Round the Island Race tips

The Island Sailing Club issue their advice to competitors

Almost 1600 yachts, including some of the top names in British sailing, have already entered for this Saaturday's Round the Island Race.

First boats - the big multi-hulls and grand prix yachts - will cross the start line in front of the Royal Yacht Squadron at Cowes at 8.30am. The bulk of the fleet will then follow between 9am and 10am.

Many of the skippers taking part in the race - probably the biggest yacht race in the world and sometimes dubbed the London Marathon of the yachtingworld - have sailed the course before and know theropes. But for new entrants and the more experienced, organisers the Island Sailing Club has issued top tips
for skippers.

Top Tips for Skippers

1. Tip number one, and important throughout the race, is to be aware of what other boats around you are doing. This is important on the very busy start line and throughout the race.

This year the waiting areas for boats to the north of the start line has been moved slightly to the east, to keep boats away from the busy start line. There will be two waiting areas, for boats awaiting their class starts, one north of the line and one to the south. For the first time, the sailing instructions will carry a reminder for boats to use the waiting areas.

2. Once clear of the start, the first leg of the race from Cowes westwards down The Solent to The Needles involves a lot of overtaking and classes will catch up
and become more mixed. Chief Race officer David Atkinson, Vice-Commodore of the island Sailing Club, again warns of the need for competitors to be aware of what other boats are doing.

3. As boats approach The Needles, skippers should keep clear of Goose Rock north west of The Needles and the Varvassi Wreck to the west of The Needles. At The Needles there is a tendency to cut the corner. Experienced competitors know to sail on until the top of the lighthouse appears level with the bottom of the old coastguard station. it is then safe to go round the corner. A useful book to read is Peter Bruce's Solent Hazards.

It is also important to be aware of the close tacking duels which go on around The Needles, as skippers jockey for position for the next leg.

4. There is usually a strong reach or run down the back of the Island. But skippers are warned to mindful for the overfall at St Catherine's Point and Dunnose
Head. Boats with spinnakers up may broach in these conditions.

5. The only mark in the Round-the-Island Race is Bembridge Ledge buoy, a cardinal buoy. This is another congested point in the race and it is also important
to look out for ferries in and out of Portsmouth.

6. Tacking round No Man's Land fort is another very busy stage of the race. All skippers should be aware of the wind shadow in the lee of the forts and the
likely foul tide

7. Ryde Sands has been the doom of many a Round-the-Island sailor. Do keep well out to avoid going aground.

"After that it is just the final leg back to Cowes," said David Atkinson. "Do have a nice day - and do make sure you finish on the correct finish line, consult your sailing instructions to make sure you know this." Race officers will be listening on VHF Ch37, coastguard is channel 16 and the organisers will have two big RIBs following the fleet round the Island.

2001 was a record-breaking race. Windy conditions enabled the French trimaran Dexia Eure et Loi r, helmed by Olympic medal-winner Rodney Pattisson, to
take almost an hour off Pattisson's own 15-year-old record, set in the 60ft trimaran Paragon. Dexia Eure et Loir, whose crew included Europe 1 New Man STAR winner (and skipper) Francis Joyon and Vendee Globe sailor Thomas Coville went on later in the summer to take line honours in the Rolex Fastnet race.
Dexia Eure et Loircompleted the course round the Island in just 3 hours 8 minutes and 29 seconds.

A new monohull record was also set in 2001, by Mike Slade's 90ft super sloop Skandia Leopard. Leopard, completing the course in just over four hours and
taking more than an hour off the old record. It was the third time Mike Slade has held the round-the-Island monohull record.

In all ten monohulls in the 2001 race achieved better times than the previous record of 5hr 12min 3sec, including the GBR Challenge ACC training yacht GBR 44, Kit Hobday and Tim Louis's Farr 52, Bear of Britain, and two Ultra 30s.

The record set by Dexia Eure et Loir during the 2001 Round-the-Island race has already been broken, by Steve Fossett's 125ft catamaran PlayStation, with an astounding time of 2hr 33min 55 sec in October last year.

Dexia Eure et Loire approaches the finish line of her record breaking passage last year