Saturday, June 1, 2013, was undoubtedly a day to remember, marked by the new Round the Island Race record. It was the day when Great Britain‘s most successful Olympic sailor and America’s Cup winner, Sir Ben Ainslie, and his all-British crew aboard the AC45 J.P. Morgan BAR yacht, smashed the existing Round the Island Race multihull record, held for 12 years by Francis Joyon, by an amazing 16 minutes. The gauntlet has been well and truly thrown down for Race Day on 21st June 2014 …and 2.52.15 is the time to beat!
A bird's eye view is captured through the lense of photographer Ian Roman who was covering the 2013 Race from a helicopter.
Meanwhile, Sir Ben, under the auspices of J.P. Morgan Asset Management and the Island Sailing Club, will be holding a public Q&A session on 8th January at the London Boat Show where his Race record-breaking AC45 yacht will be on display and there will be some exciting Race news announced at 11.30am.
Race entries open 3rd January 2014
Entries for the 2014 J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race, taking place on 21st June, will open on Friday 3rd January with the Notice of Race being simultaneously published online.
With a fleet comprising in excess of 1,500 yachts and 16,000 sailors, the annual one-day J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race, organised by the Island Sailing Club, is firmly established as one of the top sailing events on the international sporting calendar and ranks amongst the most challenging of its kind.
As the 4th largest participation sporting event in the UK after the London Marathon and the Great North and South Runs, the Round the Island Race can certainly prove to be a marathon for some, lasting many hours depending on wind, tides and seamanship, whilst for others, such as race record-breaker Sir Ben Ainslie, it started at 0500 and he was back in time for an early breakfast!
The current monohull race record set by Mike Slade on the 100ft charter yacht ICAP Leopard on 1st June 2013 stands at 3.43.50. This is 9 minutes and 45 seconds inside ICAP Leopard’s own race record set back in 2008.
Set yourself the challenge to compete in Britain’s favourite yacht race
Year after year, the Race welcomes many new participants – old and young, male and female, amateur and professional – who want to challenge themselves and undertake this extraordinary 50 nautical mile adventure that starts and ends off Cowes, Isle of Wight.
The Island Sailing Club organises, hosts and manages the Race, and the Club’s new elected Commodore, John Dudley, sums up why he thinks this race means so much to so many, commenting:
“I am proud to be Commodore of the Club that runs this iconic event; a race where Cruisers and Racers alike are matched up against some of the leading sailors in the World making it a “Race for All”.
If you are thinking of entering the 2014 Race and haven’t competed before, there is a wealth of information, including a series of practical preparation videos, available on the Race website. There is also a Forum on which you can post ‘Crew available’ or ‘Crew wanted’ notices.
The Island Sailing Club is grateful for the continued support of the Race Title Sponsor, J.P. Morgan Asset Management, and the Race Partners for 2014: Dream Yacht Charter, Haven Knox-Johnston, Henri Lloyd, Nautica Watches, Old Pulteney Whisky, Raymarine, Red Funnel, Volvo Car UK.
