The Island Sailing Club will be working in partnership with Cowes Yacht Haven to stage a Round the Island Race Village, which will be open from midday on 24 June and throughout the race weekend.
Daniel Jehan, managing director of the Cowes Yacht Haven, said: “We are very excited to be hosting the Race Village and look forward to entertaining competitors, supporters and spectators with our pop-up food hall, bar area and terrace.”
Race Partners Marathon Watch, B&G, Helly Hansen, Chelsea Magazines and Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust will all have stands offering fun activities, great product promotions and support for competitors.
The Round the Island Race welcomes sailors from all over the world, from professional sailors to keen amateur crews, families and first-time racers, competing on the same 58-mile racecourse around the striking Isle of Wight coastline. Over 100 trophies are up for grabs and most boats have the chance to win several different prizes.
The most famous is the Gold Roman Bowl (pictured), which has been awarded to the overall winner of the race (now the IRC division) since the first race in 1931, but there are many other wonderful trophies with fascinating histories that are given away each year to worthy winners in their respective classes. This year, eight lucky yachts will also be awarded a prize of a Swiss made General Purpose Marathon Watch.
It is set to be a spectacular sight come 25 June, with race entries rapidly building.
Race director, David Atkinson said: “For the first time since the pandemic started we are delighted to be able to offer a terrific onshore hospitality programme at both the Race Village and the Island Sailing Club in Cowes. It is also fantastic to see entries returning from abroad this year, plus we have also got the highest percentage of first-time participants (to date) that we have ever experienced. I think there are a lots of new owners keen to challenge their boats and crew with our incredible race.”
The Race Team are focussed on providing support to competitors preparing for the race, including:
QUESTIONS FOR BEN: Expert ISC Sailing Secretary, Ben Ferris, is standing by to answer questions about the race, via a new Q&A section on the official event website.
BLOGS & WEBINARS: B&G, Race Marine Electronics Partner, is inviting competitors to get ‘Race Day Ready’ with their new blog series helping all crews to get the most out of their electronics on race day. In the first blog Ben Meakins talks through how to get the perfect start. In June, B&G will be launching live webinar sessions, one aimed at beginners and one that is more technical.
GUIDES: The team have produced a handy ‘First Timers’ Guide’ with everything competitors need to know – from how to enter and how to prepare, to where to berth and what to look out for. For a safe and enjoyable race it’s important that everyone is familiar with the Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS), and to help those who don’t race regularly, the team have also produced a ‘Layman’s Guide to the Racing Rules’.
All of the above information can be found on the event website at www.roundtheisland.org.uk.
MAKE WAVES
To celebrate being the Official Race Timekeeper Partner, family-owned Marathon Watch Company are launching a Limited Edition Round the Island Race Marathon Stopwatch – a serious piece of shockproof, waterproof, nautical kit. It delivers precision timing to help competitors get across the start line in perfect time and reach the finish line ahead of the rest. The stopwatch features a unique face design inspired by the race logo and can be pre-ordered for delivery in June. For more information and to buy (RRP £550) please email UKsales@marathonwatch.com.
Marathon Watch is offering 15% off their wrist-watch collection for all friends of the race until 30 September 2022 (enter code RaceForAll2022 at checkout to receive the discount). The Marathon collections can be found online at: https://uk.marathonwatch.com.
The ISC Team would also like to take this opportunity to thank the Cowes Harbour Commission for their continued support of the event.
To enter Britain’s favourite race, go to the event website www.roundtheisland.org.uk, and if you have entered before, there is a pre-filled entry form containing all your details to save you time. For all the latest news on social media @roundtheisland and #RoundTheIsland #RaceForAll.
