Following a two-month refit, the giant catamaran Orange II will take part in tomorrow’s race as the first of a series of events before attempting a North Atlantic crossing record later this year. Skipper Bruno Peyron hopes that an action-packed season will help to hone the technical abilities of both the boat and crew, prior to his ultimate aim of winning back the Jules Verne Trophy. Admitting that ‘this trip around the Isle of Wight isn’t really suited to our giant’, he hopes that the difficult route will provide plenty of opportunities for his trimmers to perfect their skills!

The multihull record for the race currently stands at 3 hours 8 minutes 29 seconds. Orange II may follow the race by an attempt on the Channel crossing record between Cowes and St. Malo.