Rolex Middle Sea Race

The 59-boat entry list — the 606nm Sicily circuit from Valletta.

Valletta, Malta 606 nm island circuit
59 boats 1 race 606 nm 19 countries International event fleet · as of 2026-07-10
Kinship

The Malta start, the Sicilian loop.

Valletta’s midnight cannon, Messina, Stromboli, Pantelleria, Lampedusa — find the circuit’s waters.

 Hidden Shape

11 archetypes.
How this fleet clusters before the results arrive.

How the Rolex Middle Sea Race fleet races, before the results arrive.
Character

Six hundred and six miles. Valletta, the Messina Strait, Stromboli, the Egadi, and home.

The Rolex Middle Sea Race is the annual Mediterranean offshore classic organized by the Royal Malta Yacht Club — a 606-nautical-mile circumnavigation of Sicily that starts and finishes in Grand Harbour, Valletta. The course leaves Malta northbound to the Strait of Messina, rounds Stromboli at the tip of the Aeolian arc, cuts west across the Tyrrhenian Sea, threads the Egadi Islands off western Sicily, drops south to round Pantelleria and Lampedusa, and returns east-northeast to Valletta. The race is a Mediterranean signature event — sea-breeze geography, mountainous wind-shadow effects in the Sicilian lee, Scirocco and Mistral pressure patterns through the Sicilian Channel, and a tactical island-rounding sequence that rewards no single hull family in isolation.

FleetEdge tracks the 59-boat entry list — ORC-rated hulls and mapped-IRC hulls together on one results surface. Forty-six of the 59 carry full ORC measurement certificates (ORC International and ORC Club); the other 13 are IRC entries mapped into FleetEdge’s comparable ORC-based physics view, matched to their ORC design-family equivalents by hull dimensions and transparently labeled as class-sibling projections. Both rating populations share the standings and off-median results surface, while the archetype classification at the published 2025-vintage view covers the 46 fully ORC-measured hulls.

The fleet signature is unusually tight: AEROBLADE carries 43.5% of the classified fleet (20 of 46 classified boats) — more than two-fifths of the classified list in a single archetype family. AEROBLADE is the light, agile platform optimized for quick acceleration and flat-water speed — the Mediterranean-bred mid-displacement hull that defines the offshore entry list when sea-breeze geography and short-fetch wave states are the operating environment. DEEPFRAME follows at 19.6% (9 boats) — the deep-hull, stiff-platform drag-efficiency layer — with AEROMAX and STEELFORM sharing the third slot at 10.9% (5 boats each). The geographic backbone is Italian and British — 10 ITA and 5 GBR hulls among the 46 classified — with Germany and Greece at four apiece and Malta’s host contingent led by the race’s overall IRC winner, across 19 countries on the full entry list. The entry list reads as the Mediterranean offshore-circuit calendar — 12 of the boats FleetEdge tracks here also ran the Rolex Fastnet 2025, a sign that the Middle Sea Race draws the offshore-campaigning end of the European IRC and ORC fleets.

Event cohort view · 59 boats · as of 2026-07-10

Selected Race Result

Rolex Middle Sea Race 2025 — Overall.

All 59 of the 59 fleet boats competed. 606 nautical miles, Grand Harbour out and Grand Harbour back, around Sicily via the Strait of Messina, Stromboli, the Egadi, Pantelleria, and Lampedusa. One race, overall scoring. October 18, 2025. 46 boats carry full ORC measurement (36 ORC International, 10 ORC Club); 13 are IRC-rated and projected as ORC-mapped IRC entries on the same comparative-time axis.

Headlines

Dimension leaders — the 59-boat Middle Sea Race fleet.

Cohort-relative leaders across the structural, entry-list, and comparative-time dimensions FleetEdge surfaces on every fleet. The 59-boat entry list spans ORC and IRC ratings; structural rankings below run over the 46 boats classified at the published 2025-vintage view. The off-median delta shows each boat’s delta from its own ORC median allowance over the 606nm course — negative means faster than the median allowance expects, positive means slower, and at this running every measured boat finished positive. It is a single-race, low-confidence signal, not the corrected race result.

Designer Concentration

1. Frers G · 6
=2. Jeppesen-Nielsen · 4
=2. Judel Vrolijk · 4
Cohort 46 classified

Archetype Lead

1. AEROBLADE · 20
2. DEEPFRAME · 9
=3. AEROMAX / STEELFORM · 5
Cohort 46 classified

Nation Concentration

1. ITA · 10
2. GBR · 5
=3. GER / GRE · 4
Cohort 46 classified

Class Concentration

=1. Elan 450 · 2
=1. Neo-430 Roma · 2
=1. Pogo 36 · 2
Cohort 6 classes tied at 2 · 46 classified

Rating Mix

1. ORCi · 36
2. Mapped IRC · 13
3. ORC Club · 10
Cohort 59 boats

Off-Median Delta

1. BALTHASAR · +61.3 s/nm
2. BLACK JACK 100 · +67.8 s/nm
3. FINAL FINAL · +80.3 s/nm
Cohort 35 boats measured
Stories

What the Middle Sea Race 2025 result tells us.

Championship Citation

BALTHASAR — Event Champion, IRC Overall

The Maltese Maxi 72 BALTHASAR won the Rolex Middle Sea Race 2025 outright, finishing first in the IRC Overall standings on corrected time. The home fleet’s flagship took the host club’s own classic — the first boat on this page’s entry list in the published standings — and the win is mirrored on the physics surface: BALTHASAR also posted the smallest off-median delta of the 35 measured boats (+61.3 sec/nm against its own ORC median allowance), the closest conversion to a physics envelope in the fleet. A champion that leads both the corrected-time standings and the off-median ladder is the cleanest result-to-physics agreement this race produced.

  • Final standing: 1st · IRC Overall, corrected time
  • Off-median delta: +61.3 sec/nm · smallest of 35 measured
  • Source: published Rolex Middle Sea Race 2025 standings
Complete data Rolex Middle Sea Race 2025
Magnitude Gap

BALTHASAR sails 100 sec/nm inside the cohort median.

The Maltese Maxi 72 BALTHASAR posted the smallest off-median delta of the 35 measured boats at this running of the race: +61.3 sec/nm against its own ORC median allowance over the 606nm course. That is 6.5 sec/nm clear of the runner-up, the Super Maxi BLACK JACK 100 (+67.8), and a full 100.0 sec/nm inside the cohort median of +161.3 — in a race where every measured boat finished above its ORC median prediction, the home-fleet maxi converted closest to its physics envelope. The front of the off-median-delta ladder is a maxi story: BALTHASAR, BLACK JACK 100, the Pac-52 FINAL FINAL (+80.3), and WHISPER (+80.9) sit at grand-prix LOA in the AEROBLADE-led front group that defines this fleet’s archetype signature. Single-race deltas carry low statistical confidence by definition; the ordering, not the absolute magnitude, is the signal.

  • BALTHASAR delta: +61.3 sec/nm vs ORC median
  • Gap to runner-up: 6.5 sec/nm (BLACK JACK 100, +67.8)
  • Cohort median delta: +161.3 sec/nm (35 measured)
Limited sample FleetEdge Off-Median Delta
Multi-Dimension Presence

BLACK JACK 100: three structural ceilings, one hull.

The Super Maxi 100 BLACK JACK 100 tops three structural dimension families in the classified Middle Sea Race fleet simultaneously — beat VMG at 12 knots (8.84 kt, first of 46), run VMG at 12 knots (11.55 kt, first of 46), and rated pace, carrying the fastest rating of any hull on this page. It then carried that structural ceiling into the result surface, posting the second-smallest off-median delta of the measured fleet (+67.8 sec/nm, behind only BALTHASAR). A boat that leads the classified fleet on paper across the rig-power and rated-pace families and converts to the front of the off-median-delta ladder on the water is the cleanest physics-to-result chain on this page — the 100-footer’s entry-list leading share is structural, not narrative.

  • Beat / run VMG @12kt: 8.84 / 11.55 kt · 1st of 46 classified
  • Rated pace: fastest-rated hull · 46 classified
  • Off-median delta: +67.8 sec/nm · 2nd of 35 measured
Complete data FleetEdge Dimension Leaderboards
Race Archetypes

46 boats classified in the Rolex Middle Sea Race 2025.

Archetypes as published 2026-07-10 — the FleetEdge view nearest this event.

Of the 59-boat entry list, 46 carry a FleetEdge archetype assignment at this vintage — the 46 hulls with full ORC measurement. The race-day view is emphatically AEROBLADE-led: the light-acceleration family takes 43.5% of the classified list, with DEEPFRAME’s deep-hull layer second at 19.6% and AEROMAX and STEELFORM sharing the third slot at 10.9% each. The distribution below is the FleetEdge view published nearest the 2025 race, not today’s reclassification — the 606nm island circuit drew an offshore field built around acceleration and deep-hull efficiency, with an upwind-power and heavy-stability band behind it for the Tyrrhenian and Sicilian Channel passages.

AEROBLADE

High-efficiency rig with sharp heel sensitivity and rapid trim response.

Boats 20
Share 43.5%

DEEPFRAME

Deep-hull efficiency paired with a stiff platform for drag-optimized flow.

Boats 9
Share 19.6%

AEROMAX

Upwind-power specialist with the fleet's strongest rig-driven VMG.

Boats 5
Share 10.9%

STEELFORM

Compact-rig, rigid platform delivering consistent, low-variance results.

Boats 5
Share 10.9%

GLIDEFORM

Low-drag hull delivering smooth, efficient downwind acceleration.

Boats 3
Share 6.5%

GRAVITYRUN

Heavy-mode momentum boat with strong downwind power in sustained breeze.

Boats 3
Share 6.5%

HEADFORCE

Upwind-biased pressure boat driving compact rigs through higher-drag hull forms.

Boats 1
Share 2.2%
Fleet DNA

How the Middle Sea Race fleet is built.

59 boats entered the Rolex Middle Sea Race 2025 — ORC-rated and mapped-IRC hulls together on one results surface, with the 46 fully ORC-measured entries classified across 7 archetypes at the published 2025-vintage view.

The Rolex Middle Sea Race Fleet Signature

The Middle Sea Race cohort is built around one family: AEROBLADE at 43.5% (20 of 46 classified boats), more than two-fifths of the classified list. AEROBLADE is the light, agile platform optimized for quick acceleration and flat-water speed — the family that defines a Mediterranean offshore field where sea-breeze tactics and short-fetch wave states are the operating environment. DEEPFRAME follows at 19.6% (9 boats) — deep-hull, stiff-platform drag efficiency — and the third slot is shared: AEROMAX, the upwind-power specialist, and STEELFORM, the compact-rig stability layer, tie at 10.9% (5 boats each). GLIDEFORM and GRAVITYRUN (3 boats each, 6.5%) carry the downwind-flow and sustained-breeze momentum tiers, with HEADFORCE (1 boat, 2.2%) closing the list. Together the top four archetype families carry 84.8% of the classified fleet. BALANCECORE, IRONWIND, KEELFLEX, and STORMLINE are absent from this cohort entirely.

  • AEROBLADE 43.5% · 20 boats
  • DEEPFRAME 19.6% · 9 boats
  • AEROMAX 10.9% · 5 boats

Dimension emphasis: Comparative Time · Crew Residual · Sail Drive · Upwind VMG

Frers G leads the drawing-board signature at 13.0% (6 boats), the most-common single design board in a field that no architect dominates — the fleet spans Italian, German, American, and French boards in a flat distribution typical of Mediterranean offshore entry lists. The class field is flatter still: no class fields three or more classified hulls, and six classes tie at two boats each — the signature of an international handicap fleet rather than a one-design circuit. The whole fleet participated in Rolex Middle Sea Race 2025; 12 of the boats FleetEdge tracks here also ran the Rolex Fastnet in the same offshore season.

Complete data Latest published view

The full 7-archetype distribution.

Archetypes as published 2026-07-10 — the FleetEdge view nearest this event.

AEROBLADE

High-efficiency rig with sharp heel sensitivity and rapid trim response.

Boats 20
Share 43.5%

DEEPFRAME

Deep-hull efficiency paired with a stiff platform for drag-optimized flow.

Boats 9
Share 19.6%

AEROMAX

Upwind-power specialist with the fleet's strongest rig-driven VMG.

Boats 5
Share 10.9%

STEELFORM

Compact-rig, rigid platform delivering consistent, low-variance results.

Boats 5
Share 10.9%

GLIDEFORM

Low-drag hull delivering smooth, efficient downwind acceleration.

Boats 3
Share 6.5%

GRAVITYRUN

Heavy-mode momentum boat with strong downwind power in sustained breeze.

Boats 3
Share 6.5%

HEADFORCE

Upwind-biased pressure boat driving compact rigs through higher-drag hull forms.

Boats 1
Share 2.2%

AEROBLADE’s 43.5% share is the marquee structural signature of the page — more than two-fifths of the classified boats on the Valletta start line carry the light-acceleration, flat-water archetype that the Mediterranean offshore circuit cultivates. The top four families together (AEROBLADE, DEEPFRAME, AEROMAX, STEELFORM) carry 84.8% of the classified fleet. BALANCECORE, IRONWIND, KEELFLEX, and STORMLINE are absent from this cohort entirely — the Sicily circuit did not draw those families in any meaningful number at the 2025 running. The fleet identity is Mediterranean-bred acceleration and deep-hull efficiency, with a power-efficiency upwind layer and a compact-rig stability tier for the Tyrrhenian and Sicilian Channel passages.

International event fleet · 46 classified · as of 2026-07-10

Fleet Stories

Middle Sea Race fleet signature.

Archetype Density

AEROBLADE leads the Valletta start line at 43.5%.

AEROBLADE carries 43.5% of the classified Middle Sea Race fleet — 20 of 46 classified boats, more than two-fifths of the list in a single archetype family. AEROBLADE is the light, agile platform optimized for quick acceleration and flat-water speed — the Mediterranean-bred mid-displacement hull that defines the offshore entry list when sea-breeze geography and short-fetch wave states are the operating environment. The remaining 56.5% of the classified fleet spreads across six more archetype families, with DEEPFRAME (19.6%) the only other family above the 15% lead threshold and AEROMAX and STEELFORM (10.9% each) behind it. The shape of this fleet is a long, narrow ridge in archetype space — one leading family, a deep-hull and upwind-power secondary layer, and a small-sample tail.

  • AEROBLADE: 20 boats · 43.5%
  • DEEPFRAME: 9 boats · 19.6%
  • Top two combined: 29 boats · 63.0%
Complete data FleetEdge fleet-wide data
Designer Density

Frers G — the Middle Sea Race’s most-common drawing board.

In a fleet split across Italian, German, American, and French design boards, Frers G carries the largest single share at 13.0% (6 boats). No single designer dominates the Middle Sea Race entry list — Frers leads a flat distribution rather than commanding it, with Jeppesen-Nielsen and Judel Vrolijk next at four boats apiece and the rest of the field spread across a wide set of design boards. The drawing-board distribution mirrors the Mediterranean offshore reality: an international racing field with no single naval-architecture lineage controlling the start line.

  • Frers G: 6 boats · 13.0%
  • Classified fleet: 46 boats
  • Band: most-common (no dominant board)
Complete data FleetEdge fleet-wide data
At a glance

Middle Sea Race — structural profile.

Scope
59 boats
ORC-rated · mapped-IRC · 46 classified
Top 3 archetypes
  1. AEROBLADE — 20 boats (43.5%)
  2. DEEPFRAME — 9 boats (19.6%)
  3. AEROMAX — 5 boats (10.9%)
STEELFORM ties the third slot at 5 boats (10.9%). Eleven canonical performance archetypes cluster the fleet by dimensional signature. See the full map →
Top designer cluster
Frers G
6 boats (13.0%) — the most-represented design voice in this fleet.

Counts and archetype assignments above are measured from the published view nearest this event. Commentary below is interpretive.

International event fleet · as of 2026-07-10

Classified fleet view · 46 classified · as of 2026-07-10

Popular Classes

The boats that define Middle Sea Race racing.

No single class has 3 or more boats among the 46 classified Middle Sea Race entries — the Popular Classes signal is too thin to surface reliably. Six classes field two hulls each; the rest of the classified list is single-boat classes, the signature of an international offshore handicap fleet rather than a one-design circuit.

Continue

Go deeper.

ORC World Fleet

The international championship-circuit fleet — the parent context for FleetEdge’s cross-fleet comparative analytics.

Rolex Fastnet Race

The Atlantic RORC peer — 12 of the Middle Sea Race boats FleetEdge tracks also ran the 695-nm Solent-to-Cherbourg course in the same offshore season.

RORC Caribbean 600

The winter Caribbean RORC classic — 6 Middle Sea Race boats also ran the Antigua-based 600-nm offshore loop in 2025.

Italy Racing

The largest national contingent — 10 of 59 Middle Sea Race boats fly ITA sail numbers, the deepest single-country share on the fleet.

Mediterranean Championship

The ORC Mediterranean event series — the wider Mediterranean offshore context inside which the Middle Sea Race sits.

Fleet Archetypes

The FleetEdge archetype framework — the 11 performance archetypes.

Analyze the Middle Sea Race.

606 nautical miles around Sicily from Valletta. The 59-boat fleet, dissected on the same comparative axis.

Explore FleetEdge Explore Italy Racing