The route? Baltic chill to Adriatic charm, via the English Channel, Atlantic rollers, Gibraltar’s bottleneck and the sunburnt Med. Five offshore legs, one coastal dash, double points on the second leg, and just enough fly-bys, scoring gates and headlands to keep nav tables steaming and crews sleep-deprived. The opener? Kiel to Portsmouth — a tight, technical first leg. Expect tide, traffic, and tactical hair-splitting before the fleet ties up in Cowes by Friday.