Line honours was decided late on Monday evening when George David’s Rambler 88 crossed the finish line at the Royal Malta Yacht Club at 21:48:09 CEST in an elapsed time of 2 days, 9 hours, 48 minutes and 9 seconds. It is the third straight Rolex Middle Sea Race line honours success for the American yacht equaling the feat of Benbow (1975-77) and Esimit Europa 2 (2010-2012).
The overall race winner was confirmed on Wednesday afternoon: Igor Rytov's Russian JPK 10.80 Bogatyr.
The fleet have been exposed to a variety of conditions across a 606-nm race course which comprises an anticlockwise circumnavigation of Sicily; from benign conditions in the Strait of Messina and around the race’s iconic landmark of Stromboli to high seas and punishing winds on the western edge of the course.
At 10:00 AM on Thursday 26 October, 33 yachts had finished; five were still racing, 66 had officially retired or failed to finish.
