Round The Island Race

Round the Island Race is an annual one-day yacht race around the Isle of Wight organised by the Island Sailing Club.

Regularly attracting around 1500 boats and around 15,000 sailors, the Race is one of the largest and most inclusive sporting participation events in the UK, with families and first-time racers lining up against professional sailors and keen amateurs.

Starting on the famous Royal Yacht Squadron line in Cowes, the fleet races westabout, to The Needles, round St Catherine’s Point and Bembridge Ledge buoy, and back into the Solent to the finish line at Cowes.

Nearly 200 prizes are awarded, including individual class and overall trophies.

Round the Island Race 2022

Relive moments from Round the Island 2022 here.

A Rich History

Round the Island Race was established by the Island Sailing Club in 1931.

The original idea came from Club member Major Cyril Windeler who envisioned a race around the Isle of Wight that catered for smaller boats, thus championing ‘the friendly Club’s’ values of inclusive sailing.

Major Windeler commissioned a trophy from Bruce Benzie, the Cowes jewellers, after seeing one he liked in a goldsmith near a Roman wharf in London. The Gold Roman Bowl has been the main event trophy ever since time.

The first race attracted 25 entries and was won by skipper Peter Brett, who competed in the 22-foot Cornish fishing boat ‘Merry Conceit’.

Major Windeler commissioned a second trophy, the Silver Roman Bowl, after skipper Chris Ratsey was accused of breaking the rules and declined the winner’s trophy. The Silver Roman Bowl has been awarded for the second yacht overall ever since. Ratsey was the undisputed winner of the Gold Roman Bowl in 1938.

Major Windeler finally won the Gold Roman Bowl in the seven-ton auxiliary cutter ‘Kalliste’ in 1939. The event, along with all private leisure sailing, was banned for the duration of World War Two and resumed in 1946.

Numbers have steadily increased over the years with a fleet of 1813 taking part in the Club’s centenary year in 1989. More than 1200 boats and 8000 competitors took part in the 90^th year of the Race in 2021.

Round the Island Race 1964 RTIR Island Sailing Club Cowes Isle of Wight IoW

The little sloop Meon Maid II runs down the western Solent under Spinnaker in 1964 (photo: Beken)

Notable Winners

Former Prime Minister, The Rt. Honourable Sir Edward Heath KG, MBE, MP won the Race four times during the 1970s and 1980s.

Two women have won the Gold Roman Bowl trophy, Mrs H Tobin on ‘Barbar’ in 1954 and Julia Dane on ‘Glass Onion’ in 1982.

In the 50^th year of the Race in 1986, ‘Paragon’, sailed by Mike Whipp and Olympic medallist Rodney Pattison, flew round the course in three hours 55 minutes and 28 seconds, setting a new course record.

In 2006, Jeremy Rogers’ Contessa 26 ‘Rosina of Beaulieu’ became the only boat to win the Gold Roman Bowl for a third time.

Sir Ben Ainslie helmed his AC45 catamaran to post the first sub three-hour race in 2013 with a time of two hours 52 minutes and 15 seconds.

In 2017, Ned Collier Wakefield finished the race in just two hours 22 minutes and 23 seconds on ‘Concise 10’.

Jo Richards has won the Gold Roman Bowl twice; in 2019 and again in 2021, after the 2020 Race was cancelled due to the global coronavirus pandemic.

The Cowes Regatta as shown by J M W Turner 1827