Round The Island Race 2024
Booking details
No dates currently available. Please contact us for more info.
No dates currently available. Please contact us for more info.
Joining Instructions: Please click here for event joining instructions
Recommended Reading: Island Sailing Club notification of race, RTIR website.
Event Prerequisites: At least RYA Competent Crew with some sailing time
Minimum Age: 18+
This event runs in a single format:
Holiday Insurance: We would advise ALL our customers to ensure they have suitable holiday insurance in-place. Yachtsman’s insurance is available from a variety of sources like Topsail Insurance and can cover things like cancellations and personal effects cover.
This event is for any competent sailor who wants to give the iconic Round the Island Race a go! So as long as you are at least RYA Competent Crew trained, or have suitable sailing skills, are fit and agile and can adapt quickly during the race this may be the event for you.
Please be aware this race is not a short ’round the cans’ race. It’s a full day of sailing and it starts very early in the morning. The practice days are also long and enduring, as the race may take upwards of 9 hours to complete, or longer!
The practice days prior to the race will cover a general skills review and practice/refresh, typical racing techniques, safety considerations and drills, crew positions and jobs, communication and hierarchy, technical brief and strategy, weather monitoring and considerations and other elements which will all make up a safe and run race.
On race day we will start early, have a final skippers brief including weather and tide review, final questions session and prepare the boat. We then leave the marina/anchorage and get to the line, ready for the off!
During this event we will include meals on board (breakfast two days, lunch three days, dinner three nights), moorings at our Gosport Marina base, and of course entry into the race itself.
Unlike other training schools we want you to be completely comfortable, confident and excited about undertaking the Round The Island Race, which is why we include for a full two days training before the race! As you’d expect from Commodore Yachting, we do things the right way!
This event runs in a single format:
Included in the cost is the preparation and practice days before the race, and the race day itself.
The actual race day has been confirmed by the ISC as 15th June 2024. This is subject to change however. The two practice days are 13-14th June 2024.
On race-day we return to either Hamble or Cowes (Subject to availability of berths) at the end of the race for a good night out and to soak up the post-race atmosphere. The race itself can be exhausting and an evening finish may happen on the day.
You’ll be part of a truly iconic race known the world over, which attracts everything from multi-million pound race boats, to smaller vessels costing no more than a few hundred pounds. It’s simply a must-do event for every sailor, not one to be missed!
This is quite a commitment to make, as whilst the event is mainly one of fun and a great introduction to longer races, it’s one we like to be competitive with!
Your race Skipper will take you on an intensive training session where you’ll learn about race procedures, safety and how to react to quick tacks and gybes, the communication needed on board and how to act as a close-knit race team! It’ll also be a guide to the challenging waters around the Isle of Wight, the hazards and features, plus the tactics to be employed on the day!
It’s definitely one for the bucket list!
No dates currently available. Please contact us for more info.
The perfect sailing course for beginners all over the UK, the five day RYA Competent Crew practical course will give you the best building blocks to start your sailing journey with.
Take a look at our live course calendar for dates for the RYA Competent Crew course at Gosport Marina!
Our RYA competent crew course runs over five days, based at Gosport Marina on the Solent. You will join one of our Bavaria yachts alongside a maximum of four other students and an RYA instructor. There is no previous experience required — just a willingness to learn and a sense of adventure.
Day one covers safety briefing, parts of the yacht, and basic ropework. You will learn how to handle mooring lines, raise and lower sails, and steer the yacht under instruction. By day two, most students are handling the helm in open water, tacking and gybing with growing confidence.
The Solent is the ideal classroom for the RYA competent crew course. Tidal flows around the Isle of Wight, busy shipping channels near Portsmouth, and sheltered waters in Chichester Harbour all feature during the week. You get real sailing conditions — wind, tide, and traffic you have to work around.
Accommodation is liveaboard on the yacht at Gosport Marina. Each evening you help with meal preparation, boat checks, and planning the next days sailing. That is where the learning sticks — talking through the days decisions over dinner.
By the final day, you will have logged over 100 sea miles and be able to take a watch as a capable crew member. The RYA competent crew certificate is valid worldwide and is the first step toward your RYA Day Skipper and ultimately Yachtmaster qualifications.
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The RYA SRC VHF Radio course is the minimum qualification required by law to operate VHF or Digital Selective Calling (DSC) equipment on any British flagged vessel. This RYA VHF SRC radio training covers marine VHF radio operation, DSC distress calling, and routine communication procedures.
Anyone who operates a marine radio at sea needs this qualification whether you are on a kayak, paddle board, RIB, jet ski, or yacht. Our RYA VHF SRC radio course runs in a single day at our Gosport Marina base on the Solent.
After completing this course you will be able to take the next step in your sailing journey with our RYA Day Skipper theory or practical training courses. For official course details visit the RYA radio courses page.
Learn more about our one day courses or view our full course calendar for available dates.
The RYA VHF SRC (Short Range Certificate) course covers everything you need to legally operate marine VHF and DSC equipment on a UK-flagged vessel. You will learn how to make distress calls, communicate with coastguard stations, and use Digital Selective Calling to contact specific vessels.
The course runs from 9am to 5pm at our Gosport Marina training centre. The morning covers VHF radio theory, channel frequencies, and communication procedures. The afternoon is hands-on with DSC simulators practicing distress, urgent, and routine calls. The written and practical exam happens at the end of the day — results are immediate.
The RYA VHF radio course is the minimum legal requirement for anyone using marine VHF on a British vessel. It is also a prerequisite for the RYA Day Skipper theory course and is included in our Yachtmaster Fast Track programme. No previous experience is needed — just a good understanding of spoken English.
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The RYA Day Skipper Combined Theory and Practical Training Course runs over nine days. The course brings students with at least the RYA Competent Crew qualification, or some sailing experience, up to RYA Day Skipper level, through undertaking both the theory and practical training courses.
Accommodation during the theory side of the training course is available at a small extra cost (subject to boat availability).
Take a look at our live course calendar for RYA Day Skipper Theory and Practical Combined Training Course dates, taking place at Gosport Marina.
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Exciting Channle islands exploration!! This will be my third time with Commodore, no regrets. 😁 Such a great trip exploring the Channle islands and northern France. We got to see lovely towns in Guernsey and Jersey as well as a fab market in Cherbourg. The sailing was so great! Over 350 miles covered and well over doubled my night hours. Big shoutout and thank you to our amazing skipper Ed who always had to the best recommendation and was so flexible to what we wanted to do as a group. He was an amazing support through out the trip, gave great MOB training and help in passage planning. Boat was great as always. Amazing experience and can’t wait to go on similar trips with the company.
Orla SimpsonWe did a mile builder channel crossing with Karen. She was absolutely brilliant, a great combination of confident and relaxed to help us build our feeling of confidence. Would highly recommend the mile builder with her. Overall a tiring but extremely rewarding experience. Thank you Karen!!
Ana Sofia Almagro