This year’s Round the Island Race is due to take place on Saturday 29th June and this year Cowes Parade is going to play host to a bigger official race village than ever before. This village will feature a packed entertainment schedule including live music and children’s entertainment, as well as an array of food, drink and other stalls.
Sailors from around the World have now only 2 days left to enter the famous Round the Island Race that will see up to 1,500 boats participating. First starts in the race from Cowes are at 0730.. Overall nearly 200 prizes are available at the event, with boats of every shape and size competing to win individual class and overall trophies. (Gold Roman Bowl for overall winner pictured above.)
Participants and spectators can gather on Cowes Parade where this year’s official race village will have a larger bar stocked with popular drinks and live music can be enjoyed throughout the whole weekend. Children will be able to enjoy entertainment from Randini the Magician.
A broad selection of food will be available from stalls and stands from this year’s race partners Helly Hansen, Raymarine and Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, will also be present.
Race Village opening times:
Friday 28th June 12:00 – 23:00
Saturday 29th June 07:00 – 23:00
Sunday 30th June 09:00 – 15:00
With such a large number of participants, marina space in Cowes fills up fast, so one of the official race sponsors, Chelsea Magazines, has collated its top recommendations on berthing options for race day which include local swing moorings off Cowes, as well as berths at Island Harbour Marina, Folly Reach Pontoon, Royal Victoria YC and others.
The Round the Island Race will be continuing to support The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust as its official race charity, which raises funds to help young people rebuild their lives after cancer treatment and other race partners include MS Amlin.
Commodore of the Island Sailing Club, David Atkinson said: “We are proud to have received a record number of entries into the Round the Island Race within 24 hours of entries first opening and we hope that more families and first-time sailors are inspired to sign up in the remaining days until entries close.
One of the main reasons that the race has a reputation as a world-renowned event is because it truly is a race for all. The Round the Island Race is on many sailor’s bucket list and we regularly find that, once tried, sailors return year after year as it is such a unique race.”
Sailors interested in participating in the event will be able to keep up to date with the latest news on social media using the hashtag #raceforall and will be able to enter online on the Round the Island Race website: www.roundtheisland.org.uk until midnight on Saturday 15th June.
Other information can be requested from the team at the Island Sailing Club on sec@islandsc.org.uk.
17.6.2019 Latest News from ISC :ROUND THE ISLAND RACE TWINS WITH BARCOLANA REGATTA
Representatives from two of the World’s biggest sailing races, the Round the Island Race (Isle of Wight,UK) and Barcolana Regatta (Italy) have come together to sign a twinning agreement.
Signed by Commodore Dave Atkinston on behalf of Round the Island Race and President Mitja Gialuz of the Barcolana Regatta, the twinning agreement is set to encourage the world famous sailing events to share knowledge on safety and best practice whilst working together to promote common values such as creating a race for all and protecting the environment. Taking place during a prestigious ceremony at the Italian Embassy, the signing of the agreement was witnessed by the Ambassador of Italy, H.E. Raffaele Trombetta.
Information on the Round the Island race can be found in this article whilst the Barcolana Regatta presented by Generali is organised by Societa Velica di Barcola e Grignano and is also known for its popularity with nearly 2,700 yachts participating in 2018, making it officially the World’s largest regatta in The Guinness Book of World Records. Now in its 51st year, the regatta is held every year on the second Sunday of October in Trieste, Italy.
Crews from the Island Sailing Club and Societa Velica di Barcola e Grignano will be competing in both World-famous races to learn from each other and share best practice and their passion for sailing.
Dave Atkinson comments: “The Round the Island Race has drawn celebrities, professional sailors as well as families and amateur sailors to Cowes for over 80 years. We’re proud to be a ‘race for all’ and I’m looking forward to welcoming Mitja and the crews from Societa Velica di Barcola e Grignano to Cowes.
The twinning agreement cements our relationship with the Barcolana Regatta and we hope that it will lead to a bigger goal of creating a sailing “Grand Slam” for all to enjoy.”
Mitja Gialuz comments: “Round the Island race and Barcolana share the objective of promoting sailing and its spirit. I would like to personally thank the Island Sailing Club for inviting us to Cowes to take part in the Round the Island Race this year.
We have a dream. We want to create a sailing “Grand Slam” for those who love this sport and the seafaring culture; a circuit of sailing races with a large number of participants to bring together the traditions of various oceans and continents, to share our mutual passion for sailing and seafaring traditions, and to protect our oceans and seas. Our two clubs have a lot in common: our passion for sailing and the commitment of our members has allowed us to make sailing popular by joining the spirit of adventure of amateurs and the desire to win of professional sailors. That’s the starting point of our great project: seas and oceans have no borders and by joining forces we can raise awareness on the need to protect our Oceans, develop sustainable tourism and promote our sport.”