Thanks for taking the time to visit our JustGiving page – we are raising money for a charity close to our hearts, Macmillan.  This is a great Charity and we are proud to be raising money again for them.

We are competing in the 2017 Round the Island Race; this is an annual event yacht race around the Isle of Wight.  This year we are pleased to have Simon Smith as our skipper - luckily he is a professional skipper with many years of experience sailing several times around the World.
The crew is made up of Peter Charles and his two younger brothers
Christian and Alistair.  Christian is an experienced sailor and Alistair
is a novice and this will be his first time in a yacht and competing in a race will be quite an experience!

The annual Round the Island Race, organised by the Island Sailing Club – it is a one-day yacht race around the Isle of Wight, an island situated off the south coast of England.  The race regularly attracts over 1,600 boats and around 16,000 sailors making it one of the largest yacht Races in the world and the fourth largest participation sporting event in the UK after the London Marathon and the Great North and South Runs.

Competitors come from all over the UK, other parts of Europe and as far away as the USA to follow the 50 nautical mile course round the Isle of Wight.  Starting on the famous Royal Yacht Squadron line in Cowes, the
fleet races westbound, 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 find many vantage points, both on the mainland and Isle of Wight, to watch the race progress. The first start in Cowes for the 2017 race will be at 05:30 and you can find more information about where the boats typically are at different times during the day by clicking here. Those who cannot get to watch in person can always keep an eye on the race progress on the website, via our live text commentary and our boat tracking facility.