2026 Rolex Middle Sea Race: Class Victories, Fierce Battles and Unfinished Business
Valletta, Malta: The past 24 hours of the 47th Rolex Middle Sea Race have witnessed the first boats to arrive back in Malta. Following Black Jack 100’s dramatic finish in the afternoon of 19 October, the next pair to reach Marsamxett Harbour, just after 21:00 CEST in the evening, brought to an end one of the great battles of the 2026 edition. Since then, a further eleven yachts have completed the 606nm course, and a steady flow is expected from now until the last of the 107-boat fleet still competing crosses the line. The much, but certainly not over, hyped conditions south of Sicily still persist and are making for an uncomfortable second half of the race.
Toe to toe for 600 miles
Last night, Giovanni Lombardi Stronati’s Wallyrocket 71 Django 7X from Italy brought the curtain down on an extraordinary duel with Balthasar, the Mills 72 skippered by Louis Balcaen. A relieved Django 7X crew was able to hold off their rival to cross the finish at 21:02, some 39 minutes ahead of the overall winner of the 2025 Rolex Middle Sea Race. Django went into the provisional lead of IRC 1 and, even more tentatively, the overall standings on time correction. Then at 06:34 this morning, Frédéric Puzin's stunning Carkeek FP54 Daguet 5 provisionally took hold of IRC 2 on time correction, ahead of immediate class competition, James Neville’s Botin 65 Artemis Bleu and Marton Jozsa’s Reichel/Pugh 60 Wild Joe, although, perhaps more significantly, behind Django 7X in the chase for the main prize. With much of the fleet still racing though, the contest for the overall IRC title remains open, especially with a major change in the forecast conditions due to sweep the course area in coming hours.
Django 7X prevails in IRC 1
Like two heavyweight boxers going toe to toe, Django 7X and Balthasar traded blows around the 606-nautical-mile course, neither willing to give ground. From the very start in Grand Harbour no quarter would be given. By the finish, the physical and mental exhaustion etched across both crews told its own story of an exceptionally demanding Rolex Middle Sea Race. At Capo Passero, Django 7X led by seven minutes on IRC corrected time, extending that advantage to 19 minutes at Messina. Balthasar fought back between Messina and Stromboli, reducing the deficit to just three minutes and 36 seconds after more than 30 hours of racing.
On the passage to Favignana, Balthasar took the initiative on the water as the pair sailed in lock-step and within sight for most of the 150nm leg. On the final approach to the headland of San Vito lo Capo, Balthasar appeared to gybe while Django briefly stood on taking the advantage once more. On the turn south, just north of Levanzo, Django 7X hit conditions that better suited her design and set up. The corrected time gap at the Favignana transit was 19 minutes, half an hour at Pantelleria and nearly an hour at Lampedusa. Balthasar pressed all the way to the finish, but it was not enough.
Vasco Vascotto, tactician aboard Django 7X, confirmed the balance shifted in their favour at Favignana. "We knew that it would be close between us and Balthasar, but we also knew that when the breeze picked up, we had a little edge." Bouwe Bekking, in the same role on Balthasar, agreed that the stronger conditions south of Sicily favoured Django with their hull shape and additional water ballast. "As soon as the breeze comes up and the reach is coming into play, they just go faster than us. But we had a fantastic race." Despite the failing to defend their crown, something only two boats have achieved in the near 60 year history the race, Bekking felt the crew had relished the close competition. "It's always fun to have somebody next to you for nearly the entire race."
Although there are two boats left racing in IRC 1, neither can overhaul Django 7X’s corrected time, and so this class victory looks assured. With so many boat still racing, the overall win remains in the balance.
Daguet 5 proves credentials once again
Daguet 5’s arrival earlier this morning has put the striking green entry in pole position in IRC 2, ahead of several larger rivals. Artemis Bleu is provisionally second, 58 minutes and 46 seconds behind, with Wild Joe third. Four more yachts in the class have finished, but none have been able to dislodge the French crew.
Puzin narrowly missed out on victory in 2025, finishing second in class and third overall. He was delighted with this latest effort, which looks to have matched the class win he achieved in 2023 with a different boat. "We already won our class three years ago, but with this boat it's the first time. We are very happy because last time we finished second by a few minutes," he said, identifying the band of lighter conditions near Trapani as a decisive moment. "I think we managed the low-pressure situations in a better way than some others. It made a real difference near Trapani, just before starting the long reach to Pantelleria, when we were able to accelerate into the new breeze."
Daguet 5's performance against larger yachts reflects its specialist offshore design and ongoing development. "Daguet is a tool made for this kind of race. We work hard as a crew in order to obtain these kinds of results," said Puzin. The penultimate leg was attritional, requiring repeated tacking between Lampedusa and Malta, but Puzin regards the race's unpredictability as part of its enduring appeal: "Every year the Rolex Middle Sea Race is different, which is why we come each year. It is never the same race."
In other news
As the race heads into its fifth day, there are several smaller yachts still racing that are among the potential challengers. It was demonstrated in 2023 that a glimmer of hope is enough to potentially overturn the table. Red Ruby, which lost out to a faster finisher by 24 seconds, is one of those yachts capable of exploiting the forecast shift in the wind to strong downwind conditions. If the change arrives in time.
The next big story at the clubhouse is likely to be Maltese entry Artie III’s arrival later this evening. Some 35nm from the finish, HH42 led by Lee Satariano and Christian Ripard leads on the water and under corrected time in IRC 3, with Zephyr and Mia Gioia in hot pursuit.
In IRC 4, Jonathan Gambin’s Ton Ton Laferla continues to lead Elusive 2 on the water and on time correction. At Lampedusa, the difference on corrected time was 42 minutes, six minutes less than at Pantelleria. The pair are due to arrive in Malta in the early hours of tomorrow morning.
Géry Trentesaux’s Courrier Pogo has taken up the running in IRC 5, overtaking Scricca on corrected time to lead by 36 minutes at Pantelleria. Calypso is in third with Libertine and Karpo still in the hunt.
In IRC 6, Colombre maintains her lead both on the water and provisional handicap. Red Ruby was in second at Pantelleria just over an hour in arrears on corrected time, with Diavolina and Munjek RS continuing to chase. Stella Nova holds an hour lead in Class40s over Optimus Prime as the pair approach the South Comino Channel. Of the multihulls, only Calamity has passed Lampedusa and she now leads on handicap as well.
Overnight, it is expected that the picture will become clearer vis-à-vis the overall standings. In the meantime, the 47th Rolex Middle Sea Race continues to deliver stories aplenty and action on a grand scale.
