Round the Island Race
Keep turning left! The Island Sailing Club’s Round the Island Race takes place on 25 June. We ask three sailors their advice and overleaf race director Dave Atkinson reveals what’s involved in making it all happen
"Don’t overcook the start" Hamble man Chris Warwick has done the race “er…14, maybe 15 times?”. He’s done it as a family, with wife Mel and their two children on a Dufour cruising yacht, and he’s done it with two elite racers, Olympian Mark Covell and Olympic coach Mark Rushall, on the 30ft one-off design, Collective Spirit. Chris has even enjoyed the taste of victory – in 2009 he was the recipient of the Crankshaw Bowl in 2009, when the yacht he was sailing, Osprey
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MAY 2022 Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting
of Hamble, was first in its division and group. Chris’ advice to first-timers is clear: “Don’t overcook the start! It’s a race but it’s not a race. It’s a long – keep it fun. Give yourself clear air. Try to stay in the tide, but in reality you’re better off not getting involved in tackling other boats – a clear path is better.” Chris, whose company Universal Yachting is the UK south coast agent for Dufour Yachts, based at Mercury Yacht Harbour, Hamble, says:
“One year we took the Dufour 412 round – our youngest was nine at the time. It was a beautiful day and you had all these race boats with crews leaning over the side, while we were sitting back having lunch and going just as fast! For a lot of people it is just a nice day out but it is the longest sail they’ll do all year and it is a challenge. It’s a spectacle, whether you’re a hardened sailor or a first-timer. To see 1,400 yachts setting off is a fantastic sight and being part of it is great."
