Embley students had an unforgettable experience at the Round the Island Race. With extreme weather conditions predicted, our two smaller boats withdrew before the race, leaving Embley’s Stewart 37 (‘Embley’) to brave the race alone. Undeterred, our team adapted brilliantly to the challenge. Out of 939 boats that entered the race, ‘Embley’ was one of 287 to cross the start line. It was a fantastic day on the water, filled with excitement and camaraderie.
With the weather showing no signs of abating, a tough decision was made the evening before the race – for Embley to start the race but retire into Lymington. Despite knowing they couldn’t cross the finish line, the team woke at 04:15 with enthusiasm, nerves, grit and determination, showing immense courage, resilience, positivity and adaptability. The boat was expertly helmed by Emily and our sailing captain Teo.
Emily’s race report provides a vivid description of their experience:
“We could see the imminent black cloud appearing in the sky as the 10-minute cannon went off for the start of the race. We had an impressive start, crossing the line at 06:00 as the wind began to fill in. We faced conditions with wind against tide, leading to 2.4-meter waves across the Solent, making for tricky sailing conditions, not to mention the torrential rain that fell upon us within 15 minutes of starting. It was more important than ever that we all worked as a team. It was a test of all of our resilience and determination, as well as keeping a good sense of humour despite looking like drowned rats.”
Upon safely returning to Lymington, gusts at the Needles reached 54 knots so all involved were happy to be safely ashore at this point!
A huge thank you goes to Excel Marine for the loan of their two ribs and Ocean Safety for their continued support.
