The Round the Island Race is an annual yacht race around the Isle of Wight. It starts and finishes in Cowes, and is organised by the Island Sailing Club. The course is about 50 nautical miles (93 km) long. It was first held in 1931, it was sponsored by JP Morgan Asset Management from 2005 but in 2017 Cloudy Bay took over as the Presenting Sponsor, the 2019 race was sponsored by Helly Hansen, Raymarine, MS Amlin and Chelsea Magazines. The race is generally chosen to be the Saturday in June with the most favourable tides; a date in late May or early July may be chosen if there is no suitable date in June.
History
The race was the idea of Major Cyril Windeler, who commissioned a gold Roman-style bowl as prize for the winner. The first race, in 1931, had 25 entries. The silver bowl second prize was introduced a few years later when Chris Ratsey impressed Windeler with his good sportsmanship. The last race before World War II, in 1939, attracted 80 entries. In 2008 a total of 1750 boats took part. In 2022, more than 1100 boats took part.
Course
The course runs all the way around the Isle of Wight, with a total distance of 50.1 nmi (92.8 km).
The course has varied slightly with buoys tried at the Needles and a requirement to leave No Man's Land Fort to port.
Race record
Multihull/outright race record
It was in 1961 that multihulls first entered the round the island race and the record has since fallen considerably.
| Year | Time | Boat type | Boat name | Crew | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 2 h 22 m 23 s | MOD 70 | Concise 10 | Ned Collier-Wakefield | T Lawson |
| 2016 | 2 h 23 m 23 s | MOD 70 | Phaedo^3 | Lloyd Thornburg | |
| 2013 | 2 h 52 m 15 s | AC45 catamaran | J.P.Morgan BAR | Ben Ainslie, helm/skipper | |
| 2001 | 3 h 08 m | 60 ft trimaran | Dexia Eure et Loire |
Francis Joyon, skipper Rodney Pattison, navigator |
|
| 1986 | 3 h 05 m | 60 ft trimaran | Paragon | Mike Whipp Rodney Pattison |
|
| 1985 | 4 h 04 m | Nigel Irens 60 ft trimaran | Apricot | Tony Bullimore | |
| 1963 | 5 h 50 m | Catamaran | Snowgoose of Wight | Don Robertson | |
| 1961 | 6 h 00 m | Catamaran | Snowgoose of Wight | Don Robertson | |
| 1932–1960 | Various | Monohulls | |||
| 1931 | 9 h 51 m | Monohull | Thomas White Ratsey |
Monohull race record
| Year | Time | Boat type | Boat name | Crew | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 3 h 43 m 50 s | 100 ft Farr design canting keel | ICAP Leopard | Mike Slade | |
| 2008 | 3 h 53 m | 100 ft Farr design canting keel | ICAP Leopard | Mike Slade | |
| 2001 | 4 h 5 m 40 s | Reichel Pugh 92 ft maxi | Skandia Life Leopard | Mike Slade | |
| 1931 | 9 h 51 m | Thomas White Ratsey |
Outright record
The outright record as recognised by the World Speed Sailing Record Council on behalf of International Sailing Federation has in the past also been the race record.
| Year | Time | Boat type | Boat name | Crew | Notes and ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2017 | 1 h 17 m 17 s | Catamaran | Red Jet 6 | Howard Ray
Casey Sheargold Ben Candy |
Motorised vessel - not sailing |
| August 2012 | 2 h 21 m 25 s | MOD 70 | Foncia | Michel Desjoyeaux | Set during Cowes Week |
| November 2001 | 2 h 33 m 55 s | Catamaran | PlayStation |
Steve Fossett, skipper Stan Honey, navigator |
Standalone record attempt |
| June 2001 | 3 h 08 m | 60 ft trimaran | Dexia Eure et Loire |
Francis Joyon, skipper Rodney Pattison, navigator |
Set during round the island race |
| 1994 | 3 h 35 m | Trimaran | Lakota | Steve Fossett, skipper | Set during round the island race |
Gallery
Some of the 1700 boats in the 2010 Round the Island Race.
Yachts flying spinnakers during the 2010 race
The fleet rounding St. Catherine's Lighthouse in 2009
The 2009 race, with yachts seen racing off The Needles
The 2009 race, with yachts seen racing off The Needles
The 2009 race, with yachts seen racing off The Needles
