DSK Pioneer Investments finished the 30th edition of the Rolex Middle Sea Race at 0300 this morning having competed in Racing Class 1, alongside the likes of VO70s Ericsson (SWE) and Intermatica (ITA), STP65 Luna Rossa (ITA), Mini Maxi RAN (GBR) and 100 ft ICAP Leopard (GBR) who took line honours.

20 October 2009 - DSK Pioneer Investments finished the 30th edition of the Rolex Middle Sea Race at 0300 this morning having competed in Racing Class 1, alongside the likes of VO70s Ericsson (SWE) and Intermatica (ITA), STP65 Luna Rossa (ITA), Mini Maxi RAN (GBR) and 100 ft ICAP Leopard (GBR) who took line honours.

The Rolex Middle Sea started off gently with 8-10 knots of breeze as owner and helmsman Danilo Salsi swiftly manoeuvred DSK Pioneer Investments over the start line at 1130 Saturday, with thousands of spectators in Grand Harbour looking on. Over the course of the afternoon, as the fleet headed towards the Messina Strait, the winds built to 16-20 knots, before the real weather set in on Sunday changing the playing field dramatically.

It was at 0700 on Sunday when Swan 90 DSK Pioneer Investments arrived at Stromboli, with winds gusting up to 45 knots. From there it was upwind sailing all the way for the experienced crew until they reached Egadi Island later in the day. Once round the corner of Sicily passing Favignana, conditions changed again for the team on Monday as they headed towards Pantelleria always nipping at the heals of the thoroughbred racers just out in front.

By nightfall on Monday, the team was on the home stretch from Lampedusa to Malta with a dramatic sunset and 10 knots of wind astern. As DSK Pioneer Investments passed Comino at 0100 the winds went very light, just in time for final stretch to the finish line at La Valletta. The Swan 90 crept up the harbour and over the finish line in front of the new Royal Malta Yacht Club in complete silence, with the antique city ominous in the background and only 2-3 knots of wind.

“The conditions were very diverse throughout the race. I am very pleased with the boat and even more so with our crew,” said owner and helmsman Danilo Salsi. “It is however disappointing that our Swan 90 was in the racing class, rather than cruiser-racer class. DSK Pioneer Investments is first and foremost a cruising yacht, a very fast one, but a cruiser.”

DSK Pioneer Investments’ elapsed time for the demanding 606 nautical mile race was 2 days, 15 hours, 36 minutes and 50 seconds. Of the 76 boat fleet, 23 boats retired and it remains to be seen who will win overall.

From Malta, DSK Pioneer Investments returns to Palma before making the Transatlantic crossing to the Caribbean for the winter months. The next regatta for DSK Pioneer Investments will be the RORC Caribbean 600 in February 2010.

The team onboard Swan 90 DSK Pioneer Investments included: Danilo Salsi (helm), Andrea Casale (tactician/trim), Neil Cox, Nick Bice, Francesco Mongelli (navigator), Alessandro Franci (trimmer), Vittorio Rosso (trimmer), Riccardo de Magistris (pit), Niky Mosca (pit), Guido Antar Vigna (mast), Alberto Bolzan, Mark Fliegner (boat captain), Max Cavallo (bow), Saverio Cigliano (bow), Alessandro Tonelli (bow/rig/trim), David Scott, Giuliano Luzzatto and Tatiana Loof (logistics).