Letter from Malta
Steven London
October 27, 2025
I’m writing from Malta as a DBSC member to let you know that I crewed on the J/122 Noisy Oyster that won first place in IRC Class 5 of the Rolex Middle Sea Race last week.
It was a great race, over a truly magnificent course, with two active volcanoes along the way. The first night on the leg to Sicily was brutal, with heavy rain that soaked everyone and everything on board. We made good progress up the Straits of Messina, and then rounded Stromboli in the dark, trimming a spinnaker as the volcano's belching lit up the sky. There were plenty of wind holes, which required a lot of focus to get through, especially as we rounded Lampedusa. But once we hooked into some breeze on the homeward leg to Valletta, we made a steady 10 knots, up to 15 knots off the waves. It was a great victory, certainly one that we really did not expect when we set off.
- Derek Hand
Crew of 2025 Rolex Middle Sea Race IRC Class 5 winner Noisy Oyster. Derek is 4th from the left. Photo by Andrea Azzopardi.
"This race was unpredictable from start to finish -- the kind where you think you've lost it ten times before you realise you might actually win," commented Henderson. "At dusk last night, the entire fleet parked up off Lampedusa. You could see every boat around you, motionless, and it all came down to who would catch the first puff of breeze. It felt almost cruel, watching the lead come and go, but that's the Rolex Middle Seas Race -- you have to stay mentally strong and believe it's never over." - Nikki Henderson, Skipper of Noisy Oyster