Tell Tales
ISLE OF WIGHT
90th anniversary Round the Island Race
The Round the Island Race celebrates its 90th birthday this summer with a series of new features including a race around the Solent for Dragons, XODs and other keelboats.
Entry is now open for the popular event, whose fleet of around 1,500 yachts makes it one of the biggest sporting events in the world. It takes place on 3 July this year.
Rob Peace, rear commodore for sailing at organising club the Island SC, estimates that around half a million sailors and 70,000 boats have done the race in its 90-year history. The 2020 race had to be cancelled and the club anticipates the 2021 edition could be one of the biggest yet.
“Sailors are desperate to get back out on their boats and our race is perfectly timed and definitely provides a unique and thrilling experience for all of the crews,” said Peace.
The club will be running the first Windeler Cup competition for keelboat racers from the Daring, Dragon, Etchells, Flying Fifteen, Mermaid, Redwing, Sunbeam, Swallow, Sonar, Squib, RS Elite, Victory and XOD classes. They will set off after the main fleet for a race around the Solent.
"Sailors are desperate to get back out on their boats and our race is perfectly timed"
Race director David Atkinson said: “The focus for 2021 is on organising a great race on the water. While the Government’s roadmap out of lockdown suggests we will be able to run some of our usual social activities ashore, we are very mindful
