British syndicate Sunrise has urged the racing committee of the Royal Malta Yacht Club to reconsider their decision of using the alternative finish at the Comino Channel to calculate the overall standings instead of the finish line at the Marsamxett Harbour.
Sunrise looked on course of taking the overall title at the Rolex Middle Sea race as the team skippered by Tom Kneen had crossed the finish line at the Marsamxett Harbour on October 26, beating the IRC corrected time set by Comanche, a 100ft Maxi, by 16 minutes.
However, their hopes of overall victory were dashed by the Royal Malta Yacht Club who due to the stormy weather that hit the Maltese islands on Tuesday, decided to move the finish line to the Comino Channel, for what they described “to safeguard the well being of all boats and crews.”
The change saw the organisers calculate the winner on a shortened 593 nautical mile course instead of the traditional 606nm.