Saturday June 7th 2025
The countdown is on for the iconic Round the Island Race. Make sure you're on the start line.
The iconic Round the Island Race is a one-day yacht race around the Isle of Wight.
Organised by the Island Sailing Club, the race annually attracts more than 1,200 boats and around 10,000 sailors, making it one of the largest yacht races in the world.
From humble beginnings nearly a century ago, Round the Island Race has grown to become one of sailing’s most iconic annual events globally.
The race was the brainchild of Island Sailing Club member Maj Cyril Windeler, who, in 1930, came up with the idea of creating a handicap race around the Island for smaller boats (5 to 25 tons). The Island Sailing Club’s first race took place in 1931. The event attracted just 25 entries in its first year. Participation continued to grow and, by the mid Eighties, a huge 1,309 entries were recorded for the race. An incredible 1,813 boats turned out in 1989 for the Island Sailing Club’s centenary year.
In 2013, Sir Ben Ainslie posted the first sub-three hour race to win Round the Island Race in his AC45 catamaran, finishing in 2 hours, 52 minutes and 15 seconds. In 2017, Ned Collier Wakefield completer the course in just 2 hours, 22 minutes and 23 seconds to claim the course record by just 60 seconds. A record which still stands today.
Behind the London Marathon and Great North and South Runs, it is the fourth largest participation sporting event in the UK. Competitors come from all over the world to take on the circular 50 nautical-mile course.
Starting on the famous Royal Yacht Squadron line in Cowes, the fleet races west to The Needles, round St Catherine’s Point and Bembridge Ledge buoy and back into The Solent to the finish line at Cowes.
Spectators can enjoy many vantage points, both on the mainland and the Isle of Wight, to watch the race progress. Those who cannot watch in person can keep an eye on the race’s progress on the website, social media and via the boat tracking facility.
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