Intro:

Esimit Europa 2 took the honours at the 2012 Rolex Middle Sea Race on Wednesday,

Script:

Valletta provided a beautiful backdrop for the 33rd Rolex Middle Sea Race on Sunday.

Unique in that it starts and finishes in Malta, the race challenged 83 yachts from 19 countries to a 606-nautical mile Mediterranean route.

The fleet reached the shores of Sicily before dark on the first day but the winds dropped dramatically and the race slowed down.

The conditions had to be countered by some strong tactical decisions, Esimit Europa 2 decided to sail closer to the Northern coast of Sicily after passing the Stromboli Volcano.

It paid off for skipper Jochen Schümann as Esimit Europa 2 were first back to Malta after 3 days, 13 hours, 33 minutes of sailing.

SOUNDBITE: (English) Jochen Schümann, Esimit Europa 2
"We were leading right after the start for quite a margin, like 15 or 20 miles. Then the whole fleet basically caught up and run nearly past us at the Strait of Messina and yeah, we arrived at Stromboli basically all together, which is not good enough for a 100-footer. After that we passed Stromboli and made a different tactical choice, we jibed away and went a little bit inland and actually one of the holes. One of the others actually got stuck again and that made us lead quite comfortably for the rest if the race."

The muted celebrations were understandable as the crew had spent many hours at sea.

But this was the third year in succession that Esimit Europa 2 had taken the honours, a feat that will probably only sink in after a few hours of sleep.