To showcase the talent of Jacques Valer, a win is great. A top-four finish is even better. But at the 2026 Rolex Middle Sea Race, our customers found a far more original way to celebrate the designs of the ‘wizard’, occupying the top four places in the IRC Double-Handed rankings with four JPKs from different generations!
Designed in 2014, the JPK 1080 ‘Colombre’ takes gold in IRC Double-Handed, IRC 6 and ORC 6…
… followed by the JPK 1050 ‘Solenn’, a 2025 design, which also takes silver in IRC 5 and gold in ORC 5…
… then by the JPK 1180 ‘Libertine’, designed in 2018, which also sweeps up bronze in IRC 5…
… and finally by the JPK 1030 ‘Sakifo’, launched in 2019.
Congratulations to all our customers on these fantastic performances! We now hand over the pen to Ludovic Gérard, aboard the JPK 1050 Solenn, to tell us about his race.
The start was on Saturday 17 October, at the foot of Valletta’s citadel in Malta, with a gun that is as impressive as ever, for this great offshore classic, the ‘600-mile’ race. The course takes competitors on a grand tour of Sicily via the Strait of Messina, Stromboli (active!), Favignana to the west, Pantelleria, Lampedusa and, to finish, back to Malta via the Comino Channel.
There were more than a hundred boats on the start line, ranging from the ‘small’ 9 m, more or less modern, to the very large, such as Black Jack 100 – line honours – or Django – overall IRC winner.
Twelve boats were racing double-handed, mostly from the IRC 5 and 6 classes.
Light conditions at the start, with the ‘small’ boats first, then one class every ten minutes. There was a bit of confusion with the ‘spectator’ buoys at the harbour exit, which were drifting, and then we were off at full speed in 12–15 kts of easterly wind, on a broad reach towards Capo Passero. It was time to get the Code Zero or the jib top up to keep the pace and climb quickly towards Messina, which we would pass in very light conditions on Sunday morning. It was the first time in five editions that we had passed Messina so early!
The climb up to Stromboli was under spinnaker, again in light conditions; it must have been up for 24 hours, so we had to stay focused. The route west took us around a fairly northerly line to skirt the big windless bubble that had settled all along the north coast of Sicily, with some painful moments nonetheless, waiting for the wind, sails slatting in the residual chop.
Then came the relief on Monday evening, with the passage between the islands off western Sicily, allowing us to reach the expected easterly wind zone. As forecast, it was a bit of a wild ride all the way to Pantelleria, with a heavy sea (2.5 m swell, 6 s period) and wind building to around 25 kts. On a beam reach, the JPK 1050 lets its power explode and the boat regularly charges along at over 10 kts; life on board becomes trickier, and making a coffee or something to eat takes some motivation!
A close-hauled leg to reach Lampedusa, and finally a broad reach again to return to Malta, with slightly lighter wind that shifted in direction.
This race has the particularity of being made up of several legs, and each ‘turn’ is almost a new start. That is a bit what happened with the fleet bunching up in the calm off western Sicily, and fortunately the 36 hours that followed allowed us to recover some places. We were highly motivated to catch the 1080 ‘Colombre’ and the 1180 ‘Libertine’, both very well sailed.
In the end, an IRC Double-Handed podium that was 100% JPK:
1st: Colombre, Massimo Juris, JPK 1080 (1st IRC 6, 1st ORC 6)
2nd: Solenn for Pure Ocean, Ludovic Gerard, JPK 1050 (2nd IRC 5 and 1st ORC 5)
3rd: Libertine, Marco Paolucci, JPK 1180 (3rd IRC 5)
Not forgetting 4th place for Sakifo, Lucas Mao, JPK 1030 (5th IRC 6)
This race brings the Mediterranean racing season to a close; the welcome and organisation by the Royal Malta Yacht Club in this historic city are always remarkable and warm.
— Ludovic Gérard, aboard Solenn
