Island Sailing Club | Isle of Wight
📅 Saturday 11 July 2026

“The largest and most spectacular yacht race of its kind in the world.” – Island Sailing Club

Since 1931, the Round the Island Race has been one of the world’s most thrilling yacht races. With 1,700+ yachts battling around the Isle of Wight, it’s a test of skill, speed, and endurance — and an unforgettable spectacle. Crews travel from across the UK and worldwide to take part in this bucket-list regatta.

⚡ The Experience

Friday 10 July – Training Day
Join the yacht at 10:00 in Cowes for a full-on training day. Under the guidance of your professional skipper and three experienced crew, you’ll be introduced to the yacht and drilled as a race team. Training will cover:

• Sail trim practice: learning to balance power and efficiency both upwind and downwind.
• Spinnaker handling: hoists, gybes, and drops – with speed and coordination.
• Crew rotations: trying out different positions from bow to helm, ensuring you understand the flow of a race crew.
• Boat handling under pressure: fast tacks, gybes, and mark roundings.
• Race teamwork: communication, timing, and building the instinct to move as one.

The aim is to prepare you for the physical and mental intensity of race day. By the evening, you’ll know your role, your team, and your boat. Overnight stay in Cowes puts us right in the hub of the action.

Saturday 11 July – Race Day

• Early Start: We head out before sunrise, line up with the fleet, and lock in our start tactics. The gun fires around 07:00 — and the race is on.
• Upwind to The Needles: A fast, tactical beat, weaving through hundreds of yachts while fighting for clear wind. Boat speed, sail trim, and concentration are everything.
• Down the Back of the Island: Spinnaker up, surfing swells past St Catherine’s Point — a heart-pumping run where trimming and helming skills keep us flying.
• Bembridge to the Solent: The longest tactical stretch, where navigation, wind shifts, and sheer endurance decide positions.
• The Final Push: A tacking duel back through the Solent, often in close quarters, before blasting across the finish line off Cowes.

The race is 65 nautical miles of full-on concentration, adrenaline, and teamwork. Every manoeuvre counts, and you’ll be at the heart of the action.