Middle Sea Race begins in Malta
RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SHOTLIST AND SCRIPT
VIDEO SHOWS: START OF THE ROLEX MIDDLE SEA RACE WITH A SOUNDBITE FROM BALTHASAR SKIPPER, LOUIS BALCAEN, ON RACE
SHOWS: VALLETTA, MALTA (OCTOBER 17, 2020) (HANDOUT - ACCESS ALL)
1. GRAND HARBOUR BEFORE THE START OF THE RACE
2. CANNON ON THE SALUTING BATTERY IN THE UPPER BARRAKKA GARDENS
3. CANNON BEING FIRED TO SINGLE START OF RACE
4. RACE START
5. HARBOUR ENTRANCE AT RACE START
6. SPECTATORS WATCHING FROM BATTERY
7. VARIOUS OF MIDDLE SEA RACE 2020 FLAG BLOWING IN THE WIND
8. CANNON FIRING FOR START OF NEXT RACE
9. AERIAL OF SECOND GROUP OF YACHTS AT START
10. YACHTS LEAVING HARBOUR
11. YACHT PASSING BY SEEN THROUGH ALLEYWAY
12. TWO YACHTS WITH BLACK SAILS RACING OUT OF HARBOUR
13. SPECTATORS ON SHORE AS YACHT GOES BY
14. AERIAL OF THE ELUSIVE 2
15. ELUSIVE 2 LEADING ITS CLASS
16. FRECCIA ROSSA (FOREGROUND) LEADING ITS CLASS
17. THE FRECCIA ROSSA
18. CREW ON THE FRECCIA ROSSA
19. FRECCIA ROSSA LEADING GROUP OUT OF THE HARBOUR
20. THREE YACHTS EXITING HARBOUR
21. WILD JOE LINE HONOURS CONTENDER
22. TWO MULTI-HULLS LEAVING HARBOUR
23. VARIOUS OF MANA AND MASERATI DUELLING IN HARBOUR
24. MANA AND MASERATI LEAVING HARBOUR
25. AERIAL OF TWO MULTI-HULLS SAILING
26. AERIAL OF THE ULTIM'EMOTION MULTI-HULL LEAVING HARBOUR
27. CITY VIEW AS MONO-HULLS LEAVE HARBOUR
28. THREE YACHTS IN OPEN WATER
29. AERIAL OF VALLETTA WITH YACHTS IN THE WATER IN THE BACKGROUND
30. (SOUNDBITE) (English) BALTHASAR SKIPPER, LOUIS BALCAEN, ON RACE, SAYING:
"It's one of those mythical yacht races in the world, I would say. And this one is very different because you have so many different weather scenarios in one race. So, yeah, it's an ultimate challenge for a yachtsman."
STORY: The 41st edition of the Rolex Middle Sea Race began in Valletta's Grand Harbour on Saturday (October 17).
Fifty yachts are competing in the 606-nautical mile (1,122 kilometre) race which goes on a circular route around the Mediterranean Sea with the finish line also in Valletta.
The crew of Elusive 2 are aiming to become the first team to defend the title in 40 years.
The race record time of 1 day 23 hours 55 mins 3 secs was set in 2007 but in recent years it's regularly taken more than 2 and a half days for the winning team to finish.
Normally more than 100 yachts from around 20 countries take part but due to the disruption caused by COVID-19, only half that number are competing this year.
(Production: Kurt Michael Hall, Tim Hart)