For the second year in succession members of the Law Society Yacht Club chartered the Sigma 38 Flying Formula to compete in the annual Round The Island Race, around the Isle of Wight.
The day began with bacon butties at Cowes before leaving for a start time of 0750 from the Royal Yacht Squadron start line. With over 850 yachts competing in the race it was necessary to keep a good lookout.
The first part of the race involved a 15 mile beat towards the iconic Needles at the western end of the Solent. The wind was around 16 - 20 knots from the WSW, making for challenging conditions as the tide turned against the wind. Flying Formula rounded the Needles after just over three hours, and the crew were relieved to be able to sail off the wind to the southern tip of the Island. The next part of the race involved covering a further 15 miles towards Bembridge Ledge Buoy. This leg also provided some challenging downwind sailing in what was now a 20 knot breeze.
After rounding the buoy it was time to embark on the 13-mile leg back to the finish line off Cowes - avoiding the notorious grounding spot off Ryde where at least one competitor was aground with a lifeboat in attendance.
The crew crossed the finish line at around 1715. 'There was thunder, lightning and a wind gusting to around 27 knots in the last minutes of our race, this was followed by a downpour of biblical proportions,' skipper Andy Hobson, club commodore, reports. 'We were somewhat damp when we got to our moorings in Cowes, after which we enjoyed a celebratory bottle of champagne that had been very kindly smuggled onboard by a member of the crew.'
The result? Flying Formula finished 45th in its class of 75 boats.
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