​Full Clipper Race fleet lines up for Round the Island Race

This weekend, the full Clipper Race fleet, plus three of the Clipper 68 yachts, will be lined up on the Solent to battle it out in the 88th edition of the one-day Round the Island Race (RTIR).

The eleven-strong Clipper 70 fleet has been privately chartered through Clipper Events, the premier provider of sailing hospitality, team development days and fleet racing, and will be led by each of the Clipper Race Skippers and Mates (AQPs).

Whilst RTIR results have no official influence on Clipper Race scoring, racing will be fiercely competitive as each skipper, and their team for RTIR, will be aiming for Clipper Race class honours. All eyes will be tracking this unofficial prologue race this weekend, after the 2017 edition results correctly predicted the Clipper 2017-18 Race overall top two results, with Wendy Tuck leading Sanya Serenity Coast [CV27] to first place in class, followed by Nikki Henderson on Visit Seattle [CV26] in second.

Image: 2017 RTIR ‘Clipper Yachts’ class results

Hosted by Clipper Events, this will be a rare sighting as the Clipper 70 fleet spends much of its time away from home on the global Clipper Race circuit, with full re-fit and crew training schedules in between.

The annual Round the Island Race, organised by the Island Sailing Club, regularly attracts over 1,400 boats and around 15,000 sailors, making it the fourth largest participation sporting event in the UK after the London Marathon and the Great North and South Runs.

Want to know which team will come out on top this weekend? Keep up to speed on the Clipper Race class rankings throughout the weekend via the Clipper Events Instagram and Round The Island Race social media channels.