The entry list for this year is: BAE Systems Insyte 1, BEA Systems Insyte 2, Barton Marine, boats.com, Boating Business, British Marine Federation, Bruntons Propellers, CJR Propulsion, Cooney Marine, Garmin, Halyard, Hyde Sails, International Paint, IPC Marine Media 1, IPC Marine Media 2, Kayospruce, LA Marine, Peters & May, Savage Marine, Shoesmiths, Sunsail 1, Sunsail 2, The Tank Company/Oval Stainless, VT Group services and Wild Graphics.

The event runs out of Port Solent on Wednesday April 23, with the boats being collected on the evening of Tuesday April 22. After the boats have been collected there's a supper in the Portsmouth Harbour Yacht Club - in the Sunsail building in Port Solent.

Crews can stay on the boats overnight, or use any of the local hotels, and leave Port Solent at 08.00 on the Wednesday for four races in the Solent with three to count.

There are trophies for the top four places, with keepers for each of the eight crew on each boat. There will also be other trophies and prizes for various things (real or imagined) that happen during the day. And Sunsail chucks in a few bottles of bubbly to help things along.

The event costs a total of £868.45. That includes VAT and a £100 per boat charity donation to the John Merricks Sailing Trust. And it includes the supper for eight crew on the Tuesday evening, plus Wednesday's breakfast for the crew, plus a packed lunch for the crew and a few drinks during Wednesday's racing.

We get back to Port Solent around 16.30 and have the prizegiving at 17.15. We reckon the event will be over by 18.30 on the Wednesday evening.

All that for under £900 for eight people - and you get all the networking on the Tuesday, a bucket of beer for each boat and an evening with all your mates in the industry. Last year saw parties on the pontoons going on for some time after the club closed... Plus a few sore heads in the morning, we understand (not us; really!).

We reckon it's a great deal and look forward to seeing you there. You don't need to be an Olympic sailor to take part. We have a few boats that take a Sunsail skipper to show them what to do and where to go. And Sunsail can also hire out oilskins and boots for the event.

This is an event where the object is to get people out on the water enjoying themselves.

The event is sponsored by Boating Business, Practical Boat Owner, Yachting Monthly, Saltwater and Sunsail. Avon Inflatables is supplying us with a RIB and a driver for our photographer and images will be available after the event.

Check out the current website photo archive to see what we got up to last year - marineregatta.com

Get an entry form by emailing Peter Nash - pnash@boatingbusiness.com