Round the Island
On 25th June, 1200 boats and 9000 sailors will set sail on the iconic 58 mile Round the Island Race. The Island is the Isle of Wight.
The race was first sailed in 1931 and it's a fantastic occasion to take part in and to watch. It's the largest yacht race of its kind in the world where you can see world-renowned sailors racing in their yachts against families in theirs! The race takes hours to complete with the record for a monohull boat being 3 hrs 43 minutes and 50 seconds and for a multihull boat 2 hours 22 minutes and 23 seconds.
Each year, spectators either choose a spot on the island to watch the boats pass by or, as we have done in the past, follow a particular boat as it sails whilst enjoying lots of fun activities on the Isle of Wight along the way!
The race is simple. The boats start in Cowes and then head in a westerly direction towards Yarmouth, sail past the Needles Lighthouse, around the south coast of the Island to St Catherine's point and then round the Bembridge Ledge and back to Cowes.
They set off every 10 minutes from 8 a.m until 9.30 a.m in eleven separate groups based on their boat type.
There is a free, live tracking system so the position of the boats can be tracked at every point. It not only helps the race officials but also spectators wanting to know the progress of a boat. After the race, competitors can replay their race to see where they gained or lost time.
Like all good races there are some wonderful prizes too, over one hundred of them! The most famous is the Gold Roman Bowl, which has been awarded to the overall winner of the race (now the IRC division) since the first race in 1931. This year, eight lucky yachts will also be awarded a prize of a Swiss made General Purpose Marathon Watch.
If you're interested in this race and can't get down to the Isle of Wight don't worry! Simply visit www.roundtheisland.org.uk for updates.
