2016 J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race entries open

by Peta Stuart-Hunt on 8 Feb 2016 Entries have opened for the 85th edition of the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race which takes place on Saturday 2nd July and there is already a terrific take-up of 365 boats less than one month in.

The first entry was from Martin Thomas, from King's Langley in Hertfordshire, entering INSEYANDRA with charter guests and entering for the Bavaria Trophy (IRC) and the John Franks Trophy (IRC). It is their biggest Race of the year and 2016 will be Martin's eighth Round the Island Race.

The ISC is offering ONE FREE ENTRY to this year's Race. The winner's name will be drawn at random after Early Bird entries close on 13th February. Make sure you have your chance by entering now here.

IN X CELSIS is a 1991 X119 owned and skippered by 76 year-old Peter Jones, a Yachtmaster Offshore. Together they have achieved a great deal! Peter has completed nine Fastnet Races, was the X Yachts 2012 IRC three winner and has 30 Round the Island Races under his belt with his best result being fifth in IRC three.

Also competing this year as a Classic Racing Yacht (ISCRS), is a Morgan North American 40, MONOTOMBI that was purchased in the Great Lakes in 2013 and sailed to the UK single handed in 2015 by her owner Andrew Rogers Pascoots. This intrepid yachtsman, now aged 52, has been a lifelong solo sailor and circumnavigated at the age of 22 on a Tartan 27.

David and Kirsty Apthorp's J-DREAM (IRC) is the only J/109 to have won a National Championship and Eurocup in the same year, twice! They have also won the Raymarine Spring Series Trophy and Garmin Hamble Winter Series. Paul Heys, who crews for them with other friends, is the J Boat UK distributor. They prefer the smaller boat for competing in the RTI. Kirsty explains:

'We are in the thick of the racing. In the J/111 they all whinged that there were no photo opportunities (apart from Ben Ainslie on Eleonora) because we got to St Catherine's so quickly! All look forward to what will hopefully be a blast down the back of the Island and a safe trip!' Hear! Hear!

JOKER, racing under IRC (AC) is a fully restored Quarter Ton Jezequel 116, originally built for Fred Imhoff. The boat has a distinctive orange hull and was the winner of the ISC Inshore series in 2015. Skippered by Ed White, he is joined by a fully Corinthian crew, all related.

Built for the 1985 RWYC Round Britain Race at Green Marine, Lymington, to a design by David Alan-Williams ALIEN II is still under the original ownership of Robert Wingate from Torpoint, Cornwall. A Multihull (entered in the Grand Prix and MOCRA Racing class) she's posted some great results over the years. Robert Wingate started ocean racing in the 1964 Bermuda Race. He was also winner of 1998 double-handed RB&I two-handed and competed in the Transat Jacques Vabre in 2001.

The mighty LEOPARD is back on the 2016 Race start line to defend her Monohull record of three hours 43 minutes and 50 seconds set in 2013 by owner Mike Slade.

It is also very rewarding for organisers and sponsors alike to note that there is already a strong showing of novice crews chartering boats to enter the Race this year, yet again demonstrating that this annual yachting extravaganza truly is a Race for All (#raceforall).

Sponsorship highlights
J.P. Morgan Asset Management has been the proud title sponsor of the Round the Island Race for 12 years, with each year getting better and better.

'What's fantastic is that every time it has been different but always a challenge and always great fun, 'comments Jasper Berens, Head of UK Funds, J.P. Morgan Asset Management.

In 2007 J.P. Morgan Asset Management invested in a sponsorship activation and communications agency and the annual Pre-Race Press Conference was introduced. The additional researching of entrants targeting each region in the country and then inviting them to the press conference was commenced and remains a successful addition to the annual PR campaign. The Race PR was further extended through the expanded use of top quality imagery and videography.