Olympic Gold medalist Sir Ben Ainslie has broken the Round the Island Race multi-hull record by 16 mins 14 seconds in an amazing time of 02:52:15, surrounded by spectator boats as he crossed the finish line in Cowes.
Nearly 1500 boats set off from the Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes this morning (Saturday), with the leading hopefuls setting sail as the sun rose at 05:00.
Sir Ben has beaten the 12-year-old record on the back of his Olympic success in London last year.
Meanwhile, ICAP Leopard skippered by Mike Slade has beaten its own monohull record by 9 mins 45 seconds with a time of 03:43:50
Cowes and Yarmouth RNLI have assisted many crews, with independent lifeboats such as Freshwater, Sandown and Ryde also offering assistance to those in need. (More to follow)
Featured Photo: Donna Woodward-Taylor
Top left photo: Patrick Eden
