Winner of the J. P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race 2016 is Bernard Langley's TP52 Gladiator

Winner of the the J. P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race, the Gold Roman Bowl for the first IRC boat on corrected time, is Bernard Langley’s TP52 Gladiator. She powered around the course to become the second monohull to finish after Mike Slade’s Leopard, crossing the line less than four and a half hours after her start.

Gladiator’s owner, Tony Langley, is currently racing his other TP52 in Porto Cervo, Sardinia, but his three children, Tom, Charlotte and Bernard all sailed on board today, the latter as helmsman.

 

Worthy Gold Roman Bowl winners Gladiator were on the pace all the way round the Island today. Photo: onEdition

 

“It was a windy and rough race,” says boat captain Brett Aarons, “especially in the overfalls off St Catherine’s and Dunnose. It was very wet, both on deck and below.” Nevertheless the team never held back, hoisting the A3 spinnaker at the Needles, before peeling to the A4 at St Catherine’s Point and hitting speeds of 20-24 knots.

“At that point we knew that we had a chance of a good result,” says Aarons. “At that kind of speed, the adverse tide only slows you by a small percentage. Once we were back in the eastern Solent we were still in the last of the west-going favourable tide and were almost able to lay the finish line in one tack – it was a huge advantage.”
Hanging out on Gladiator not long after the start of today’s Race. Image: Patrick Eden

 

Although the top four places overall went to high-budget campaigns, the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race has always been one in which amateur sailors and those with possibly shallower pockets can excel. Paul Dunstan’s modest 25ft Folkboat from 1974 was one of the best placed smaller boats this year, taking ninth place overall on corrected time and second place in IRC Division 3D to Andy Shaw’s Flying Boat.

Multihull record smashed

Lloyd Thornburg’s MOD70 trimaran Phaedo 3 shattered the multihull race record in a time of 2 hours 23 minutes, 23 seconds, an impressive 28 minutes ahead of the record Sir Ben Ainslie set in 2013.

Phaedo^3 flying two hulls as they bear away toward The Needles lighthouse, the most westerly point of the J. P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race course

Phaedo^3 flying two hulls as they bear away toward The Needles lighthouse, the most westerly point of the J. P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race course

Not too much wetted surface here on Phaedo^3!

Not too much wetted surface here on Phaedo^3!

Phaedo^3 owner Lloyd Thornburg (left) celebrates with skipper Brian Thompson

Phaedo^3 owner Lloyd Thornburg (left) celebrates with skipper Brian Thompson

Phaedo^3 at pace after rounding The Needles

Phaedo^3 at pace after rounding The Needles

Phaedo^3 at pace after rounding The Needles

Phaedo^3 at pace after rounding The Needles

Power on Phaedo^3 on the beat up the western Solent

Power on Phaedo^3 on the beat up the western Solent

The crew celebrate their record winning new time in the J. P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race

The crew celebrate their record winning new time in the J. P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race

Phaedo^3 on the way to breaking the record for the J. P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race

Phaedo^3 on the way to breaking the record for the J. P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race

In hot pursuit: Phaedo^3 chasing the blue liveried MOD70 Concise 2, their habitual rival this season

In hot pursuit: Phaedo^3 chasing the blue liveried MOD70 Concise 2, their habitual rival this season

Spread out fleet in the J. P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race course

Spread out fleet in the J. P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race course

Phaedo^3 on the way to breaking the record for the J. P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race

Phaedo^3 on the way to breaking the record for the J. P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race

Leopard on the way to winning monohull line honours in the J. P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race course

Leopard on the way to winning monohull line honours in the J. P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race course

On board the 100ft supermaxi Leopard

On board the 100ft supermaxi Leopard

Windward leg of the J. P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race course

Windward leg of the J. P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race course

The Windward leg of the J. P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race course fleet beats out of the western Solent

The Windward leg of the J. P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race course fleet beats out of the western Solent

Supermaxi Leopard passing The Needles

Supermaxi Leopard passing The Needles

ROSENN, Gaffers Division 2 copy

Bowman on Leopard

Bowman on Leopard

French Ultime trimaran Actual

French Ultime trimaran Actual

Rough water at The Needles

Rough water at The Needles

The fastest speeds were logged to the south of the island

The fastest speeds were logged to the south of the island

Rough water as wind and tide clashed

Rough water as wind and tide clashed

One of the gaffer divisions soldiers on

One of the gaffer divisions soldiers on

The crew of Phaedo celebrate their new record

The crew of Phaedo celebrate their new record

Keronimo RTI16_dt3434 (1)

Phaedo going for lift off

Phaedo going for lift off

RTI16_MD_2355 (2)

Sir Keith Mills's Fast 40+ Invictus, which had Prince Harry on board

Sir Keith Mills’s Fast 40+ Invictus, which had Prince Harry on board

A gaff-rigged working boat making steady progress

A gaff-rigged working boat making steady progress

Thalia making good headway to windward

Thalia making good headway to windward

MOD 70 Concise

MOD 70 Concise

All weight on the rail needed

All weight on the rail needed

Gaffer Thalia on the beat west

Gaffer Thalia on the beat west