This is the second year that skipper Duncan Thomson has entered the race on Grand Panjandrum. Duncan states that his crew complement has a tendency to “drink all the beer and eat all the food” despite ‘Panjandrum’ having a listing in the Oxford Dictionary as meaning “a person who has or claims to have a great deal of authority or influence.” Perhaps it is time to pull rank Duncan?

Meanwhile, you need ‘a light or west wind’, a Zephyr, to get you across the start line in the Round the Island Race, and Russell Eden on Zephyr, a Cape Yachts Cape Cutter 19, will be looking forward to getting stuck in to his Race having just made this purchase. Zephyr started life in Cape Town in 2003, moved to Lymington, Hampshire, then on to Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland. She was once stolen but the police tracked her down and she was returned to her rightful owner!