SOUTHAMPTON yachting duo Emma Richards and Miranda Merron are back on the water on Sunday in a bid to win the 75th Anniversary Round Britain and Ireland Yacht Race starting in The Solent.
The pair, who won their Open 50 class in last year's Transat Jacques Vabre, will again be racing on Pete Goss's boat, the former Aqua Quorum, now named Pindar after their northern-based sponsors.
Run by the Royal Ocean Racing Club, the Round Britain and Ireland Race, sponsored by Hampshire company Criterion Insurance, will start at the Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes.
The gruelling 1,760-mile race, covering some of the most testing stretches of coastline, is acknowledged as one of the toughest events in the international sailing calendar.
The yachts will circumnavigate the British and Irish coastlines in a clockwise direction, taking in Lands End, the west coast of Ireland, the Outer Hebrides and Shetland Isles before racing back down the east coast and along the Channel to return to the Isle of Wight.
The race is open to yachts up to 100ft LOA, including multihulls and a two-handed division. There will also be an IRC and IRM Class with water ballast permitted.
Many top racing boats have already entered the race, including Alex Thomson's Open 50 sailthatdream.com.
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