Entries open today (Friday, January 26) for the Round The Island Race 2024.

Run by the Island Sailing Club (ISC), it is dubbed 'Britain’s Favourite Yacht Race' and will take place this year on June 15.

Starting from the Royal Yacht Squadron line in Cowes, from 6am, the fleet races west to The Needles, pass St Catherine’s Point, round Bembridge Ledge buoy and back to Cowes - over a 50 nautical mile course.

The Round The Island race attracts over 1,100 boats and around 7,000 sailors and is one of the largest yacht races in the world.

How to enter the Isle of Wight's Round the Island Race 2024

Isle of Wight County Press: The Round the Island Race fleet round the Needles LighthouseThe Round the Island Race fleet round the Needles Lighthouse (Image: Paul Wyeth)

Since the first race in 1931, it has become hugely popular with enthusiastic amateurs, families, elite pros and Olympians, and it has a reputation for being a race for all.

The course records stand at 3h 43m 50s for a monohull boat, set by Mike Slade on ICAP Leopard in 2013.

The multihull record is 2h 22m 23s, set by Ned Collier Wakefield on Concise 10, in 2017.

Isle of Wight County Press: The RNLI is the charity of the yearThe RNLI is the charity of the year (Image: Nick Edwards)

Race Director, David Atkinson said: “The Race Team are incredibly excited to launch this year’s
edition of the race.

“The experience is so different each year and I think this is why our competitors are addicted to
returning year after year."

This year, the RNLI is the Official Race Charity and donations will go to the seven RNLI and independent lifeboat stations involved in the race, for the training of their volunteers.

The Island Sailing Club has organised the Round the Island Race for over 90 years.