The total is £868.45 for a great evening and day out on the water in the Solent just outside Portsmouth. And you’re donating to a very worthwhile charity as well.

We’ve donated over £10k to the JMST since we started the Marine Industry Regatta and the charity has done some excellent work in getting youngsters afloat and helping them progress in the sport.

For your £868.45 you get a whole day’s racing for eight people, including the Tuesday dinner, bare boat charter, pre-packed lunches and soft drinks for all eight crew, race management and the race officer, prizes and the prizegiving after the event in the PHYC. All you have to do is provide the sailors and take a few extra drinks on board for the day – tea, coffee and a few chocolate bars; that sort of thing. The event should finish around 18.30 on the Wednesday.

And we’re all racing for The Lewmar Trophy with three races out of four to count.

Many companies enter more than one boat. Lewmar, for example, usually enters three boats and crews them with staff from its factories who have never sailed before. It gives them an idea of how the products they make are used.

Others just use the day for team building. Cooney Marine, for example, hasn’t got a sailor in its crew (well, Andy Sims has caught the bug now), and they have a Sunsail skipper to help them guide the boat (and the beer) around the course.

Last year’s event saw 42 boats on the start line and it looked as if it would be another walkover for Alasdair Kirkpatrick of Beacon Park Boats after he scored firsts in the opening two races. But he followed the two firsts with two 35th places and faded, leaving Ian Dawson to lead his Kayospruce team to a five-point victory over second place man Richard Lovering of Hyde Sails on 9pts.

Third and fourth went to a countback after both Rob Clarke of Rockley Watersports and Adrian Miles of Bruntons Propellers came in with 19pts. The decision according to the rules saw Clarke take the third overall and Miles take the fourth place.

Additional trophies were awarded for little extras. Event co-sponsor Saltwater runs a caption contest that has produced some excellent lines in the past, while The Tank Company/Oval 316 gave a trophy to the most improved boat over the series. Gas Check Marine offerred a Magnum of bubbly for the best placed boat without a top five finish.

Finally a special award last year went to late entry, Simon Oatley in Thornham Marina & JBT Ribs For Sale who managed to career through the fleet before one start. He came from over the line on port tack to thread his way through the massed lines of starboard tack boats waiting to start. Everyone held their breath and waited for the crash, but it never came. We all watched the masthead weaving circles as Oatley threw the boat from side to side.

And who says sailing isn’t a spectator sport?

There will be an extra trophy for next year’s event because it’s the Boating Business 25th anniversary. We don’t know yet for what it will be presented, but we’ll think of something.

If you don’t have sailors in the company, Sunsail will hire you a qualified skipper. If your crew lacks foul weather gear, Sunsail can hire oilies and things to you.

It’s a great day out. Come and join us – email Peter Nash with your interest and he’ll take it from there – pnash@boatingbusiness.com

Take a look at the website at www.marineregatta.com to see what we got up to last time out.

The Marine Industry Regatta is sponsored by Boating Business, Yachting Monthly, Practical Boat Owner and Saltwater