The Malta National Offshore Sailing Team made a winning international debut, taking Line Honours, IRC Overall and ORC Overall aboard the Cookson 50 Viva Malta at the Roma Per Tutti, the 540 nautical mile Tyrrhenian Sea classic that started from Riva di Traiano on Saturday 12th April 2026.
It was the crew’s first race together as a complete unit, and the conditions were severe. A favourable southerly carried the fleet south, but upwind the crew faced gusts of 38 knots and seas of four to six metres, which caused retirements elsewhere in the fleet. Near Lipari the fleet entered a transition zone before a fresh south-westerly gave Viva Malta a downwind run of some 20 hours back towards Rome. In the final 60 miles a storm brought thunder, lightning and rain, but the team held their nerve and crossed the line first.
“I am very happy with the boat and the team; they were phenomenal. We had every horrible sailing condition possible: transition zones, lightning storms, heavy seas, you name it. But we were sailing with friends we have known for years, and they performed exceptionally well. It was a strong team effort and we are absolutely over the moon,” said co-skipper Saul Vassallo. Co-skipper Zach Zammit thanked the sailing clubs, the Federation and the crew’s families, and Boat Captain Ramon Sant Hill for getting the boat race-ready. For Sant Hill it was a full-circle moment: he was part of Sciara’s crew when she won the race overall in 2009.
The crew: co-skippers Zach Zammit and Saul Vassallo; Boat Captain Ramon Sant Hill; Isaac Vassallo, Nick Debono Drury, Alex Siegler, Shaun Miggiani, Karl Miggiani, Jake Satariano, Gregory Mifsud Orlando, Patrice Pace and Pascal Pace. The team is supported by SportMalta and the Malta Sailing Federation.
Photo Credit: © Roma x Riva / CNRT / L. Ricotta
