Edward Donald and the crew of Madelaine receive the Gold Roman Bowl from Shirley Robertson at the 2007 prizegiving for the JPMorgan Asset Management Round the Island Race"(From left: Shirley Robertson, Edward Donald, daughters Isabella and Madelaine in white polo shirts, Edward's crew and their children.) Picture Patrick Eden

The current holder of the top trophy for the JPMorgan Asset Management Round the Island Race will be racing to raise funds for charity in 2008. Edward Donald, from Winchester, in the Folkboat Madelaine beat 590 boats in the IRC Division to take the Gold Roman Bowl for the second time. In 2008 he will be supporting Leukaemia Research, a cause of special meaning to him.

Seven years ago, Edward was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma, a blood-borne cancer. He says: "Thanks to the research undertaken by Leukaemia Research, I received gold standard care. After six months of chemotherapy and a month of radiotherapy, I was cured. Today, I am able to live life to the full." This not only includes his passion for sailing but also as father to his two girls - Madelaine (11) and Isabella (5). Donations can be made to www.justgiving.com/edwarddonald.

The Donald family has a particular interest in Folkboats. Just after WWII Edward's grandfather Ted, then a boatyard foreman, built his own Folkboat in a Hamble barn, scrimping a saving from his ration book. It took him five years to complete Celia Mary, winner of the Gold Roman Bowl in 1999.

In the 1970s and again in 1980 the trophy was won The Rt Hon Edward Heath MBE MP, in a succession of his Morning Cloud yachts. Designer Jeremy Rogers has won the prize three times in the family-crewed Contessa 26 Rosina of Beaulieu but in 2008 the Rogers family will be sailing their newly-restored Contessa 32 Gigi. Only twice has the Gold Roman Bowl been won by a female skipper - Mrs H Tobin in 1954 and Julia Dane in 1982. In recent years, conditions have favoured smaller boats and the last time the trophy went to a big boat was in 2001 when Peter Morton brought Mandrake, a Mills 50, into the top position.

Entries for the JPMorgan Asset Management Round the Island Race can be made on line to www.roundtheisland.org.uk.

The standard entry fee closes on 7th June and late entries on 21st June 2008.

4:03pm Thursday 8th May 2008

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