Record J/Boat Fleet Ready for Iconic Round the Island Race

(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- The iconic Round the Island Race is a one-day yacht race around the Isle of Wight – an island off the south coast of England. Organized by the Island Sailing Club, the race annually attracts more than 800 boats and around 10,000 sailors, making it one of the largest yacht races in the world. Behind the London Marathon and Great North and South Runs, it is the fourth-largest participation sporting event in the UK. Competitors come from all over the world to take on the challenging 50.0nm round island course.

Starting on the famous Royal Yacht Squadron line in Cowes, the fleet races west to The Needles, round St Catherine’s Point and Bembridge Ledge buoy, and back into The Solent to the finish line at Cowes. While lots have changed over the 90+ years since the race began, the course remains exactly the same. The race starts and finishes in Cowes, with boats heading west, circumnavigating the Island. The start is staggered, with competitors setting off in groups every ten minutes, from 7:00 AM, all heading towards Yarmouth.

Weather forecast
The latest outlook for Saturday 11 July 2026, the day of the race, suggests warm, largely dry weather across the Isle of Wight as high pressure becomes established over southern England. While high pressure generally brings settled conditions, the exact wind strength and direction remain the key factors for competitors and could still change in the days leading up to the race. Current guidance indicates lighter to moderate winds are more likely than strong conditions, with above-average temperatures expected.

Wind direction will significantly influence tactics along the 50-nautical-mile course. If the breeze is from the southwest or west, competitors can expect a beat from Cowes towards the Needles, followed by faster reaching conditions along the south coast before another tactical section approaching Bembridge Ledge. Should the wind turn easterly, the race dynamic would be almost completely reversed, rewarding different sail choices and positioning. Air pressure is equally important: a stable, high-pressure system usually produces lighter, steadier winds, making tidal strategy and boat speed through the water more important than heavy-weather boat handling. Conversely, falling pressure would indicate an approaching weather system, increasing the likelihood of stronger, shifting winds and rougher seas. As always, sailors should monitor the official race weather updates closely, as forecasts for the Solent and around the Isle of Wight can change rapidly in the final 24–48 hours before the start.

The race has been popular with J/Boats sailors for nearly 50 years, since the first J/24s circumnavigated the island in 1978! Of the 263 IRC sailboats racing, fifty-two J/teams (20.0% of the fleet) are sailing in this year’s event. By a factor of three, J/Boats are by far the largest brand sailing in the IRC handicap fleet. Here is how they break down by division.

IRC 0 Division
Sailing in this 30-boat fleet will be Nick Edmonds’s J/45 STICKLEBACK.

IRC 1 Division
In this 69-boat fleet are several very experienced offshore mercenaries, e.g., a number of teams with plenty of silverware collecting dust on their groaning trophy shelves! For starters, there are two top J/111 teams- Cornel Riklin’s JITTERBUG and Chris Jones & Louise Makin’s JOURNEYMAKER II.

Five J/112Es, the biggest assemblage yet of this popular performance race/cruiser, will be fighting for class and division honors. Those teams include David Franks’s LEON, Alistair Clarke’s HAPPY DAIZE, Bill Stringer’s THINKING SPACE, Rutger Kruger’s JACK RABBIT, and Lesley Hunt’s WHITE MAJIC.

Joining the fleet will be James & John Owen’s J/120 JET and the Dutch J/122 OTRA VEZ, skippered by Uneco de Meester.

IRC 2 Division
With 74 boats, the J contingent is quite strong, with 32 J/crews (43.2% of the fleet), looking forward to the thrash around the island.

Seven J/105s are racing, including Jim Wicks’s DIABLO-J, Adrian Johnson’s FLAWLESS J, and Clive Wilding’s. JAB-JAB, Andrew Roberts’s JIN TONIC, and Richard Newsom’s JAVELIN.

Twelve J/109s have registered, their strongest turnout in several years! Some of the top boats could be Stephen Davis’s JEROBOAM, Chris Burleigh’s JYBE TALKIN, Alberto Schicchitano’s MOJO RISIN, Phil Armitage’s JEEPSTER, and John Smart’s JUKEBOX.

Six J/99s will be participating, their biggest fleet to date. Leading contenders may be Vernon Bradley’s BLACKJACK, Mark Kendall’s JIRO, Alain Waha’s FURTHER WEST, and Charles Balmain’s SNAPSHOT.

Four J/92s are joining the party, including Rob Salter’s JACKDAW, Martin Boyde’s JOSTLER, David Greenhalgh’s J’RONIMO, and Becky Walford’s BRENDA’S J.

Two other J’s are giving it a go, Richard Cooper’s J/88 JONGLEUR and Alastair Fry’s J/97 JAB CRAB.

IRC 3 Division
This huge 83-boat division features just three J/crews. Those teams are Craig Pitt’s J/80 EMOJI, Allan Hill’s J/30 COLLEEEN (sailing doublehanded), and Andy Ash-Vie’s J/29 WILDCAT V.

J/70 Class
Six brave J/70 teams will be flying around the island in full-on planing mode for more than half the race if the weather forecasts come to fruition next Saturday! Those teams are Andrew Barraclough’s JENGA 8, Will Upchurch’s JEZEBEL, Pietro Beretta’s MATADOR, and two women skippers (Claudia Manser’s RYDE SCHOOL and Nina Luckmann’s UK 747).

IRC Doublehanded Division
Just seven intrepid adventurers are taking on the round island as a team of two! One of them happens to be the J/30 COLLEEEN sailed by Allan Hill from Royal Lymington YC.

ISC 4 Division
The Island Sailing Club’s version of America’s PHRF handicap system is somewhat arbitrary! Nevertheless, in this sixty-boat fleet will be Stuart Bancroft’s J/122E JANGLE and Ken Raby’s J/109 SQUIBS.

For more Round the Island Race sailing information
https://roundtheisland.org.uk/