Italian Weather Hampers Middle Sea Race Committee
by Royal Malta Yacht Club 15 Oct 2000 13:04 BST
Italian Weather Hampers Middle Sea Race Committee
While the final preparations for this years Middle Sea Race are now in their final stages, the Race Committee at the Royal Malta Yacht Club are now plagued with a problem they simply cannot resolve. The weather over Italy has blocked most of the major Italian hot boats in their respective harbours.
Riviera di Rimini, Shining, Bockinsky, Grampus and Veliki Vilharnik are all being hit with force 8 winds in the Adriatic and are finding it difficult to get to Malta in time for the start of the race on the 21st October 2000. Riviera di Rimini is currently seeking shelter in Rimini, whilst most of the other Italian boats are in Trieste.
Stefano Raspadori, skipper on board Riviera di Rimini, said that the owners of the boat might consider not sending her to Malta as she might not be here in time.
The Magic Sailing Team are also faced with the same problem and are closely monitoring the weather situation. Medex, Powered by RedBull, a local Maltese entry, is also stuck in Marsala with 50 knots of wind. Diavolo Porco, and Italian Open 30, is currently in Calabria after damaging some equipment. She is expected to arrive in Malta at dawn on Monday morning.
Ironically, the weather forecast for Malta shows a high pressure coming over the Island on Monday.
The Middle Sea Race is scheduled to start on Saturday, 21st October 2000 and is organised by the Royal Malta Yacht Club in conjunction with the Royal Ocean Racing Club, the Federazione Italiana Vela and the Malta Sailing Federation.