Entries still growing for Island Double

News of the Royal Southampton YC's race this coming weekend

Prospects look good for the Royal Southampton Yacht Club’s two-handed Round the Island race on Saturday with 142 boats expected at the start line, including Dee Caffari’s IMOCA Open 60 Aviva and Katie Miller taking the helm on Simon Curwen’s J105 Voador
.
Two Class 40 yachts are also expected at the start, off the Royal Yacht Squadron’s platform at Cowes.

With entries at 142 already, such is the challenge of the Island Double, that entries are accepted right up to race day and could swell the number of starters to a record entry for one of the most keenly contested events in the Royal Southampton’s McGuigan Wines Double Handed series which runs from April through till October as the UK’s premier two-handed series.

The Island Double on Saturday presents crews with some of the most taxing tactical and demanding racing in the South Coast sailing calendar. Boats entered range in size from the 21ft Mini Transat Crean sailed by Glyn and Jo Deakin to Aviva the Open 60 sailed by Dee Caffari and Joff Brown. Crews too represent the widest range of age and experience.

The race was first staged in 1981 with just 131 entries and has grown in popularity since.

Racing will be in five classes with two IRC, two Club handicap and a Multihull class.

The start line will be from the Royal Yacht Squadron platform with the first warning around 0730. The direction will be westabout round the Isle of Wight, down the Solent to the Needles, and then turning south of the Island.

The time each competitor will be aiming to beat is either the record multihull time set 13 years ago of 4h 44m 29s by Phoenix, the Firebird catamaran, raced by Martin Hutchings/Tim Hazel, or the record monohull time which has stood for five years of 5hh 58mm 51ss set by Bounder, a Europrix 45, raced by Chris Little/Mike Richards.

Results and bar will be available at the Royal Squadron platform after racing. Declaration forms can be handed in here after racing and exchanged for a pair of engraved whisky tumblers.