J/125 JACK KNIFE Takes Bronze in 2026 Rolex Middle Sea Race

(Gzira, Malta)- Hosted by the Royal Malta Yacht Club, the 47th Rolex Middle Sea Race took off last Saturday, October 17th, in light to moderate winds. Set against the extraordinary backdrop of Malta’s Grand Harbour, the fleet set sail beneath Valletta’s towering limestone bastions, headed for the Straits of Messina along the coast of the volcanic island of Sicily. The first part of their 606.0nm journey was relatively benign, with light to moderate winds at best. However, the weather soon worsened. Once over the top of Sicily and reaching Favignana, the fleet headed south towards the island of Lampedusa with the island of Pantelleria on their port side. At that point, the fleet encountered near-gale-force winds and big, breaking seas, with some boats taking damage and many sails torn. Once again, the infamous Middle Sea Race lived up to its reputation as a tough, challenging race. The half-dozen J/teams entered had experiences that ranged from good to bad. Here’s how it all went down for them.

IRC 4 Division
This fourteen-boat fleet saw Sam Hall’s J/125 JACK KNIFE from Great Britain take the bronze medal and the Croatian team on the J/111 MR J (Luka Novakovic and Marko Budisa) take 5th place in division! A great showing for these two boats, both experienced offshore teams with plenty of veterans aboard, reveling in the tough conditions.

IRC 5 Division
As the largest division in the race, the twenty-two-boat fleet often delivers the overall winner in the ROLEX Middle Sea Race! Not this year, since it was a “big boat” race. Hanging tough despite a few mishaps was Olivier Parchet’s J/122 SELMA RACING- NOISY OYSTER (sailed by Wiktor Kobryn & Artur Skrzyszowski); they finished 7th in the tough division loaded with veteran offshore racers.

IRC 6 Division
The second-largest division had twenty boats and several Maltese entries. The youngest crew was the Jarhead Young Sailors Foundation’s J/109 JYS JAN. Skippered by Gary Mercieca, they were forced to retire near Pantelleria after tearing the mainsail in the somewhat brutal conditions for a smaller 36-foot boat.

“The crew worked very hard and didn’t stop for a second,” Mercieca said. “This race taught us when to retire the boat, and what a hard decision that can be!!”

This was Gary Mercieca’s fifth Rolex Middle Sea Race. He got his offshore start and training through the Jarhead Young Sailors Foundation!

For more ROLEX Middle Sea Race sailing information
https://www.rolexmiddlesearace.com/