Rolex Middle Sea Race
The Rolex Middle Sea Race was born from the sporting rivalry between two British sailors living in Malta, Alan Green and Jimmy White, and two Maltese sailors, Paul and John Ripard, both members of the Royal Malta Yacht Club.
Alan (who would later become secretary of the Royal Ocean Racing Club) and Jimmy originally proposed a racecourse longer than the typical one of the regions, designed to offer exciting competition in windier autumn conditions. The initial suggestion was for a course that would start in Malta and finish in Syracuse, Sicily, in one year and then start in Syracuse and end in Malta, the next.