Entries closing soon for Round the Island Race 2024

The globally renowned race, organised by The Island Sailing Club (ISC), is back on Saturday, 15 June.

The unique sporting occasion, which has been running for more than 90 years, encourages enthusiastic amateurs to compete against the elite pros and Olympians of the sport.

Standard entries close on June 1, so if your boat isn't already entered for the race, visit the entries page for all the information you need, and an online entry form.

Late entries will be available until midday on Wednesday, 12 June.

New for 2024: Official shoreside venue

With an early start to the race this year, organisers knew the shoreside aspect would be hugely important to making the weekend a summer highlight.    

The ISC is pleased to announce it will be staging an official hospitality venue on The Parade in Cowes.

For all the latest information, visit www.roundtheisland.org.uk

All competitors, race supporters and spectators are welcome, and it will be open throughout the race weekend, from 2pm on Friday to Sunday afternoon, with free entry.

The new venue features include:

• Large crew bar marquee
• Food and snacks for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner
• Live music on stage across all three days
• B&G Race Support Event Truck
• Helly Hansen and RNLI stands
• The Mermaid Garden
• ISC Members' Bar and VIP Terrace
• Crew deli at Blind Tiger
• Crew suppers at Blind Tiger

The programme is as follows:

Friday

• Live music from 3pm
• Race Briefing 6pm
• Blonde Bombshell 9pm

Saturday

• Live music from 2pm
• Cornerstone 9pm

Sunday

• Prize giving 12pm
• Live music from 2pm

New for 2024: Live Stage Leaderboard

The racecourse follows an anticlockwise route around the Isle of Wight with the boats crossing the start line at Cowes in ten separate groups, starting every ten minutes from 6am, and heading in a westerly direction towards Yarmouth.

This year, competitors in the IRC or Island Sailing Club Rating System fleets, that have registered a race mobile in accordance with the notice of race, will be able to access a new LIVE Stage Leaderboard, which will show the boat’s fleet position on handicap after each of the main race stages.

The stages are as follows:

• START to The Needles
• The Needles to St Catherine’s Lighthouse
• St Catherine’s Lighthouse to Bembridge Ledge
• Bembridge Ledge to the FINISH

Accessible onboard during the race, the new LIVE Stage Leaderboard will give skippers and crew a fun and useful tool to track progress and find out how they’re doing against their rivals.

The ISC offers this rating system for FREE to boats without current IRC rating certificates.

The RNLI has been named the official race charity this year.

All donations raised will go to stations at Cowes, Calshot, Bembridge, Yarmouth, Lymington, Mudeford and Portsmouth, for the training of their volunteer crews.