{"id":54807,"date":"2022-10-20T11:30:00","date_gmt":"2022-10-20T18:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bobswatches.com\/rolex-blog\/?p=54807"},"modified":"2023-06-27T13:09:17","modified_gmt":"2023-06-27T20:09:17","slug":"rolex-sponsors-the-rolex-middle-sea-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bobswatches.com\/rolex-blog\/rolex-info\/rolex-sponsors-the-rolex-middle-sea-race.html","title":{"rendered":"Rolex Sponsors the Rolex Middle Sea Race"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In some parts of the world, the name Rolex is synonymous with sailing, and men who have won watches at the helm of their yachts. Rolex has long been a sponsor of sailing competitions around the world; as the brand notes, “Rolex has forged a privileged relationship with yachting out of a natural affinity with this dynamic sport and its time-honored values.” Over 50 years ago Rolex first entered into a mutually beneficial partnership with the famed New York Yacht Club which maintains lavish clubhouses in Manhattan and Newport, Rhode Island. These days Rolex also has “deep-rooted ties with the most prestigious yacht clubs, institutions and regattas in the world, sharing the highest standards of excellence with the custodians of yachting’s finest spirit.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rolex has since continued its support of sailing, sponsoring races and events around the globe. The brand is the title sponsor of 15 major international events. An important event coming up on the calendar is the Rolex Middle Sea Race, which will take place October 22 to 29, 2022, in Valletta, Malta.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Rolex<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

43rd Rolex Middle Sea Race<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Organized by the Royal Malta Yacht Club (RMYC), the Rolex Middle Sea Race course is approximately 606 nautical miles long and it is sailed counterclockwise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The strikingly scenic route starts from Grand Harbour in Valletta and the fleet heads towards the Strait of Messina (a narrow strait between the eastern tip of Sicily and the western tip of Calabria in Southern Italy) with views of the Mount Etna active volcano often visible on the port side. Once through the straight, sailors will be met with another view of an active volcano – Mount Stromboli – as they head north then west, sailing along the northern coast of Sicily. The fleet will then turn south, sailing with the islands Favignana, Pantelleria, and Lampedusa on the port side before turning north-east towards the South Comino Channel and then to the final leg to the finish line at the entrance to Marsamxett Harbour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year’s event was when all records fell thanks to once-in-a-lifetime conditions. The maxi Comanche<\/em> (a 100-ft yacht with skipper Mitch Booth at the helm) was declared the overall winner, completing the racecourse in a record-breaking time of 40 hours, 17 minutes, and 50 seconds, which was seven and half hours less than the previous record. This was the first time in 14 years that the course record was broken. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The entry list of this year’s edition, the 43rd Rolex Middle Sea Race, currently stands at 120 yachts representing 25 countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Rolex<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Rolex and Yachting <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The first RMYC-organized Middle Sea Race sailed in 1968 and Rolex joined as an official partner in 2002. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the other yachting events and yacht clubs Rolex currently partners with include: <\/p>\n\n\n\n