Royal Malta Yacht Club PR Officer Maria Vella-Galea writes a tribute to sailing stalwart Arthur Podesta, who passed away a few weeks before the start of his beloved Middle Sea Race.
It is very difficult to pay tribute to such a distinguished sailor and stalwart of the Royal Malta Yacht Club in just one page or two. With a career spanning decades Arthur left an indelible mark in the sailing community. This legacy can be seen through the flow of tributes and messages that have been received since his passing was announced.
A long standing member of the Royal Malta Yacht Club, Arthur served for many years on the Committee, acting in many roles including that of Commodore.
Arthur will long be remembered for his love of sailing and was a regular competitor in local and foreign regattas.
Arthur, together with handful of others, contributed substantially towards the development of sailing as a sport for Malta & Gozo. He excelled at reaching across all levels of society to communicate his passion for the sea and sailing. Arthur would be the first to invite youngsters on board his boat giving them first hand racing experience. Most of these sailors went on to become regular participants in Club and other races.
It was particularly poignant that Arthur passed away a few days before the start of the 36th Rolex Middle Sea Race, the race with which his name was practically synonymous. Arthur in fact had the distinction of having participated in every race since the inaugural start in 1968 and was also part of the crew on Josian, winner of the race in 1968.
As fellow sailor Paul Ellul put it, Arthur was a worthy ambassador of the Maltese nation and our identity making his country proud with his sailing prowess. The Middle Sea race, and all the offshore races such as Siracusa, Vega, Marzamemi, were oxygen to Arthur. He was always there, no matter the weather, no matter the competition.
Arthur dedicated himself to his family as well as his passion for sailing. He sailed regularly with his children, Maya, Aaron and Christoph, who have grown to become accomplished sailors in their own right. Since 2002, Arthur involved his children first on Elusive and subsequently on Elusive 2. Reminiscing about Arthur, Wilfred Sultana quoted Arthur as saying “I am so grateful to my father who passed on to me his love for the sea that I feel it is imperative for me to do likewise for my children”
RMYC President John Ripard recalls, “Arthur was an essential ingredient in my sailing career. In the early sixties we raced on my TAI LUK in the early offshore races organised by the RMYC. He was indispensable as a member of the crew of JOSIAN with which we won the first, inaugural Middle Sea Race in 1968, followed by a repeat win in the 1970 MSR on TIKKA II.
Arthur’s prowess as a seaman as well as his passion for sailing, particularly offshore racing, was remarkable. He was, and will certainly remain the only person to have taken part in every Middle Sea Race since its inception. This is no mean achievement but a feat which takes determination, passion and dedication which only a person with Arthur’s love of our sport could undertake. And only a couple of weeks ago he told me that he wanted to be with his children on ELUSIVE to participate in this year’s Rolex Middle Sea Race. But it was not to be – the Lord chose to call him to the realm of His Heavenly Father there to rest in peace for evermore.
“I sincerely hope to have the opportunity of competing in the next ten races”. This was Arthur Podesta’s statement when interviewed by Wilfred Sultana, back in 1978 when he had then sailed in all the first ten editions of the epic Race he idolized.
The large amount of mourners that filled the church for Arthur’s funeral spoke volumes of the kind of person Arthur was and the high regard with which he was held. Arthur’s penetrating eyes and engaging smile will be missed but his legacy will live on through the sailors and crews that were imparted with his invaluable advice and experience.
Published in the 2015 Rolex Middle Sea Race Souvenir Programme and the December edtion of the RMYC Magazine Spinnaker
Photo Courtesy: Podesta Family
