Round Britain & Ireland 2010

Richard Palmer and Trevor Drew plan to compete in the Shetland Round Britain and Ireland Two-handed Race in June 2010.

A more varied test of pure seamanship than its transatlantic counterparts, the RB&I has drawn the top names in ocean sailing. Traditionally, when the weather deteriorates, the sailor stands offshore in deeper water, but this is not possible when the course is around our islands. With our changes of weather and large tidal ranges, the race is accepted as a unique 2000 mile challenge to the short-handed sailor.

Established in 1966 by Blondie Haslar, the event is held every four years starting and finishing in Plymouth. The course takes the fleet clockwise around all of Great Britain & Ireland, including Shetland, with compulsory stops of 48 hours at Kinsale, Barra, Lerwick and Lowestoft.

The Race, which starts on 6th June, is open to all yachts and multihulls between 30’ and 50’ in length, crewed by two people only. Started by the Royal Western in 1966, it is one of the International classics of short-handed sailing, and over the years has attracted the great names.

Richard and Trevor will be competing on J109 “Jangada Too”, in which Richard recently completed the Fastnet, also two-handed.

As part of the qualification requirements for the RBI 2010, crews are required to complete a qualifying passage of 300 miles.