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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)