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One boat remains on the race course at the 2007 Rolex Middle Sea Race nears its conclusion

The Rolex Middle Sea Race 2007 just refuses to draw to a close. This exceptional race that has witnessed many different stories of success and misfortune has almost taken on a life of its own. Windsong (GBR), Nord Star (RUS) and Muzyka (ITA) all finished last night between 2am and 2.50am. This leaves one yacht on the course, the German trimaran High Q1, for whom the race must have taken on the character of a personal Everest.

A quick look at her course plotted on the race tracker shows how much the wind since Pantelleria has conspired not to favour the multihull in either direction or strength. Sharp deviations off the rhumb line suggest efforts to find better angles of attack or more pressure. For the moment, at least, she is pointing at Malta, but is still some 20 miles from the Comino Channel sailing at 4 knots in a 5-10 knot southerly. Fingers that are probably already crossed will be getting tighter as the deadline for finishing - 0800 on Saturday 27 October - starts to loom in the headlights.

After finishing early yesterday morning, Jonas Diamantino, the skipper of Gasan Mamo Insurance Comanche Raider, the third and final Maltese boat to complete the 607 nautical mile course, has had an opportunity to reflect on this his sixth Rolex Middle Sea Race. Like many others, he set off last Saturday in full knowledge that strong winds and heavy seas were likely to impact the race. Having never been in such conditions himself, he could be excused for not having a clear picture of what to expect. Diamantino is clearly confident in his yacht, an old Admiral's Cup racer from the IOR period in the 1980s. Diamantino is first to admit that she is unlikely to win any prizes against more modern yachts. For Diamantino the Rolex Middle Sea Race is a challenge. Preparing the boat, selecting the crew and embarking on a 607 mile voyage are all part of the fun. Whatever the result, he believes he is a winner just completing the course. Listening to his version of the race it is easy to be persuaded by this view.

"It was a one time experience. There were moments when I was terrified for the crew, the boat and, of course, myself. While the winds were expected to be strong, the northeasterly that hit us on the Saturday night was not expected at that wind strength. Whilst I love racing I wouldn't want to be in those conditions on a regular basis or intentionally," recounts Diamantino in a refreshingly open manner - no false bravado in evidence here.

There were some situations that put the fear of God into a sailor who does not strike one as being easily knocked off his stride: "I'd never seen conditions like it. We were in quite a large swell and then when the squall came through the sea went completely flat like a pond, then the wind hit and the sea just picked up a white spray. It went completely white around us, completely white. Then the hail hit us first and then the wind. Visibility would go from several miles to less than 50 metres in seconds. Terrifying. The boat is not up to speed so it goes over so quickly and any number of things go through your head at that moment."

Diamantino has previous experience in a tough Middle Sea Race. He participated in the 2001 event, widely remembered for the wind and sea conditions that prevented much of the fleet from making it to the start. A bit like this year's race. The direct comparison ends there though, fortunately. Diamantino explains that the 2001 race was unique for him. A blown mainsail on the way out to the start necessitating an emergency pit stop before the gun was followed by the loss of the yacht's rudder at Murro di Porco and a subsequent retirement into Syracuse. This memory must have been going through Diamantino's head on the first night in the 50 knot squalls that buffeted the boat and sent them scurrying for shelter into Reggio to regroup and decide whether or not to continue.

The eventual decision to carry on, albeit under trysail and storm jib, was rewarded with a fantastic sail under spinnaker up towards Stromboli. Diamantino recalls the wind behind and surfing down big waves, "just like a film or in the Volvo!"

At Stromboli, Comanche Raider parked up again - this time through lack of wind. Eventually, the wind filled in with a vengeance and she powered off across the top of Sicily past Alicudi, Filicudi and Salina towards Palermo, where it started to go wrong again.

"At one point, after Stromboli, we saw three weather fronts coming towards us from separate directions. Not knowing what to expect we put up the storm jib again, still with the trysail. W e were then hit with severe gale force winds and squalls with almost zero visibility, winds in excess of 45-48 knots. The boat was being knocked down pretty viciously, pretty quickly, and then coming up again. The hail was the most painful part of those few hours," explains Diamantino.



"Just past Palermo [where Loki ran into problems], we saw the severe winds again. What made the situation so much worse was the size of the sea. It was pretty much against us and we were launching a good half hull out of the water in 6-8m seas going 6-7 knots. The banging was alarming and on one particular wave, the pipe cots below with three crew sleeping exploded from their mountings. Fortunately, no one was hurt. I made a safety call at that point. We bore away, went into Palermo for seven or eight hours waiting for a more favourable weather forecast," he continues.

At this point in the tale one begins to think that this is one crew that is not going to give up whatever is thrown at it. After time to work out that Palermo is not going to receive favourable winds for some hours, Diamantino and crew decide to "batten down the hatches, set as little sail as possible and get past Palermo." Almost immediately after heading out the fore-hatch blew off its hinges, echoing the experience of Rambler.

In atrocious conditions, the hatch was secured. Not before a few hundred litres of water had been taken on and everything down below thoroughly soaked. In an attempt to get round the northwestern corner of Sicily in one hit, Gasan Mamo Insurance Comanche Raider took a three to four hour single tack to get enough sea room to pass the islands.

Once passed the Egadi Islands, the survival course became a bit more of a race and the crew were able to return to more controlled sailing. At Lampedusa an unscheduled stop for an hour and half due to lack of wind allowed the crew to go for a swim. After the bashing of the preceding 72 hours they even decided to dive down and assess the state of the keel and rudder. Fortunately neither showed any signs of damage.

The remainder of the race was without incident, although one has to sympathise with the boat that a windless finish line greeted it at the end of such an epic adventure. For Diamantino, there will be more Rolex Middle Sea Races, though he admits: "I would not knowingly go into 60 knots of wind again. Not that I would not have confidence in the boat or the crew, but because it is irresponsible and I have the responsibility of the crew and their safety." But having been in it he has the confidence that he would survive it again if he had to.

One thing is for certain, he says, "if we did not have a healthy respect for the elements before we certainly have more now."

The final prize giving will be held tomorrow, Saturday 27 October, at noon.

George David's Rambler is the Overall Winner of the Rolex Middle Sea Race 2007; she also set a new Course Record of 47 hours 55 minutes and 3 seconds.