Round The Island Race

On Saturday June 26, 2004 almost 2,000 yachts and 12,000 sailors will line up for the celebrated Round-the-Island race. Start time is approximately 0630. Fully inclusive packages are available from £3,000.

It is one of the world's biggest yacht races, with a 50 nautical mile course sailed anti-clockwise around the Isle of Wight, westwards from Cowes. The race appeals to yachtsmen and women of all standards, from family crews for whom this may be the only race of the year to regular competitive teams and professional yachtsmen and women looking for record-breaking times in stunning international grand prix yachts.

Certainly the finest round the island in living memory would be 2001 when the world famous J-Class’ such as Endeavour and Valsheda returned for the 150th Americas Cup anniversaybut here are some other interesting facts about the race:

TEN HISTORICAL FACTS
about the Hoya Round the Island Race

1. The record number of entries was in 1989, the Centenary year of the Island Sailing Club, when 1813 yachts registered to take part in the largest and most popular yacht race of its type in the world.

2. The largest yacht ever to have entered the Round The Island Race was Velsheda, the 120ft J Class yacht which raced several times in the 80's and early 1990's.

3. The Rt. Honourable Sir Edward Heath K.G. M.B.E. M.P won the race four times, three of them in consecutive years in the early 70's on Morning Clouds II & III and in 1980 on Morning Cloud IV.

4. Why does the race change from May to July in different years? It is totally dependent on the tidal time. The race needs to commence 1 - 1 hours prior to high water and coincide with the maximum amount of day light.

5. The first race began in 1931 and was won by Peter Brett in his converted fishing boat the "Merry Conciet".