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J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race

June 18, 2015 by Peta Stuart-Hunt
J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race
Summer Sailstice 2015
Event Type
Public
06/27/2015 07:00 AM
Cowes

United Kingdom

The annual J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race, organised by the Island Sailing Club, is a one-day yacht race around the Isle of Wight. The Race regularly attracts over 1,600 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 UK.

Competitors come from all over Great Britain, from other parts of Europe and from as far away as Australia and the USA to race the 50 nautical mile course around 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.

The Race provides a unique opportunity to watch world-renowned sailors racing against families and first timers. For those not competing, the Island and the South coast have many great vantage points to watch the Race unfold, such as the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth, Hurst Castle, and The Needles.

Conceived as a quick and easy way to increase communication throughout the large Round the Island Race community, this year people can, once again, help raise funds for the official Race charity, the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, by tweeting using the hashtag #raceforall.  All you have to do is tweet your Race news and remember to use #raceforall to add to the charity total. Organisers want to hear why you're entering, what you're looking forward to and your favourite thing about the Race. 

Last year's Race was one of the slowest on record since it was first run with 25 entries in 1931. Yacht racing is all about wind and tides!  The year before (2013) the weather was fabulous, the wind was just windy enough to produce exhilarating and competitive racing, there was a brilliant buzz throughout Cowes and in the Regatta Village in Cowes Yacht Haven.  Whatever the weather everyone has a lot of fun and when the conditions are right, superb and competitive racing.

The current monohull race record set by Mike Slade on the 100ft 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.

The multihull race record set on 1st June 2013 by Sir Ben Ainslie on JP Morgan BAR, his AC45, stands at 2.52.15 beating by an impressive 16 minutes the previous multihull race record set by Francis Joyon in 2001 aboard Dexia Eure et Loire of 3.08.29.  

Can anyone beat these superb record-setting achievements in 2015? We have a MOD70 and the GC32 class racing this year as part of their European Tour and we hope to see some fast-paced action from these teams.

The official Race website is full of useful information and is your best resource for all the latest news and practical hints & tips whether you're competing or you are simply an armchair follower of one of the great sporting events of the Summer. http://www.roundtheisland.org.uk

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