LET'S GO ROUND AGAIN
The annual Round the Island Race is an institution. Rupert Holmes looks at how to get the most from this spectacular day on the water
The Round the Island Race remains one of the most iconic events of the sailing calendar, enjoyed by both top professional sailors on the international stage and families in modest cruising yachts, many of which take part in no other races during the season.
The first start this year is at 0600BST, just over half an hour before high water Portsmouth, so the tidal stream will already be setting to the west, with maximum strength close to the Island and up to around a quarter of a mile offshore, near Gurnard north cardinal buoy.
The smallest boats will have until around 1200-1230 to clear the tidal gate at the Needles, around 12 miles from the start line. For slower vessels, in the event of a light airs race, the time limit is 2200.
One point that’s rarely mentioned – perhaps because it’s almost too obvious – is that in a race of this length around a substantial land mass there are several significant wind changes during the race. Yet managing each transition is essential and this is where many editions of the race are won and lost.
Key moments include west Solent to Hurst; rounding the Needles and becoming settled on a fast course to St Catherine’s; dealing with big downwind wind over tide conditions off St Catherine’s and handling the transition at Dunnose, just after Ventnor, where there’s often a sharp change into a markedly different wind strength and direction in Sandown bay.
At the start the island end of the line gives the shorter route to Hurst Narrows, saving a few hundred metres, although for later starters the strongest stream at the start is roughly one-third of the distance out from the shore.
In such a big fleet it’s rarely advantageous to press too strongly for starting at the most advantaged spot on the line where tightly packed bunches of slow moving boats create big patches of dirty air. Instead, aim to start close to the favoured spot, but clear of the pack. As well as giving the best chance of clean air at the gun, this strategy also makes it easier to stay in a clean lane as you head down the western Solent.
Keeping in clean air, while remaining in the best tide, can seem like an impossible task at times. However, this is vital to success, particularly for the smaller craft in the IRC fleet that will often be
