Australian teenage sailing hero Jessica Watson, who celebrates her 18th birthday in May, is crewing alongside Britain’s Michael Perham (19) on the Bavaria 37 Cold Play, skippered by Phil Baughen, in this year’s Round the Island Race on Saturday 25 June.

It will be good practice for the two, as Jessica recently announced that she’s to skipper the youngest ever crew to enter the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race on Boxing Day – a crew that includes Mike Perham.
 
Other recent entries include the French skipper Marc Lepesqueux, who has entered Les Conquerants de Normandie, a Class 40 Jumbo 40 Evolution that finished 12th out of 45 in the last solo transatlantic Route du Rhum. He has a lot of racing experience under his belt having raced in the La Solitaire du Figaro seven times and finished 2nd in the Mini Transat 650.

Former winner of the Route du Rhum in 2006 and 2010, Lionel Lemonchois, will also be on this year’s start line. He is racing on the 50ft Trimaran Prince de Bretagne. (Another of Lionel’s claims to fame is as part of the Groupama 3 team that won the 2010 Jules Verne Trophy with Franck Cammas at the helm, racing around the globe in 48 days 7 hours 44 minutes 52 seconds.)
 
For more information, visit www.roundtheisland.org.uk. Standard entries close on 28 May.

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