Image: Paul Wyeth and Ian Roman
Eighty-four-year-old Peter Cunningham hailed the Round the Island Race after taking line honours on the helm of his old boat. Peter, who was first to finish the 2021 race with his PowerPlay Racing Team, repeated the feat on the multihull MOD70, now Zoulou.
“It was a really good race,” said Peter. “We would have liked a little more wind but we picked up speed down the south of the Island and just kept going. We have a new foil so it felt really different and it was harder to get up to top speed, though it tracked so much better. It was a wonderful trip and I’d like to say a big thank you to Erik Maris for lending me the boat for the occasion.”
The forecast heading into Saturday’s race threatened high winds and thunderstorms, though competitors were greeted to calm conditions at the Royal Yacht Squadron start line, with heavy showers arriving later in the afternoon. Over 800 boats competed across various classes, with Jolt 3, skippered by Matt Adams, first overall in the IRC class to win the Gold Roman Bowl.
The full list of results can be found here.
The Disabled Sailors Association were among the fleet, taking home first in class on The Spirit of Scott Bader.
Dale, who was part of the crew, said: “I spent about three-and-a-half hours at the helm getting through some of the tricky spots. I absolutely loved it and I wouldn’t trade it for anything, it was such a brilliant day.”
For Elin Haf Davies, part of Team AMP-lifi, which finished third in the monohull line honours, her third Round the Island was particularly memorable.
“This was definitely the fastest one for me,” said Elin. “It was very wet and wild at times but it was fantastic to be part of such a brilliant event.”
This year was Dave Atkinson’s 46th as race director.
“It was a great day and what makes this race so special is the comradery among everyone,” said Dave. “The competitors have been telling us how much they enjoyed it and we had very few issues on the water across the day. There were lots of sub-races happening, with families, schools and groups of friends all trying to beat each other. It’s what Round the Island is all about.”
Next year’s race will take place on Saturday 11th July 2026.
