Needles to St Cats in 35 minutes

James Boyd recounts his experience sailing on board Maiden II in the Round the Island Race

While our initial beat up the Solent left us with the impression Dexia Eure et Loir's record was out of our grasp our blinding speed around the back of the island starts putting questions in our mind. Can we break their record?

Unfortunately the wind Gods are dealing us a poor hand. While we started in a southwesterly - on the nose to the Needles, by the time we enter the Eastern Solent, the wind has backed to the west. We have it on the nose again. After much tacking - we are getting quick good at it now and the stop period as we go through the wind is becoming shorter - we eventually cut the finish line at 1151 and 16 seconds, making our elapsed time 3 hours 21 minutes and 16 seconds, precisely 11 minutes and 5 seconds short of Dexia Eure et Loir's time. Damn.

Upon finishing Brian Thompson is philosophical. "If we sailed that race again perfectly I don't think we could made up the time. A sheet went on one gybe and we lost a couple of minutes there maybe. We fluffed a couple of tacks at the beginning. In a perfect world we could have done it five minutes faster"

The ideal conditions for breaking this record is in a northerly. "If it was northerly we would have absolutely creamed the record," says Thompson. He was disappointed that Rexona Men was not able to provide competition. "It would have been interesting had the 60footer carried on. I think we would have been very even. They would have been better upwind, so they would have been a hundred metres or so ahead at the Needles, but we would have taken them round the back side of the island. There hasn't really been a head to head between these boats [maxi-cats and 60ft tris]. In light winds they clearly would have beat us. In these we should have beaten them."

As we head for Ocean Village there are murmurs in the crew about making another attempt on the round the island record. As I walk down the dock lugging the kit bag back to the car, I get a call from a friend on a Contessa 26. They are halfway to St Catherines...