Round the Island Race
Rupert Holmes looks at how to have the best possible day racing round the Isle of Wight
Racing Round the Island
T
he Round the Island Race has long been one of the UK’s stand-out sporting events and is likely to be one of the biggest mass participation events since the first lockdown in March 2020. This year competitors will join an estimated 500,000 sailors and 70,000 boats that have competed in the race over the past 90 years. It’s a fantastic spectacle that’s amazing to be part of. Despite Covid, this year promises to be no exception. How can you get the most out of your time on the water? The answers to this question are much the same whether you’re a semi-professional team aiming to lift the event’s main prize, the Gold Roman Bowl, or a family crew competing for the first time in a modest cruising boat.
42 80
Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting JULY JUNE2021 2021
The race itself is not the day to try new boat handling new tricks for the first time, so it’s always worth setting up for the event a day or two in advance. This gives scope for a practice session the day before to cover key manoeuvres. This is also a good time to familiarise yourself with the start line, which is more than a mile long and has a strong cross tide. On the Thursday or Friday evening, at a
ABOVE The Needles, arguably the trickiest part of the course BELOW Preparing for the race
similar state of tide to your start time, identify the transits and sail along the line heading offshore from Cowes. This will help give a feel for the strength of the tidal stream you will need to allow for, and the variations in the flow at different points on the line. If you’re around early you’ll also be part of the scene in Cowes that will be ramping up ahead of the race. On the afternoon of Thursday July 1, for instance, five ocean rowing crews will set off from the RYS start line to circumnavigate the Isle of Wight. The following day a team of kitesurfers will attempt to break the record for rounding the Island under sail.
Getting the basics right This is a race to keep your head out of the boat and focus on doing the