All eyes will be on the wind tomorrow morning as 1,750 boats, ranging from folkboats to America's Cup yachts, line up in the Solent for the start of the Hoya Round the Island Race.

With a pressure system expecting to favour the big boats, a tantalising contest is expected between two Open 60s, Mike Golding's former Team Group 4 boat and Josh Hall's Gartmore, plus Mike Slade's Skandia Leopard, whose predecessor, Longobarda, holds the monohull race record of four hours and 35 minutes set in 1996.

"Given the conditions and providing the boat goes well, we are reasonably confident of setting a new record," said skipper Chris Sherlock who has half the GBR Challenge crew, including James Stagg, Jules Salter, David Barnes and Ed Danby, on board for the day.

Slade, who also took the round-the-Island record in 1991 on Ocean Leopard, has spent £50,000 on new sails - in particular a new spinnaker and new headsail - to ensure he is able to maintain his prolific sailing record.

But also battling for honours will be the GBR Challenge, skippered by Hamble yachtsman Ado Stead, and Hoya High Voltage, Johnny Caulcutt's America's Cup boat helmed by Eddie Warden-Owen of Warsash.

For both, rousing winds of more than 25 knots may lead to retirements or an easing off as crews attempt to protect the lightweight racing machines from damage.

"I think we will be taking it easy if we find the winds too much - these boats are beasts and we have guests on board so it's not worth taking any risks. But it will be a great contest," said Warden-Owen . "There are some top class racers out there this year - I don't know whether it is the new challenge of racing for the ISAF/World Speed Sailing Council record for the first time that has sparked the interest but there is a more interesting array of racing boats than we have had before, through all the classes.

"I think it will be dominated by a pressure system rather than the sea breezes which slowed us all up at the end last year. It will be great fun to see the big boats which start two hours later come through the fleet but it could mean some interesting navigational and tactical decisions at the finish, which will be pretty congested."

First published on Friday 15 June 2001