It’s a hectic weekend for Royal Southampton Club racers with separate events on the water on Saturday and Sunday.

Currently 65 yachts are entered to take to the Solent on Saturday for the opening round of the Club’s McGuigan Wines Double Handed Series.

The Spring Solent Double is an inshore race to start the series of four inshore and four offshore races spread through the season.

Race secretary Cathy Crawley said: “We had 69 yachts competing on the day last year so we might just equal that. The course is set on the day to take advantage of prevailing conditions, aiming for a three to four hour race with a passage flavour.”

The Royal Southampton continues to lead two-handed racing in the UK and has been largely responsible for the continued growth in popularity of this style of racing which provides challenges in boat handling and navigational skills.

The second race in the McGuigan Wines’ series is a two-day there and back race on May Bank Holiday weekend, the Weymouth Double Then this Sunday, 24 entries have been confirmed for the second of four races in the Club’s Spring Series on Southampton Water. The Spring series runs until April 26.