J.P.MORGAN ASSET MANAGEMENT ROUND THE ISALND RACE

The course
Start: The Royal Yacht Squadron line, Cowes Isle of Wight

There are over 20 classes competing in this historic race which makes the start line a complicated place to be. In order to make sure each class gets away safely and the starts are staggered from 0500! The Extreme 40’s are amongst the first starters and they will be expected to return within 4 – 5hours!

With people of all abilities and every type of boat milling around the start area in the early hours of the morning, it can be a stressful place to be and a big relief when the gun goes and the boats head off.

“I’ve been in the start line in a variety of boats from Open 60's to Extreme 40’s and it’s a pretty busy place, like a traffic jam on water!” Ecover skipper Mike Golding.

The race course is a testing place, there are lots of challenges from beaches and rocks, and whilst there is one theory that if ‘you don’t hit any rocks you haven’t tried hard enough’ it’s certainly not everyone’s choice!

The Needles
This is one of the most iconic landmarks on this race, rounding the Needles usually means hoisting the spinnakers and the start of some high speed sailing for the boats

The Goose Rock to the northwest of the lighthouse provides a short cut for those boats with a very shallow draft can sneak inside, getting inside the wreck is one thing but sailing inside Goose Rock is very risky!

St Catherines
This marks the most southern point of the Island. This rock/ledge strewn section of the island has caught out many an experienced sailor, and the prevailing westerly wind combined with the short-steep sea, can be treacherous especially during heavy fog.

East
Bembridge Ledge marks the most easterly point on the course, competitors will be aiming to sail the shortest course and slipping round the marker buoy just off the point.

The early starters will inevitably miss the full brunt of the early flood tide but the majority of the fleet will be punching the incoming tide all the way up the Solent to the finish. Because it’s essential to keep well inshore, there’ll be plenty of congestion along the north shore of the island, with Ryde Sands ‘trap’ the biggest concern.

To cross or not to cross
The final stretch back up the East Solent to Cowes finish line against the tidal stream can be daunting and crew fatigue after a full day’s racing can start to affect team performance particularly if it’s a beat all the way. Tucking in along the north shore of the island after clearing Ryde Sands is generally the most popular option but sometimes it pays to take a bit of a gamble and split from the pack.

While the majority of the fleet will generally finish the race within six to eight hours, it does totally depend on the weather and class of boat. Last year the wind was up and the first boat home was Team Origin the Extreme 40 catamaran which blasted round in a staggering 3 hours 23 minutes and 50 seconds which meant the crew were ‘back for breakfast’. The Ecover Sailing Team will be looking for a similar result!