The Island Sailing Club has now opened entries for the 82nd J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race. This year’s Race takes place on 1 June 2013, with the first start scheduled for 5am.

Competitors enter from around the world to race the 50 nautical miles from the famous Royal Yacht Squadron line in Cowes, Isle of Wight.

The first entry to be approved and processed for the 2013 event was Redshank, a Devon-based 30-year-old Evolution 26, owned and raced by Stuart Palmer, 47, from Teignmouth in Devon. Stuart is entering the Race for the first time but has two crew members who have competed before.

“We race at our home club and at the Torbay Regatta but the Round the Island Race is the biggest event for us to compete in. Even the delivery trip from Devon is a big adventure!” said Stuart.

Early bird entries remain open until midnight on 2 February when standard entry fees then apply through to midnight on 11 May. Final entry numbers for this year’s Race are expected to be in the region of 1,700 with around 16,000 sailors competing across this massive fleet.