Many thanks to the crew and all our supporters and donors to the Songline Round the Island Race campaign.

Songline finished 6th in our Division (43 boats); 10th in our class (125 boats) and 27th in the Island Sailing Club Fleet (681 boats).  Ignoring the handicap system we were the 17th fastest boat around the island in the ISC Fleet (681 boats).

We also raised a total of £4,000 (including gift aid) for our very worthy cause - RP Fighting Blindness. In all a satisfactory outcome, so well done crew and especially Molly.

Alan

You can scroll down to learn more about Songline and the Round The Island Race.

Songline owner and skipper Sir Alan Rudge, sailed to help fund research into a currently incurable eye disease that has caused progressive blindness in his daughter Penny by taking part in this year’s J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race.

His crew included Peter Rudge (Penny's brother), Adam Locke, Martin Ley, Giles Livingstone and Andrei Grigorian, as well as newcomer to sailing Molly Watt. 18 year old Molly has Usher Syndrome and is losing her sight and hearing to the condition.

Sir Alan and his team were raising money for RP Fighting Blindness’ Gene Team Appeal when they lined up among 16,000 sailors set to tackle the 50 nautical mile race around the Isle of Wight on 1 June.

Sir Alan’s daughter, Penny, was a teenager when she was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic condition that causes loss of vision and blindness and which is currently untreatable. Following her diagnosis, Sir Alan became a member, and later chairman, of RP Fighting Blindness, the charity that works to stimulate and fund cutting edge research to find a treatment or cure and support those affected. The charity’s Gene Team Appeal is a specific focus aimed at enabling further research into gene therapy and preparation for clinical trials.

The Round the Island Race, organised by the Island Sailing Club, is one of the largest yacht races in the world, regularly attracting over 1,700 boats, and is the fourth largest participation sporting event in the UK. The race starts on the famous Royal Yacht Squadron line in Cowes and most boats finish the iconic race between eight and 10 hours later depending on conditions.

Sir Alan said “When something affects you personally, you feel you have to try to do something constructive. You feel so helpless when your child is first diagnosed with such a condition, and then there is a strong sense of frustration which provides the stimulus for some action. Gene therapy has the proven potential to treat blindness. For this potential to be realised, however, the lab tests must be developed and made safe for clinical trials on people.

“It will not only be Penny and people with RP today who could benefit from the tremendous work that is currently going into identifying the genes that cause RP and finding a cure for it. The scientific progress that is being made through The Gene Team Appeal is extremely encouraging for them and for future generations.”

For more information visit www.thegeneteam.org.uk.

You can still donate here to support The Gene Team in recognistion of Songline's success