#RB&I2014 - The Royal Western Yacht Club of England announced today (Friday 24 January) that the RNLI is the chosen charity partner for the 2014 edition of the Round Britain and Ireland Race.
The two-handed event, which will start on 1 June, is run every four years and first began back in 1966. The race starts and ends in Plymouth with stopovers in four ports, each with an RNLI lifeboat station.
Entries are now being accepted for the race, which is open to all yachts and multihulls between 30 and 50 feet in length and crewed by two people only.
The event has become an international classic, attracting many famous names over the years. Race Director Alan Nichols says: "The course runs clockwise around all of Great Britain and Ireland with compulsory stops at Kinsale, Barra, Lerwick and Lowestoft where the hospitality is legendary.
"It is a huge test of endurance and seamanship and definitely not for the faint hearted. In fact we require entrants to complete a qualifying voyage before their final entry is accepted."
Nichols adds that the RNLI "has a vital presence in Plymouth and each of the stopover ports and it seemed entirely appropriate that we should invite the charity to join us as our partner for the 2014 event.
"Their volunteers are our guardians if you like and those of us who enjoy such racing appreciate knowing that they are on standby to help us 24 hours a day and seven days a week. The RNLI also believe in prevention rather than cure and we hope our joint belief in safety at sea will be reinforced by this liaison."
Entries are now open for the race with all the relevant details available on the Royal Western Yacht Club website HERE.
"We’ve already received some early entries so I would urge people not to leave it too late to express an interest in competing," says Nichols. "In the meantime, there are a number of sponsorship opportunities for businesses wanting to become involved in this iconic event."
Interested companies should contact the Royal Western Yacht Club at +44 (0) 1752 660 077.
Meanwhile, RNLI community fundraising manager Guy Botterill says the partnership between the race and the charity is clear.
"There’s the RNLI presence at each of the ports the race goes to, the obvious belief on both sides that safety at sea is paramount and the fact the RNLI will be there if anyone does get into trouble.
"What’s more the race has in the past attracted entries from RNLI people, including Pip Hare, who works for our coastal safety department in Poole, and Adam Littlejohn, who is based in the southwest and works for our shoreworks department.
"I’d like to thank the Royal Western Yacht Club for this very kind invitation to be the charity partner and we look forward to a successful association before, during and after the 2014 event."
