ROUND THE ISLAND RACE 2020 DATE CONFIRMED

The date for one of the world’s most iconic sailing races, Round the Island Race, has been confirmed for 2020. Round the Island Race, organised by the Island Sailing Club, will take in the stunning coastline of the Isle of Wight on Saturday 30th May 2020. The event has been a firm fixture on the sailing calendar since 1931. Each year thousands of competitors from across the world take part in the 50 nautical mile event. The official race village will once again be based at Cowes Parade, with live entertainment, a bar and local businesses showcasing. Dave Atkinson, Island Sailing Club Event Director, said: “The Island Sailing Club is delighted to confirm the date of next year’s Round the Island Race – which is earlier this year. The event has been a firm favourite in the sailing calendar for many, many years. “We have some more exciting news to announce in the New Year – and we can’t wait. Round the Island 2020 is one not to miss – on and off the water! “Vouchers are now available via the Race Website for anyone looking to purchase a gift and these can be redeemed against race entry fees.” For more details and how to register to take part in Round the Island Race 2020, visit roundtheislandrace.org.uk.

Subaru Flying Fifteen World Championships 2019 - Racing

Wanted: sailors and boat owners for exciting new offshore Olympic event

The RYA is on the hunt for sailors and boat owners interested in the new double-handed mixed offshore event that will debut at the Paris 2024 Olympics. This exciting discipline will see mixed pairs battle it out over a four-day offshore race in a new showcase for the sport. With planning for Paris 2024 already underway, the RYA has registered an entry for a British team in the 2020 World Sailing Offshore World Championship (OWC), held in conjunction with the Rolex Middle Sea Race. The RYA would now like to hear from any motivated and experienced sailors interested in trying double-handed offshore sailing, and they are also keen to hear from any boat owners who may either be looking for a racing partner or prepared to loan or charter a suitable boat to others. Jack Fenwick, RYA Keelboat Manager, is hoping to bring interested parties together in early 2020 with a view to running double-handed offshore taster sessions and training next spring. “Double-handed offshore sailing could appeal to a wide range of people from professional sailors to existing or former international sailors, or perhaps even those just graduating from our RYA British Keelboat Academy,” he said. “At this stage we would like to hear from as many people as possible to try and build a database of interested parties. We would particularly like to hear from yacht owners who might be looking for partners to get afloat and give it a try.” In a vote of confidence for the existing RORC racing series, the RYA has announced that selection for the OWC, taking place in Malta in October 2020 in L30 yachts, will be based solely on the popular RORC Channel Race which starts from Cowes on August 1. “We believe the existing RORC Racing calendar of events will provide excellent training opportunities and should be a huge advantage to British medal hopes in 2024," said Ian Walker, RYA Director of Racing. "It would be great to see lots of teams fighting it out for the double-handed trophies within the RORC’s Season Points Championship." Chris Stone, RORC Racing Manager, said: “In 2020 the Channel Race will run as normal for our IRC rated fleet but we will extend the race for those double handed mixed entries who wish to be considered in the RYA selection for the OWC. The intention is for this selection event to best replicate the duration of the OWC which is likely to be three or four days.” RORC racing is IRC rated and not one design so in order to best reflect the criteria of the new Olympic equipment, the RYA selection for the OWC will only be open to fixed keel, monohulls within a proposed IRC rating band between 0.990 and 1.055 (subject to confirmation). Walker added: “We need to strike a balance between keeping the rating band as narrow as possible to minimise the impact of the boats’ rating differences on the results and making the selection as accessible as possible for a range of suitable existing boats. We will confirm the rating band after any revisions to the IRC rule for 2020.” The official selection policy will be published by 1 March 2020 but anybody interested in getting involved in double handed, mixed offshore sailing is warmly encouraged to register their interest by sending an e-mail containing details of their sailing experience, aspirations and their boat (if they have one) to keelboatracing@rya.org.uk. If more than 20 nations enter the OWC then there will need to be a country qualification event in Europe in May / June 2020. Britain would then need to send a representative team to aim to qualify a place for Britain for the OWC in Malta and an announcement will be made on how these representatives will be selected once the details are announced by World Sailing in due course.

Britannia on the move

2020 Boat of the Year Winner

Sailing World magazine has selected the top new performance sailboats from its annual Boat of the Year competition, awarding the Jeanneau Sun Fast 3300 as the 2020 Boat of the Year. The versatile 32-footer, built at Jeanneau’s facilities in Poland, is designed primarily for solo and doublehanded racing, a fast-growing segment of the sport. “The days of long-distance races on boats requiring large crews is long past,” says Dave Reed, Sailing World’s editor and Boat of the Year director. “The trend continues toward smaller boats requiring fewer crew, and the judges agreed—unanimously—that the Sun Fast 3300 is a boat that will excite experienced sailors who are keen to compete in shorthanded offshore races. There’s innovation and practicality throughout the boat, from its hull shape to the sailhandling and water-ballast systems to the simple and utilitarian interior.” The Jeanneau Sun Fast 3300 emerged as the judges’ top choice after a week of in-depth dockside inspections and sail tests on the waters in October off Annapolis, Maryland. From a field of 11 new designs, Sailing World’s independent Boat of the Year judges (all industry professionals) also selected four additional boats as award-worthy:

Excess 15 catamaran 2019 - Winner British Yachting Award Multihull Of Th...

West Coast Sailing

Wheelchair Accessible Sailing!

Jonny gets reward for dedication in helping blind sailors

A SAILOR from Milnthorpe has been presented with a prestigious award for his 18 years as a volunteer with GBR Blind Sailing. Jonny Cormack received the award from the President of the Royal Yachting Association HRH the Princess Royal at a ceremony in London. This summer, Mr Cormack guided the Great Britain team to a world championship at the Blind Fleet Racing World Championships in Ontario, Canada. Each team is allowed a sighted tactician and he filled that role for the GBR B3 team with amazing success. The tournament was the latest highlight of Mr Cormack's sailing career which began at the age of two aboard his father's boat on Windermere. He loved the sport so much he eventually became an instructor and now manages the Windermere Outdoor Adventure Centre. It was during his career at a similar centre in Rochdale that he first began to champion disabled sailing and 20 years ago became associated with blind sailing. As well as helping with the training of visually impaired sailors, much of it on Windermere, Mr Cormack regularly competes as a sighted crew to assist and advise the others on the boat. He is not allowed to handle any of the boat's controls, only able to give information verbally. However he says he has learnt much from the visually impaired sailors and says they can sense if the boat is not performing to its potential from its motion before those with sight detect what is wrong. Mr Cormack has competed in four World Blind Sailing Championships as tactician, helping the B3 Team win two silvers and a gold. He also serves on the charity's committee, helping to raise funds and organise training and team travel, including accommodation. The citation for Mr Cormack's award describes him as someone who "encourages everyone and is always looking at ways the charity can grow and support more people". He said it was an honour to get the award and described the accolade as "amazing."

Plymouth Youth Sailing 1/12/19

£16,000 donation puts wind in sails of Isle of Wight disabled sailing charity

A £16,000 DONATION from the Isle of Wight Foundation has put wind in the sails of an Island charity that offers recreational boating opportunities for adults and children with physical and learning disabilities. Cowes Sailability Club will put the money towards a specially designed Island-built motorboat that is fully wheelchair accessible. It will enable the club to offer life-enriching experiences and build disabled people’s confidence by providing access to the sea in a fun, safe and rewarding way. Fundraising officer Trish Rooke said: “This grant is a tremendous boost for us. "Though we are based in Cowes, we are an all-Island charity so a great many people will be able to benefit from the new opportunities this fantastic new boat will bring. “People with disabilities often have difficulty finding an accessible outdoor activity and as a result sometimes can feel isolated but this new motorboat will help Cowes Sailability Club continue to support members with many different kinds of disabilities.” Commodore Paul Wilks said: “The total cost of the boat is around £96,000 so this money is a huge step towards us achieving our target. It is being built by Cheetah Marine of Ventnor and the fact that a local company is supplying the new boat makes the project extra special." Donations towards the boat can be made at www.cowessailability.co.uk Cowes Sailability Club is the latest organisation to receive a grant from the Isle of Wight Foundation, comprised of the companies behind Island Roads, this year. Each year, the foundation gives grants of between £3,000 and £16,000 to Island charities, good causes and organisations working to tackle social exclusion.

Mirror Dinghy sail in December

Rollesby Broad part of the Norfolk Broads