America's Cup legend round the island

Russell Coutts signs up for the Island Sailing Club's annual lap of the Isle of Wight

Joining the list of VIPs for this year’s JPMorgan Asset Management Round the Island Race is none other than three time America’s Cup winning skipper, Russell Coutts.

Coutts will be competing in 20 June's annual anti-clockwise lap of the Isle of Wight on the Team Aqua Extreme 40 catamaran along with owner Chris Bake (who also campaigns an RC44 of the same name on Coutts’ circuit) and Bake’s skipper Cameron Appleton, who like Coutts is another one time Team New Zealander.

“It is going to be cool,” Coutts tells thedailysail. "I am looking forward to it. It is the first time I have ever done that race – I always wanted to do the race anyway.”

Team Aqua will be up against at least one other Extreme 40 – a Ben Ainslie-steered TeamOrigin 40 with a crew line-up including Mike Sanderson.

“I wonder how fast the Cup boat would go around the island,” muses Coutts. Watch this space.