Solent Events Diary

RSYC SOUTHAMPTON WATER SERIES 10 January – 31 October Throughout the year the Royal Southampton Yacht Club runs several Series of keel boat races in Southampton Water - Frostbite, Twilight, Summer and Winter Series. Catering for both IRC and Club rated boats, they run on Sunday mornings in the winter months and Thursday evenings in the summer. They welcome entries to individual races or whole series. They have also planned a full programme of racing for 2021 but will adapt to fi t with COVID restrictions. rsyc.org.uk

2021 SOLENT REGATTAS March – October Etchells are 30 feet of pure one-design sailing machine, designed to plane downwind and sail easily in light winds built locally by David Heritage Racing Yachts. It is the largest fl eet of dry sailed keelboat in Cowes. Sailed by a crew of 3 or 4 keeping to a weight limit of 285kg, more fun than big boats but with less hassle and maintenance! A full programme for 2021 can be viewed on the website below. Loaner boats are available and an active youth programme. Committee boat starts, windward/leeward courses. The World Championship will be held in Cowes in September 2022 organised by the Royal Yacht Squadron. Fleet secretary: Jan Ford. Contact: 07747 602707 or secretary@etchellsukfl eet.co.uk etchellsukfleet.co.uk

JOG CHAMPIONSHIP 20 March – 25 September The Junior Offshore Group (JOG) was established in 1950 to allow smaller yachts to compete offshore; it organizes highly competitive races for IRC rated yachts. JOG runs a full programme every season, grouped into an Inshore and Offshore Series. Competitors enjoy a high standard of racing and a similarly high level of camaraderie at the parties which are held at the end of almost every race in a host port. Most JOG races start in the Solent from the club’s fi xed line and distinctive starting box just east of Egypt Point, Cowes. Contact: secretary@jog.org.uk jog.org.uk

Image: Daring Class

DARING CLASS April – October The Daring was designed as a One Design by Arthur Robb, based on his successful 5.5 meter yacht Vision, the silver medal winner in the 1956 Olympics. The classic design has proved popular and enduring, offering great value for money for this type of One Design racing. Darings race in the Solent off Cowes every weekend from the middle of April to the middle of October. Since 2010 eight new hulls and modern decks have been moulded, ensuring that Darings will enjoy fantastic racing for another 50 years. daring.org.uk

X ONE DESIGN CLASS April – October The XOD class is unique in having six active fleets around the Solent, located at Cowes, Hamble, Itchenor, Lymington, Parkstone and Yarmouth. Each location manages its own race program and there can be up to 60 races per season for up to 140 boats in the six divisions. The annual championships are held during Cowes Week and usually attract between 50 - 80 boats. XODs attract many experienced helms and crew and the standard of racing at the front of the fleets is very high. XODs are traditionally the largest entry in Cowes Week sailing from home ports to participate each year.

RORC EASTER CHALLENGE 2 – 4 April The RORC Easter Challenge is the Club’s official training regatta where race coaches and the team from North U Regatta services are among those imparting their knowledge both on the water and post-race at the RORC Cowes Clubhouse for free to all competitors. Crews can even request coaching on specific aspects eg: sail trim, starting, manoeuvres, etc. Uniquely for the event, RRS41 is relaxed, enabling coaches to come on board or crew to step off on to a coach RIB during racing. Combined with the popular debriefs after each days racing, and the unique prizes of Easter eggs, the RORC Easter challenge is the perfect way to kick start the domestic season. rorc.org

ISLAND SAILING CLUB EVENING RACE SERIES 13 April – 31 August – Tuesday Nights The Island Sailing Club’s ever-popular Evening Race Series provide races for all sizes of boat on Tuesday evenings, with the exception of Cowes Week, and Cowes Classic Week when there will be a Charity race on the Tuesday evening in aid of the RNLI, through to 31st August when the traditional ‘Bang & Go Back’ Race marks the end of the evening season. Other open events take place throughout the year. Contact the ISC for details – ben@islandsc.org.uk. islandsc.org.uk

RORC Easter Challenge. Image: Paul Wyeth

RSYC DOUBLE HANDED SERIES 24 April – 16 October The Royal Southampton Yacht Club has been running its popular weekend Double Handed races for over 40 years. Catering for both IRC and Club rated boats, some races are run in and around the Solent, and some run to destinations along the South coast and across the Channel. This year they have 10 races split into two Sub-Series (Solent and Passage) with at least one every month. They welcome entries to individual races, Sub-series or the whole Series. Races start with the Spring Solent Double (2 races on 24th April) and finish with the Autumn Solent Double (2 races on 16th October). In between they will race to Weymouth and back, round the Island, to Cherbourg, to the West Princessa buoy and back, and to the Nab Tower and back. rsyc.org.uk

VICE ADMIRAL’S CUP 21 – 23 May The Royal Ocean Racing Clubs Annual Vice Admiral’s Cup regatta will take place from Friday 21st - Sunday 23rd May 2021. This event held in the Solent is designed for class racing and closely banded IRC classes with a mixture of windward/leeward and round the can’s races. A social programme will be based at the RORC Cowes Clubhouse. Among the classes expected in 2021 are Fast 40+, Performance 40, J/111, J/109, HP30, J/70, SB20, Quarter Ton and Diam 240D.

Double Handed Series. Image: RSYC

rorc.org

DUBARRY WOMEN’S OPEN KEELBOAT CHAMPIONSHIPS 5 – 6 June The Women’s Open Keelboat Championship 2021 is taking place in the exciting new venue of the Royal Southern Yacht Club and is a popular and fun weekend supporting female sailors. The Dubarry WOKC welcomes teams from sports boats to racer/cruisers. The racing is serious and competitive but the atmosphere on and off the water is fun and friendly. All crews must be 100% female, although male supports crews are of course welcome! womensopenkeelboatchampionships.co.uk

IRC NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 18 – 20 June The annual championship which brings together the cream of IRC boats competing in tightly banded IRC classes. A unique formula allows an overall winner to come from any class, giving the smaller boats as much chance as the grand prix racers to claim the overall title if sailed well.

DE GUINGAND BOWL 26 – 27 June Presented to the club by ‘Buster’ (Vice Commodore 1957-1959) and Mrs De Guingand, the Bowl goes to the winner of the annual race bearing their name. This will head out from the Royal Yacht Squadron line, rounding marks and waypoints, and taking in the headlands of the central English Channel, before returning to the Solent to finish.

ISLE OF WIGHT DINGHY CHAMPIONSHIPS 26 – 27 June This year the Isle of Wight Dinghy Championships will be held at Gurnard Sailing Club. Sailing is open to all dinghies and catamarans with a PY between 1500 and 761 and is open to all members of any sailing club on the Isle of Wight. iwdinghychampionship.co.uk

De Guingand Bowl. Image: Paul Wyeth

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THE ROUND THE ISLAND RACE 3 July The Round the Island Race is set to attract thousands of sailors from all over Great Britain, mainland Europe and from as far away as the USA, to the Isle of Wight on 3rd July 2021 for the 90th running of this unique race. The race is popular with everyone from worldrenowned, professional sailors to families and first-time racers, and it boasts a range of classes including monohulls of all sizes, multihulls, Gaffers, and Classics. Organized by the Isle of Wight’s Island Sailing Club since 1931, the Round the Island Race is one of the UK’s largest participation sporting events and is expected to attract as many as 1,500 boats. It will begin and end in Cowes, with starts beginning shortly after sunrise, competitors are expected to enjoy a spectacular first leg down to the needles and onwards to the finish line off Cowes. Spectators will be able to enjoy fantastic views of the race from St Catherine’s Point, Ventnor, Bonchurch, Culver Down and Ryde Pier. As in previous years The Ellen MacArthur Trust is the official race charity. Their work is focused on rebuilding confidence of young people after cancer, through sailing and adventure. They are joined in their support of the race by event partners Helly Hansen, MS Amlin Insurance and Chelsea magazines. Sailors interested in participating in the event will be able to enter online from the middle of March. For more information about the race please visit the website. roundtheisland.org.uk

WINDELER CUP 3 July A brand-new race for 2021, the Windeler Cup will be held on the same day as Round the Island Race, giving smaller boats the opportunity to safely participate in the excitement of Round the Island Race weekend competing in a ‘Round the Solent’ race. Boats from Daring, Dragon, Etchells, Flying Fifteen, Mermaid, Redwing, Swallow, Soanr, Squibb, RS Elite and XOD classes will be able to compete in this race named after Major Cyril Windeler who created RTIR in 1931. The race will start from the Royal Yacht Squadron line off Cowes and follow a course around the western Solent, returning to the JOG line along the seafront. Online entries will open early March.

TAITTINGER ROYAL SOLENT YACHT CLUB REGATTA 16 – 18 July Following 14 years of sponsorship from Champagne Taittinger, this increasingly popular regatta records growing entries year on year and 2019 proved no different with a record entry of 198 boats. Hosted by the Royal Solent Yacht Club in the picturesque harbour town of Yarmouth, the regatta attracts a real mix of sailors and yachts and is popular for its fun vibe, combined with three exciting inshore races based in the Western Solent over the weekend. Following the cancellation of last year’s event, the Royal Solent is looking forward to welcoming competitors old and new to the 2021 Taittinger Regatta.

BRITISH CLASSIC WEEK 17 – 24 July British Classic Week is the premier classic yacht regatta in the UK. Organised by the British Classic Yacht Club (BCYC), the event takes place from 17th – 24 July 2021, attracting entries from all over the world and providing a breath-taking spectacle for onlookers. The fleet of up to 70 timelessly gorgeous yachts will do battle in a series of extremely technical and demanding races with both wind conditions and changeable tides testing the crews’ skills to the limits. The Solent races are absolutely unique, thanks to the historic backdrop provided by this corner of sailing heaven and the exceptional technical standard of the participants. Not forgetting, of course, that it was in this very stretch of sea between the Island off Cowes and the mainland that the America’s Cup was born. With racing organised by the Royal Yacht Squadron, spectators will be able to have a grandstand view of the six-race series, which includes a Nab Tower race on Monday 19th July. britishclassicweek.co.uk

HALF TON CLASSICS CUP 19 – 25 July The Royal Ocean Racing Club are delighted to have been chosen to host this week-long regatta for these much loved and competitive yachts. A mixture of windward-leewards and a race around the Isle of Wight will mean a busy but enjoyable week for the 30 expected boats. A full social programme is also planned for the RORC Cowes Clubhouse.

COWES WEEK 31 July – 6 August Since 1826 Cowes Week has played a key part in the British sporting summer calendar and is one of the UK’s longest running and most successful sporting events. The seven-day regatta now stages around 40 daily races for up to 700 boats and has a varied race programme to suit the most competitively campaigned boats, cruiser racers, and everything in between; there’s something for everyone at this, the world’s best known sailing regatta. Cowes Week attracts up to 7,000 competitors ranging from Olympic and world-class professionals to weekend sailors, and in excess of 100,000 spectators come to watch the sailing, enjoy the social scene, and to experience the unique atmosphere. It’s a regatta that tests all the different sailing skills and also brings together sailors from all over the world for its hugely competitive racing. cowesweek.co.uk

British Classic Week. Image: Chris Brown Photography

Rolex Fastnet Race. Image: Sam Kurtul

ROLEX FASTNET RACE 8 – 14 August The race starts off at the Royal Yacht Squadron start line of Cowes. Leaving The Solent through The Needles Channel, the race follows the southern coastline of England westward down the English Channel, before rounding Land’s End. After crossing the Celtic Sea, the race rounds the Fastnet Rock off the southwest coast of Ireland. Returning on a largely reciprocal course, the race rounds the Isles of Scilly before finishing at Cherbourg. Founded in 1925, the Rolex Fastnet Race is a biennial offshore yacht race organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club with the assistance of the Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes and the city of Cherbourgen-Cotentin in France. The race is named after the Fastnet Rock, which the race course rounds. It is considered one of the classic big offshore races, the ‘Fastnet’ is testing both inshore and offshore skills, boat and crew preparation and speed potential. From its inception, the Fastnet Race has proven highly influential in the growth of offshore racing, and remains closely linked to advances in yacht design, sailing technique and safety equipment. The Fastnet Race has been sponsored by the Swiss watch manufacturing company Rolex since 2001. The race’s main focus is on monohull handicap racing which presently is conducted under the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s own IRC Rating Rule and it is this that is awarded the overall trophy, the Fastnet Challenge Cup. However, the race has more recently opened itself up allowing multihulls and providing one design class starts for classes such as IMOCA and Class40. rolexfastnetrace.com

CHICHESTER HARBOUR RACE REGATTA WEEK 9 –13 August Come and join Chichester Harbour race week, hosted by Hayling Island Sailing Club, for some great racing over three race tracks, each offering a mixture of handicap and class starts. chichesterharbourraceweek.sailevent.net

COWES SPRING CLASSICS 20 – 22 August Cowes Spring Classics, usually held in May, is in 2021, temporarily moving from its traditional Spring date to the weekend of 20th – 22nd August. The regatta, which is based at Shepard’s Wharf Marina, is for wooden classics designed before 1970 to include, Cruisers and Cruiser racers, Gaff Rigged yachts and Pilot Cutters, Day Boats and Raters, Classic Metre yachts, affordable Classic Cruisers plus modern Spirit of Tradition yachts. The racing will be organised by the Cowes Corinthian Yacht Club in classes using either IRC or OGA handicaps. With its relaxed and friendly atmosphere, Cowes Spring Classics is now very much part of classic racing scene on the Solent. cowesspringclassics.com

ETCHELLS EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP 20 – 22 August For more than fifty years the Etchells class has enjoyed solid and steady growth with over fifty active fleets worldwide. The European Championship will see three days of racing on the Solent, run by The Royal Yacht Squadron.

FOLKBOAT WEEK 21 – 28 August Hosted by the Royal Solent Yacht Club in Yarmouth, 2021 sees the 56th year of this popular event. Folkboat Week, sponsored by Lymington Yacht Haven, has run every year since 1966 and has grown in popularity with large fleets based in Yarmouth and Lymington.

Cowes Spring Classics. Image: Chris Brown Photography

COWES CLASSIC POWERBOAT FESTIVAL 27 – 29 August 2021 will once again see the legendary Cowes-Torquay-Cowes race return to a format with a pit stop at Haldon Pier in Torquay. Teams from around the world are expected to line up at the Royal Yacht Squadron, Cowes. The 200 Mile classic has long been recognized as one of powerboating’s toughest challenges and comparisons have been made with Le Mans and the Indy 500. Around 20 boats are expected to line up and if conditions are calm, the winner could complete the course in less than 3 hours. With an introduction of an allowed pit stop for fuel in Torquay, boats with smaller fuel tanks of upwards of 100 miles distance have the ability to join this prestigious race whereby before it was essential to have a minimum of 200 mile capability. cowestorquaycowes.co.uk

COWES – POOLE – COWES 27 – 29 AUGUST The Bank Holiday weekend once again sees the Class 3 and Class 4 Offshore powerboat racers return to the Solent for their annual round of the UKOPRA world championships. Heading off from the Royal Yacht Squadron on Sunday morning, the 50 strong fleet of powerboats race towards Bournemouth pier before turning around and returning to the Squadron. A much shorter race than the other rounds of the championships, means this is almost like a sprint race taking around 45 minutes in total. A great spectator point is the end of the pier itself.

DRAGON CLASS SOLENT DIVISION April – October The Dragon is a beautiful 29 foot keelboat, which has a three or four person crew and is raced throughout the world. There has been an active fleet established in Cowes ever since the class first appeared in the UK in the 30s. The class are active participants in the Cowes Keelboat Solent Series and the Cowes Keelboat Championship, with occasional “stand-alone” championship weekends for appropriate silverware. Sailing an International Dragon in the Solent provides fantastic challenges for the enthusiastic day boat racer. The UK National Championships (Edinburgh Cup) are on the Firth of Forth this year, for the first time since 1997, hosted by the Royal Forth Yacht Club, from 31st August – 3rd September. britishdragons.org

COWES KEELBOAT REGATTA AND TELEGRAPH BOWL 4 – 5 September The Cowes Keelboat Championship, hosted by the Royal Ocean Racing Club is a celebration of dayboat racing, and is open to the local fleets of Etchells, Dragons, RS Elites, Flying Fifteens, XOD’s and Darings who will be competing on round the cans racing. The XOD’s will also be competing for the RORC Telegraph Bowl.

LITTLE BRITAIN CHALLENGE CUP 10 – 11 September First started in 1988, the Little Britain Challenge Cup is the premier construction and property industry event. Taking place in Cowes, with racing run by the Island Sailing Club, the action-packed two-day regatta attracts a large cross-section of organisations and individuals who are involved in the property and building world. Classes for one-design boats, cruising and sports boats are organised. Based at Shepard’s Wharf Marina, crews can look forward to a great social programme after racing each evening. littlebritain.co.uk

SOUTHAMPTON BOAT SHOW 10 – 19 September The Southampton Boat Show – Britain’s best-loved on-water Boat Show – is a much-anticipated event, providing fun-filled days out for boaters, families and friends to see thousands of boats, brands, products and suppliers. southamptonboatshow.com