Hundreds of yachts have taken part in the 95th Round the Island Race, in what organisers described as “near perfect sailing conditions”.
The annual race, circumnavigating the Isle of Wight, started at Royal Yacht Squadron Line at Cowes at 07:00 BST with various classes setting off every 10 minutes.
The first yacht to cross the finish line was Pace which finished at 12:48 BST.
Race director Dave Atkinson said it had been “an amazing day and a terrific race”.
“We’ve been wishing for good weather for years, and today has really delivered for us, as we’ve had fantastic sunshine and a good breeze.
“The sight of all the spinnakers up for the start was one to behold, and really showed the race in all its glory,” he added.
The race, a 50-nautical mile (93 km) lap of the Isle of Wight, saw the fleet of more than 800 boats head west from Cowes towards The Needles, before arriving back in Cowes via St Catherine’s Lighthouse, Bembridge and Ryde.
It sees professional sailors go up against amateurs, with a unique handicap system meaning any boat can win its prize – the coveted Gold Roman Bowl.
Full results are due to be confirmed on Sunday.
Pace completed the course in six hours and 32 minutes.
Skipper Jonny Vincent said: “It was hard work going down the mainland shore at the start, and there was a really funky bit around The Needles, which was a bit tricky.
“We stayed pretty close to the Island shore but so nice to head back into the sunshine.”
The course record for a monohull boat, set by Mike Slade on ICAP Leopard in 2013, is 3h 43m 50s.
Ned Collier Wakefield holds the multihull record of 2h 22m 23s, which was set in 2017 on Concise 10.
The first race took place in 1931 with 25 entries.
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