Wight-hot Hamilton takes to waves

SAILING

A tough test awaits a record entry for the annual Round the Island race today if the forecasters have read the runes correctly. It is nearly 20 years ago that 1,813 entered for the 52-mile, anti- clockwise dash round the Isle of Wight.

Today, flying in the face credit crunches and economic doom- mongering, not only have 1,875 entered, but the first group - the fleet is divided into 11 starts at 10-minute intervals - will get under way at an enthusiasm-testing 06.00.

Among them will be Lewis Hamilton, guesting, along with the triple Olympic medallist Ben Ainslie, on Alex Thomson's Hugo Boss. The conditions will rival anything that corner-cutting the rumble strips on a grand prix circuit can offer and Hamilton, limited to 50mph in the pit lane, may find half that quite a rush in an Open 60 racing yacht.

Against him in other Open 60s, all on their way to the Vendee Globe singlehanded, round-the-world race in November, are Mike Golding in Ecover, Brian Thompson in Pindar, Dee Caffari in Aviva and Jonny Malbon, giving the old Artemis an outing as the new one awaits a mast.

They should not be able to match the new Volvo Open 70s. Team Russia, with its boat Kosatka (Russian for "Orca"), makes its first appearance alongside the Green Dragon team with Ian Walker at the helm. Out front should be the 99ft Leopard - designed like Kosatka by Rob Humphreys - which has had to hotfoot it up the Channel after knocking over 10 hours off the Round Ireland race record.

Its owner, Mike Slade, holds the Round the Island record, 4hr 5min 40sec set in 2001, and is champing at the bit to ramp up the challenge.

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