Sailing: Record target in Hoya race

RECORDS WILL be top of the wish list today when one of world yachting's biggest participation events, the Hoya Round the Island Race, sees just short of 1,400 yachts and about 10,000 people sailing the 55 -mile circumnavigation of the Isle of Wight.

While the early birds will be departing class by class from 7.0 am, the sponsored grand prix yachts, which do not leave the start line for another three hours, will be hoping to set the fastest time. In the multihull division Hoya has entered a 60ft catamaran, to be skippered by Eddie Warden Owen, with the target three hours, 55 minutes and 28 seconds set in 1986 by Mike Whipp and Rodney Pattisson in the trimaran Paragon.

The monohulls present a nice contrast. Mike Golding's state-of-the-art Open 60 Group 4, tuning up for Atlantic and round the world single-handed races, takes on Lawrie Smith in the Whitbread 60 Silk Cut. Smith has Formula One driver Damon Hill on board.

The monohulls will be chasing the time of five hours, 12 minutes and three seconds set in 1996 by the 84ft Hoya Longobarda.