Tankards away! It’s The Round The Island Race

Tankards away! It’s The Round The Island Race

POSTED JULY 11, 2018

Last weekend more than 1,200 boats, set sail from the Isle of Wight for the Round The Island Race. As one of the largest yacht races in the world, the competition was a great opportunity to watch world-renowned sailors racing against families and first-time racers. To mark their ocean-bound achievements, we’re proud that sailors from the winning crews could take home one of our handmade pewter plates or tankards – each one created by our master craftsmen at our factory in Sheffield, UK.

Run by the Island Sailing Club, the race attracts boats from around the world including Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands and the USA. This year Derbyshire sailor, Dame Ellen McArthur and TV presenter and adventurer, Ben Fogle are some of the famous sports personalities who sailed the 50 nautical miles round the island.

With hardly a whisper of wind during our marathon heatwave, the 87th edition of the race, has been named as one of the most challenging on record. The lack of sea breeze left hundreds of teams struggling to reach the famous Needles before the tidal gate slammed shut in the early part of the race. Those who sneaked through had little option other than to soldier – or sailor on – in slow, challenging and sizzling conditions.

Nearly 200 prizes were awarded for the event, with boats of every shape and size competing to win individual class and overall trophies. Some of the notable teams who had the chance to take home a pewter gift bearing the Wentworth Pewter and Made in Sheffield touchmarks included:

• – Ross Applebey on High Potential was the overall winner of the Gold Roman Bowl with a crew including his wife, Sarah and friends in a time of 8:30:03.
• – Ned Collier Wakefield on Concise Fling recorded the slowest time for line honours at 8:34:09. This was over six hours longer than last year when they broke the multihull record.
• – Hannah Stodel on the Team Maverick spare boat is a former Paralympian, triple world champion and came third in her class with a time of 18:13:18. She’s now aiming to be the first disabled competitor in the Vendee Globe.

Laura Mills, Club Secretary of The Island Sailing Club explains:

“Competitors love having such a special gift to take home, some have taken part on many occasions and have several prized, Wentworth Pewter tankards going back years. Wentworth Pewter offer such a fantastic service, nothing is too much trouble.”

Order your sports trophy

We regularly produce specially commissioned trophies, medals and other gifts for sporting events of all kinds. Get in touch if you’d like to mark your event with a handcrafted sports trophy that’s been Made in Sheffield.