The skipper of the Royal Yacht Squadron’s entry is Martin Jones. Martin says “We are very much looking forward to racing with the other eight teams and we especially welcome the five crews who are travelling from overseas. We are expecting some stiff competition.”

North Sails will be offering some off the water training sessions and clinics prior to the event and Hiscox, partners for this event, are providing the trophy which will be awarded to the winning team.

Meanwhile over 70 entries have now been received for the IRC Class so far. Some recent celebrated entries continue to turn this into a major Classics event. This includes Kelpie, a Solent 38 One Design gaff cutter built in 1903. She has recently been extensively restored by her present owner Pelham Olive, who has taken her back, as far as possible, to her 1920s rig. This 17m Classic has been successful in Mediterranean regattas and won a number of others in the UK. A more modern and very welcome entry is the Corby 36 Ino which suffered a catastrophic collision at the beginning of June which led to her sinking and her crew being rescued. But the owner James Neville is not giving up. Retrieved and undergoing repair, he and his crew expect to be on the line for the first start on 27th July.

Sailing Instructions will be issued on 10th July and all information can be found on the event website www.bic2015.org or follow us on Twitter @rys_bicentenary.