After more than 90 years, Island Sailing Club’s 50-mile classic remains a hugely popular event for family crews and professional sailors alike. Part of the magic around the race is that all have different goals – for some it’s simply the adventure of sailing so far on a varied course in a single day. For others the rare chance to spend uninterrupted time with family and friends is a huge highlight. Yet, at the same time, the top teams still regard winning the big prizes as a high point of their racing careers.
1 Study the weather, tides and charts
Conditions are different every year, so even old hands who know the course benefit from refreshing details of the course and the weather/tide combinations that are likely to be encountered at each stage.
This is just as important for the top racers as for a first-time entry on a boat that’s usually used solely for cruising: in any big race the winners are frequently the team that made fewest mistakes. This year the tide times are a little later in the day than usual, making it a later start (first boats will be away at 0800) but with plenty of time for even the slowest classes to make the tidal gate at the
