The five members of the club who decided to enter the Round the Island Race in 2025 each had their own reasons for wanting to participate. For Danny, it was “the spectacle” of the race itself. For Matthew, it was the opportunity to achieve a long-held ambition. For Val, already an experienced sailor with two previous RTI races under his belt, it was a learning experience, as with any race. For Paul, owner of Bambino, this was a return to a much-loved event. But everyone on the boat could relate to Gordon’s reasoning. “To have good stories to tell in the bar”, he said. “That’s it really”.

With Bambino’s race start scheduled for 0830, Bambino slipped her moorings at 0645 and, despite a nervous gallop down Southampton Water when it wasn’t clear if she would reach the start line on time, she crossed the line at exactly 0830, timed to perfection.

The journey from the start line to the Needles involved a series of long tacks, generally carving through the fleet on starboard tack. Conditions began to deteriorate as Bambino approached the Hurst Narrows, and Bambino passed several boats turning back, their race already over.

Conditions eased as Bambino approached St Catherine’s Point (the southernmost tip of the IOW) with the sun making a brief appearance. Life on deck became very pleasant and there was time to enjoy some food and a cup of tea, before the sky began to darken again.

Having enjoyed a relatively straightforward run to the Bembridge ledge with sails set “goosewinging”, the homeward stretch to the finish line turned out to be the most challenging leg of the race so far. The sunshine had now disappeared and cold, stinging rain started to fall, seemingly flying from every direction. With Ryde to port, the crew noticed a smaller boat which had beached, with its crew desperately (and ultimately successfully) trying to free the boat from the sandy grip of Ryde Sands.

With the finish line in sight and Bambino making good progress, the wind slackened off before dying away altogether. A back eddy close to the shore helped to provide some forward movement, and there was a loud cheer as Bambino crossed the finish line. After a long day, the crew were tired and wet – but very happy indeed. Best of all, Gordon was right. There were plenty of stories to tell at the bar.