The 2026 Rolex Middle Sea Race: Malta's Great Mediterranean Adventure
The 47th Rolex Middle Sea Race came to a close on Saturday 24 October, and it delivered everything that has made this one of offshore sailing's most admired events: a spectacular start beneath Valletta's fortifications, 606 nautical miles of demanding Mediterranean racing, and a dramatic overall victory for Italy's Django 7X.
The race began on 17 October, when seven cannon-fire starts sent the fleet out of Grand Harbour, and ended with a prize giving at noon on 24 October, when the Royal Malta Yacht Club honoured the crews who had conquered one of sailing's great tests.
A Race Born From Rivalry
The Rolex Middle Sea Race was created in 1968 through a friendly rivalry between two British yachtsmen living in Malta, Alan Green and Jimmy White, and two Maltese sailors, brothers Paul and John Ripard. Their ambition was to establish a race comparable with the Rolex Fastnet Race and the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, not merely in distance but in the demands it placed on navigation, preparation, endurance and resolve.
The first race was won by Malta's John Ripard Sr aboard Josian. Since then the event has grown from a regional challenge into a fixture of the international offshore calendar, organised by the Royal Malta Yacht Club and title-sponsored by Rolex since 2002.
The Course Around Sicily
The race starts and finishes in Malta, taking the fleet on an anti-clockwise 606-nautical-mile loop around Sicily. From Grand Harbour, competitors sail north through the Strait of Messina, around Stromboli and the Aeolian Islands, west past the Egadi Islands, then south to Pantelleria and Lampedusa before returning through the South Comino Channel to Marsamxett Harbour.
That route is famously beautiful and notoriously unpredictable. October in the central Mediterranean can bring fierce winds and heavy seas, sudden calms, strong tidal effects in the Strait of Messina and tactical decisions around volcanic islands and remote marks. For the fastest boats, finishing within 48 hours is exceptional; many crews spend between three and six days at sea.
The 2026 Fleet
This year's edition attracted 107 yachts and approximately 945 sailors from 55 countries and territories. The fleet ranged from the 30.48-metre maxi Black Jack 100 to the 9.44-metre Calypso, and included monohulls, multihulls, double-handed teams and Class40s.
Seven cannon-fire starts launched the fleet from Grand Harbour, with Valletta's limestone bastions and the Three Cities providing one of the most striking start lines in world sailing.
The Battle for Overall Victory
The defining contest of 2026 was the duel between Giovanni Lombardi Stronati's Wallyrocket 71 Django 7X and the defending champion Balthasar, the Mills 72 skippered by Louis Balcaen. The two yachts raced in close company for much of the course, with Django 7X ultimately crossing the finish line 39 minutes ahead of Balthasar.
On 21 October, the Royal Malta Yacht Club confirmed that no remaining yacht could better Django 7X's IRC-corrected time, making the Italian team the overall winner and recipient of the Rolex Middle Sea Race Trophy.
Prize Winners
The 2026 results reflected the breadth of the fleet, with separate honours for IRC classes, double-handed sailors, multihulls and line honours.
| Award | Winner |
|---|---|
| IRC Overall / Rolex Middle Sea Race Trophy | Django 7X — Giovanni Lombardi Stronati, Italy |
| Monohull Line Honours | Black Jack 100 — Remon Vos, skippered by Tristan Le Brun; elapsed time 2 days 3 hours 51 minutes |
| IRC 1 | Django 7X |
| IRC 2 | Daguet 5 — Frédéric Puzin, France |
| IRC 3 | Artie III — Lee Satariano and Christian Ripard, Malta |
| IRC 6 and IRC Double Handed | Colombre — Massimo Juris and Pietro Luciani, Italy |
| Multihull Line Honours and MOCRA | Calamity — Kimmo Nordström |
Django 7X also finished third across the line, behind Black Jack 100 and Balthasar, underlining the strength of its all-round performance: fast enough to stay at the front of the fleet, yet consistent enough to win decisively on corrected time.
The Prize Ceremony
The final prize giving took place on Saturday 24 October at noon, bringing the 47th edition to a formal close. It was a fun event, made all the more lively by the appearance of several of the crews' children on stage. One young gentleman even handed out one of the prizes.
The ceremony was held in the historic Sacra Infermeria overlooking Grand Harbour, the same extraordinary maritime setting from which the race begins each year. The event celebrated not only the overall winner but also class champions, double-handed crews, multihull sailors, Maltese entrants and international teams. It is traditionally a moment for the Royal Malta Yacht Club to recognise the full achievement of completing the course, as well as the tactical excellence required to win.
The Club's leadership used the occasion to request Government assistance to allow the RMYC to accommodate more yachts berthed alongside its premises, an issue at present. There were certainly many powerful ears listening. The President and the Prime Minister, Dr Abela, were present.
Why It Endures
Nearly six decades after its founding, the Rolex Middle Sea Race remains special because it combines a world-class sporting challenge with an unmistakable sense of place. Malta provides the start, finish and celebration; Sicily, Stromboli, Pantelleria and Lampedusa provide the adventure in between.
The 2026 edition added another memorable chapter: a close-fought victory for Django 7X, a commanding line-honours performance from Black Jack 100, and a prize ceremony in Valletta worthy of one of offshore racing's most iconic events.
For Rolex it is certainly money well spent: an association of the brand with sun and sea, and with the kind of exciting adventurers who run this race to the limit. For Malta, it seals the country's position as an up-and-coming destination that punches well above its weight.
Sailing fans can follow the rest of the island's racing calendar on our Malta events page.
