80 days left to enter Round the Island Race

The race received a record number of entries within the first 24 hours and is popular with families, first time racers and professional sailors alike.

Participating sailors will be able to experience sailing around the Isle of Wight with iconic views of the fleet and coastal scenery, which starts from Cowes at 7.30am and ends in Cowes with the leading competitors taking under four hours to complete the course.

Overall nearly 200 prizes are available at the event, with boats of every shape and size competing to win individual class and overall trophies.

During the race, spectators watching from the shore and from around the world will be able to follow the progress of friends and family via the race tracking service on the official website, provided courtesy of Raymarine, the Official Race Tracking Partner.

And the website will feature a live blog, bringing all of the latest news and breath-taking views from around the Isle of Wight as they happen.

The Round the Island Race will be supporting The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust as its official race charity, which raises funds to help young people rebuild their lives after cancer treatment.

And the Round the Island Race is being sponsored by Helly Hansen, Raymarine, MS Amlin and Chelsea Magazines.

Commodore of the Island Sailing Club, David Atkinson said: ‘We are proud to have received a record number of entries into the Round the Island Race within 24 hours of entries first opening and we hope more families and first-time sailors are inspired to sign up in the remaining 80 days until entries close.

‘One of the main reasons the race has a reputation as a world-renowned event is because it truly is a race for all.

‘The Round the Island Race is on many sailor’s bucket list and we regularly find that, once tried, sailors return year after year as it is such a unique race.’

Sailors interested in participating in the event will be able to keep up to date with the latest news on social media using the hashtag #raceforall and will be able to enter online on the Round the Island Race website: www.roundtheisland.org.uk