It was that time of the year on most yachties calander, the 79th edition of the Round the Island Race. Saturday 19th 2010 started for Peter Delbridge of Boatshed Hamble aboard "Blustery Day" a 38.5 at 0400hrs and a swift cast off from the RSrnYC pontoon and a motor out of the Hamble and across to the start line of Cowes.

There were 1754 boats entered this year and it certainly looked like it on a fantastic summers morning as they all milled around waiting for their starts. Blustery Day was entered in IRC division 2D with a start time of 0550hrs and crossed the line close to the Island shore. It was then kite up and a very fast run with the tide under us down to the Needles by 0730hrs.
A port tack followed all the way to Saint Catherine's Point, by which time it was low water making it fun close in with all the rocks. Staying close in, with a couple of tacks things started to pick up as the wind increased. One reef was put in to help performance and it was port tack all the way to the mark off Bembridge Ledge. With the tide back against us it was tacking all the way until we skirted around the edge of Ryde sands whilst trying to keep out of the worst of the tide.

Back onto a starboard tack and it was a lovely run back down to the finishing line off Cowes with Blustery Day finishing in 7hrs 58min giving her 148th overall and 13th in class out of 38. 1606 boats finished with 48 retiring and 16 DSQ/OCS

What a great days sailing, we had great company, no dramas, no breakages and no injuries. Just as it should be. I hope everybody else out there enjoyed themselves as much as we did.