Up to 120 yachts are due to set out round the Isle of Wight this weekend with the Royal Southampton Yacht Club's Island Double - a double-handed race around the Island - and part of the hugely successful Double Handed Series, sponsored by McGuigan Wines.

It takes place on Saturday, July 7 starting from Cowes, off The Barge. Entries so far top 115.

The Club has run this race every year since 1981 as the Club's original double handed race, and it still remains the most popular double-handed event in the Royal Southampton's sailing programme.

From Cowes, competitors head west towards the Needles and then make their way round the south of the Island.

RSYC Captain of Racing, Kathy Smalley said: "If the current windy weather holds, then there is a chance that the 2003 record could be broken.'' The current monohull record was set in 2004 by Chris Little's previous Bounder, a Farr 45, sailed by Chris and Mike Richards. Their time of 5 hours, 58 minutes knocked six minutes off the existing time set by a Swan 56, Noonmark V1 in 2003. The multihull record is held by the Firebird catamaran, Phoenix, sailed by Martin Hutchings and Tim Hazel, and was set in 1996 at 4 hours 44 minutes and 29 seconds.

First gun on Saturday is at 0640 and provisional results are available after the race at a social gathering at the Island Sailing Club at Cowes. Each crew is awarded a pair of engraved glasses on completing the race.