NOKIA Communicator has taken the Solent racing scene by storm this year winning Berthon Source Regatta in Lymington and the Amicus IR2000 Championships in Portsmouth as well as making a big impression in the Hoya Round The Island Race.

She is the recent and newest acquisition of Charles Dunstone, the boss of multi-million-pound business Carphone Warehouse, who also owns Hamilton, the beautiful Swan 80 that until this year was based in Ocean Village.

Last year, he had a blue-hulled Bashford Howison 41, also called Nokia, which finished sixth in the premier class, but this year his new, white Corby 41.5 is tipped to win. His crew has been with him for a while and their consistency is the reason behind Nokia Communicator's success, with the multi-talented sailor Dave Bedford helming and shrewd Hamble stalwart Phil Lawrence always in attendance.

The crew often sail without Dunstone, who has become one of Britain's busiest and most successful entrepreneurs as head of a £1.5bn company, he set up in 1983 and now boasts 1,100 branches, including one in Cowes High Street.

He is said to be worth £250m but defiantly remains one of the lads. He is also a passionate sailor, having started his racing career in Optimists at Poole Harbour. He first competed at Skandia Life Cowes Week in 1995 in the Beneteau 45 Space, which he sold last year.

When Dunstone is finished on the water each day, he retires to Cowes Yacht Haven, though not for a relaxed evening on the local ale. For the third year in a row, his company is the main sponsor of the evening entertainment. This brings challenges that require as many tactical manoeuvres on land as he puts in on the water following complaints over noise by residents. Last year, it almost forced him to scrap his sponsorship but, happily for revellers, he is back with a programme that promises to be bigger and better than ever.