The reason for the cancellation is a mast breakage during the crossing from Trieste to Valletta, during which the crew tried to break the speed record for the Medot Sailing Trophy, however due to the breakage they gave up not only the new record but also the RMSR and ended the season.
In Trieste, the crew finished first during the famous Barcolan regatta. The boat crew then unwittingly became part of the peaceful Greenpeace protest against «Gazprom», the main sponsor of Esmit Europa 2. The activists had approached the boat in rubber dinghies with posters during the regatta. «The Esmit Europa 2 onshore support team responded to the incident by attempting to pierce» the environmentalists' reeb.
Since 2010, Esmit Europa 2 has won all 28 regattas in which it has participated.
The Rolex Middle Sea Race is a 607-mile offshore race and dates back to 1968, with a break from 1984 to 1995. The 2013 regatta has an unprecedented fleet of 116 boats registered for the race. The last record was set in 2012 with 82 entrants.
This is one of the classic «must-do» offshore races for boaters, on a par with Rolex Fastnet and Rolex Sydney - Hobart,
thisyear will be held for the 34th time
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