The race itself will be sailed on Saturday 11 July, when hundreds of boats — from family cruisers and club racers to seasoned offshore campaigners — will gather off Cowes to take on the iconic 50-nautical-mile lap of the Isle of Wight. Organised by the Island Sailing Club, the Round the Island Race remains one of the world’s largest mass-participation yacht races, and one of the few where first-timers and veterans share the same tide, the same start line, and the same long day on the water.