(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- Hold on to your hats, bloomers and
knickers! This coming weekend the annual JP Morgan Asset Management
Round the Island Race, organized by the Island Sailing Club is taking
place. The one-day yacht race around the Isle of Wight, an island
situated off the south coast of England, attracts over 1,700 boats and
around 16,000 sailors-- making it one of the largest yacht races in the
world and the fourth largest participation sporting event in the United
Kingdom after the London Marathon and the Great North & South Runs
(in other words, more sailors participate than any of the famous
Harrod's department store sales in downtown London!).Competitors come from all over the United Kingdom, other parts of Europe and as far away as America to sail the 50nm course round the Isle of Wight. Starting on the famous Royal Yacht Squadron line in Cowes, the fleet races "westabout" to The Needles, round St Catherine's Point and Bembridge Ledge buoy and back into the Solent to the finish line at Cowes.
Since 1990, the J's have always been factor in this famous race, often winning class or overall. It attracts the famous and not so famous and that's what's so fun about sailing the original "100 Guinea Cup" race course (e.g. the original infamous regatta where the yacht AMERICA "stole" the silver cup, took it home and renamed it the "America's Cup"-- using an entirely professional crew of sailors-- as our English sailing friends might say, "that's not cricket!").
One of the "not so clew-less" teams will be a J/24 called CLEWLESS (GBR4044). Her three co-owners met at a cricket match in the Ship Science department at Southampton University. They decided they needed a distraction from their studies so they bought a 31 year-old J/24!! She has had substantial refit work done over a number of years to reverse some years of neglect and is taking part in her 5th Round the Island Race! Good on ya mates!
The balance of the J/Teams will be spread across multiple IRC Divisions, sportsboat and one-design classes. At the top of the pack will be the IRC 0 Division with the two J/133's JERONIMO and JINGS sailing along with the American J/120 EL OCASO skippered by Rick Wesslund's Caribbean-dominating crew from Miami, FL. In IRC 1A with 28 entries are five J/111s including JITTERBUG, MUNKENBECK, DJINN, JEEZ LOUISE and McFLY plus the J/122 JACOBS LADDER. IRC 2A with 36 entries is nearly a J/109 division with seventeen boat sailing with most of the top boats participating and a lone J/39 XTREME hoping to keep them at bay. IRC 2B with 37 entries will be an interesting crowd since it has a mix of J/105s, J/109s and a lone J/35- BENGAL MAGIC from Ireland. IRC 2C has the J/105 KING LOUIE sailing by themselves in a fleet of 31 boats. IRC 2D is one of the largest classes with 47 entries, with a raft of J/92S's and J/97's sailing with most of the notable teams sailing. Two J/92's and J/32 are sailing the 42 boat IRC 3A division. In the "cruising" white-sails ISCRS 4B division with 46 entries are the J/120 ASSARAIN III, the J/122 SKY HUNTER, the J/109 SARDONYX IX and the J/92 JAMMIN. A trio of J/100s will be dueling for IRC 5B supremacy. Then, the classic J/24s have a trio hunting for silver in forty boat IRC 6C division. The fourteen boat IRC Sportsboat class has two J/70s and six J/80s sailing, all vying for "max speed, terminal velocity" on the largest breaking comber off the infamous St Catherine's Point bell. And, finally, an eleven boat J/80 one-design class will be sparring for who's got J/80 offshore bragging rights.
Good luck to all! Fair winds, clear skies and fair tide! For more Round The Island Race sailing information
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