Malta's annual Rolex Middle Sea Yacht Race set sail from Valletta on the 17th of October 2009. Around 80 yachts took part in this year's 600 mile race. The excitement and buzz that surrounds international yacht racing came to the harbour at Valletta and the start and finish celebrations were a wonderful spectacle for anyone on Malta during the week of the race.

The Middle Sea Race, which has been taking place on Malta since 1984 and is organised by the Royal Malta Yacht Club, is one of the oldest and most difficult offshore racing classics. It ranks alongside famous yacht races such as the Sydney-Hobart and the Fastnet. Like the Fastnet, whose course takes yachts on track from Cowes on the Isle of Wight to Plymouth via the Fastnet Rock, the Middle Sea race covers a similar distance on its route from Malta, around Sicily and back.

The event is growing in stature every year and in 2008 a record 78 boats took part. The race has a long way to go to match the 299 boats that competed in last year's Fastnet but the calibre of the entries is very high. Sir Chay Blyth and Sir Francis Chichester are among the famous sailors that have competed in the past and boats like those from the Volvo Ocean Race have also been on the start line.

The course is regarded as one of the most beautiful in the world and after passing through the Straits of Messina off Sicily the boats leave the sight of Mount Etna behind and head for the Egadi Islands, Pantelleria and the Lampedusa Islands. For a race length of 606 miles it illustrates the calibre of yacht taking part when you consider the course record is less than 2 days.

The most impressive boat to have entered the race so far is the Australian built ICAP Leopard. This 100 foot yacht is currently on a world tour, racing in high calibre races like the 2007 Sydney-Hobart where it finished second. This beautiful yacht, that has also crossed the line first in the last two Fastnet races, graced Valletta harbour alongside the other yachts when the race started at 11am on Saturday the 17th of October.