The 47th Rolex Middle Sea Race starts from the Grand Harbour on Saturday 17 October at 11am. It is free to watch from land.
The race is run by the Royal Malta Yacht Club and has been going since 1968. It is one of the four best known offshore races in the world.
Where to stand
The start line runs between the Saluting Battery at the Upper Barrakka Gardens in Valletta and Fort St Angelo in Birgu. The boats sail a lap of the harbour before they head out to sea.
The Upper Barrakka is the usual place to watch. It is free, and it looks straight down on the line. Get there by ten if you want a spot at the wall.
The Lower Barrakka Gardens and the Birgu waterfront are quieter and the view is still clear.
The course
The race is 606 nautical miles, which is about 1,120 kilometres. The boats leave Malta, sail anticlockwise around Sicily and come back to Valletta.
On the way they round Capo Passero at the bottom of Sicily and go up through the Strait of Messina. They turn at the volcano at Stromboli, then head south past Favignana, Pantelleria and Lampedusa. The last mark is Comino.
The quickest boats finish in a little over two days. Most take three or four. The slowest are still at sea the following week.
What happened last year
117 boats started the 2025 race and 110 finished. That is a high finishing rate for a race this long.
Balthasar, a 72 foot boat sailed by Louis Balcaen, won overall. Black Jack 100 was the first monohull across the line.
Those are two different prizes. The overall winner is worked out on handicap, so a small slow boat can beat a big fast one. The first boat home usually does not win.
The week before the start
The race is a week of events, not one morning. Crews register at the Royal Malta Yacht Club in Ta’ Xbiex from 12 to 15 October.
- Wednesday 14 October, 10am, a shorter coastal race around Malta
- Thursday 15 October, the crew party
- Friday 16 October, 6pm, the skippers briefing
- Saturday 17 October, 11am, the start
- Saturday 24 October, midday, the prize giving
The coastal race on 14 October is also visible from land and gets far fewer spectators.
Late October is busy
The prize giving on 24 October falls on the same day as the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in Ta’ Qali. The Three Palaces Festival starts four days after that.
Late October used to be a quiet month for hotels. In 2026 it is not. Book a room early if you are coming for any of it.
Where to check
The Royal Malta Yacht Club publishes the programme and a live tracker for the fleet. Start times can move if the weather is bad, so check the day before.
