elusive 2. The Bordeaux 60 Expression of London is third, followed by the J/125 Jackknife from the UK and Croatia's J/111 Mr. J. “The race has been great so far, with some very tricky conditions overnight next to Etna. We’re very pleased with our performance so far and morale is high,” said Gambin. “We have managed the challenges and are happy to be making good, fast progress. Passing Stromboli first in our class is very encouraging, but there’s still a long way to go. We’ll keep pushing hard and see what the next leg brings.”

Elusive 2 also reported: “It’s been a good and surprisingly fast first 24 hours. It must have been one of the fastest times we’ve made it to Messina. The relatively straight line procession style sailing we have had so far and the fact we only had to contend with one slow down last night has made for much less opportunity for any dramatic gains or losses.” Interestingly, the Elusive crew think this might be their fastest passage to Messina since 2007.

IRC 5 sees another Maltese entry, Calypso, heading the provisional rankings, with Leonardo Servi’s Italian Comet 38S Scricca second and Maks Vrečko’s Slovenian Elan 450 Karpo third. Avanti, a Hanse 430, and Selma Racing – Noisy Oyster, the chartered J/122, complete the top five. Géry Trentesaux’s Pogo Courrier, which had been challenging for the class lead earlier in the day, had slipped to sixth by the afternoon. Navigator Arnaud Aubrey summed up a difficult passage: “The exit from Messina was no walk in the park; we’ve just caught some wind, but we’ve lost all our lead… still plenty of work ahead.”

Sebastian Ripard on Calypso is taking little for granted despite the team's strong position. “It's nice, but early days to be thinking about that,” he said, three miles from rounding Stromboli. “We've still got a little bit of anxiousness or anticipation for what's going to come around Favignana,” he added, referring to the forecast strengthening winds and rougher seas.

Among the smallest and least powerful yachts making up IRC 6, competition is also close. Diavolina currently leads Red Ruby and Colombre. The Pronavia 38 Bongani and Sakifo, another JPK 1030, round out the leading five.
Stella Nova leads Class40s
Racing boat for boat, Switzerland's Stella Nova had moved ahead of Slovenia's Optimus Prime by this afternoon. The two boats were separated by just one nautical mile, with France's Flamingo Rosso five miles behind Stella Nova. The small distances between the Class40s underline the intensity of the competition.

Turbolenta heads Multihull
The multihull contest is developing into an interesting tactical battle. Marcello Bellacicca’s Farrier 9AX Turbolenta from Italy and smallest in the class, heads the estimated MOCRA standings, followed by the ORC50 Calamity, the Outremer 5X Luke Seawalker and Garbina J. Calamity is furthest advanced around the course in the afternoon snapshot, highlighting the distinction between the contest on the water and the handicap rankings.

Colombre leads the Double-Handers
In the IRC Double-Handed division, Colombre heads the provisional corrected-time rankings, followed by France's Sakifo. Germany's Mia Gioia is third, with the Czech JPK 1030 Mary S fourth and Italy's JPK 1180 Libertine fifth. For the double-handed crews, the variable winds around Sicily are adding another dimension to the challenge, with tactical decisions, sail handling and managing fatigue all the more demanding.

A Race Far From Settled
The leading yachts may have put the Strait of Messina and Stromboli astern, but the 2026 Rolex Middle Sea Race is showing how quickly the balance of power can shift. Black Jack 100 has established a clear advantage in the line-honours contest, Balthasar and Django 7X remain locked on the racecourse and Artie III currently heads the overall IRC standings with several smaller yachts mounting a strong challenge. However, with more than half the 606nm course still to race, for the entire fleet, there is considerable time for the sands to shift.