Round the Island Race, Cowes Isle of Wight

By: Diana 

Living down in Lymington we're on the border of the new forest and the coast, so there are two major loves- horses and boats. Today is the 84th annual Round Island Race which starts off of Cowes, Isle of Wight and the boats sail anti-clockwise round the Island. It started in 1931 with only 25 entrants, this year there are almost 1600 boats of all shapes and sizes participating. Well known sailors such as the Olympian Sir Ben Ainsley take part as well as those just doing it for fun or as a day out with family and friends. Many people race for charity and over the past four years over £450,000 has been rised for various good causes. 

The race time is set early because some boats can take up to 12 hours to complete, but even with a 6.30am start the water is buzzing with activity from participants & spectators. Sailing in the Solent, the body of water located between Lymington and the Isle of Wight, is relatively calm because of the land surrounding it the waves aren't able to build up, but along the back of the Island (once you've passed the Needles) it's the English Channel and the waves are much bigger which for those with weak stomachs or new to sailing can cause seasickness! 

I borrowed this picture from the official race website. It's the view from the back of the Island watching as the boats sail around the needles- spectacular! There are loads of paparazzi style boats capturing the race and they whizz amongst the boats throughout the race. They sell the pictures to boat owners after the race, but at times it makes you feel a bit 'famous' having your picture taken from all angles! (Obviously they get more close ups of the professional and well-known sailors, but still one can pretend!) 

The official website http://www.roundtheisland.org.uk has lots of key information and recent updates about the race, along with a countdown clock, so you can get up to the second information! As technology advances more people have been able to get involved. It's known as the fourth largest participant sporting event in the UK with over 16,000 sailors out on the water! The website now has a spectator friendly viewing option when boats that have access to smartphones sign up to the GPS tracking system. This tracking enables land based spectators to follow the boats course and progress and the sailors can use it as a reflection tool to observe the boat's performance during the race. 

Again I've obtained this picture from the RIR website. To cycle round the island it's 67 miles in circumference. There are 50 nautical miles in the race course, which is not sailed directly but done in a zigzag fashion to keep wind in the sails hence the time it takes to complete the race. Last year Sir Ben Ainsley set the record completing the race in 2.52 hours. This year he was supposed to be sailing on the record winning Leopard, but due to rigging failure he's had to 'jump ship' onto a smaller boat!