Entries are now open for the Royal Southern Yacht Club’s inaugural Biscay 2012 Offshore Race taking place from 16 - 29 September 2012.

The race is divided into three legs, over 950 nautical miles, from the Solent, UK to La Rochelle, France, onwards to Brest, France and back to the Solent with stopovers in La Rochelle and Brest.

Created as a legacy to members from the Royal Southern in its 175th Anniversary year and to be run as a biennial event, the race looks set to be a truly international event; expressions of interest have already been received from some 20 entries including crews from several overseas yacht clubs.

Biscay 2012’s Race Ambassador is the British yachtswoman Samantha Davies who, having recently announced her newly sponsored Vendée Globe campaign for 2012, commented: “The Biscay 2012 Race is the perfect offshore race for amateurs and I would recommend anyone interested in offshore racing to participate. The Race provides a challenging opportunity for taking in the wonderful ports of La Rochelle and Brest and allowing for a competitive offshore race.”

The Club has teamed up with Sunsail Racing and has access to its fleet of Beneteau F40 cruiser/racing boats, which may be chartered by Members and other interested crews. Crew qualification for the Biscay 2012 Race will include Sunsail Racing events and the Royal Southern Yacht Club’s 2012 summer race regattas.

Expression of Interest Forms are available from www.biscay2012.co.uk with the Early Bird entry rate closing on 1 March.