#roundtheisland – After opening for business on 4th January, Race entries at 0900 today (Monday 21st January) number 289. As ever, the Race organisers at the Island Sailing Club (ISC) in Cowes are taking a keen interest in who is signing up for the 82nd edition of this iconic Race and selecting a few entrants to mention in its series of monthly entry news updates. This is a race for all and the updates will feature a variety of boats and competitors from across the classes.
John and Sue Allison from Lymington in Hampshire have purchased Jumbuck, a J/109, and are racing her in her first season under IRC in 2013. The couple say they were keen offshore racers in the 1990's achieving some notable success on the Western Australian racing scene. They moved into cruising from the UK which included winning the 2007 ARC, and are now back to racing in earnest! There will be nine on board comprising family and friends including two pals who are flying in from Oz for the Race.
The first overseas entry this year was the Belgian-owned Bounty, a Grand Soleil 46 entered by Peter Huysman who competed for the first time last year.
First timers are always especially interesting to follow on Race day and the first of many already signed up this year is Rumpleteazer, a Scanmar 33, owned and skippered by Eric Bates from Plymouth, Devon. He may be new to the Race but is certainly no novice to racing! Eric is an RYA Yachtmaster and has competed in three Rolex Fastnet races (2007, 2009 and 2011) and the 2010 two-handed Round Britain and Ireland Race.
Another first time entrant but with 20+ trans-Atlantics, the Indian Ocean (Qatar - Cairns, Hong Kong - London), Cape Town - Gibraltar included on his sailing CV, is John Kitchen from Bristol who is racing Blue Mango. Lacoste, the high-fashion label, commissioned Sparkman & Stephens to design this 42 footer and Dufour to build them in the 1980's. Only 12 were produced. Six are in the USA, two in the UK and the remainder are in France, Portugal, Canada and Venezuela.
A highly experienced Round the Island Race skipper is Peter Morton from Cowes with 20 RTI Race circumnavigations under his belt. Salvo, a Corby 33 (ex-Salamander XX) was built in Poland in 2007 and is one of a series of John Corby designs built at the same yard and a sister boat to Banshee and No Retreat, also both Cowes-based.
Meanwhile, London-based Sarah Bole will be doing the Race with her mother and father although in previous years she has always competed on an Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust boat. This is the year she enters and skippers her own boat High Potential, a 1978 Contessa 26 and we wish her, and all competitors, a safe and enjoyable Race.
We will be keeping a particularly close eye on one 72 year-old competitor (not the oldest however - Ed), Robin Hunter-Coddington! He is skippering his Rival 32 Ayton Serenade, has competed in this Race for 12 years and achieved a very commendable 2nd in class in 2008. Last year the yacht suffered gear failure and they were forced to retire. What really caught our eye on his entry form was the fact that in 2010 he SWAM to France in a relay, leaving the UK aged 69, and arriving in France aged 70; an imaginative way to celebrate a major birthday. We prefer cake and balloons!
If you haven't already entered the Race which takes place on Saturday 1st June, do remember that Early Bird entries close at midnight on February 2nd!
