The Gladiator, the Warrior Prince and the Unconquerable
Strong winds, heavy seas, royal participation and wounded warriors in this year's record-breaking JP Morgan Round the Island Race.
It was 23-year-old Bernard Langley at the helm of TP52 Gladiator B, together with brother Will and sister Charlotte in crew roles on their inaugural attempt, that claimed the Gold Roman Bowl in this year's JP Morgan Round the Island Race.
Left to right; William, Bernard and Charlotte Langley
Sir Keith Mills' FAST 40+ Invictus finished in 2nd place in a close fought battle for this, one of the sport's most coveted trophies.
On board with Sir Keith, also for his first time in the race, Prince Harry - no stranger to adversity, having served two tours of duty in Afghanistan and having trekked to the South Pole with wounded servicemen.
Prince Harry on board Invictus. Injured veterans made up part of the crew on both Invictus and Gladiator B. Photo Credit: onEdition
Also on board Invictus with Prince Harry, Zoe Williams, the Invictus Games competitor, and on the Gladiator B, Paralympian sailor, Steve Palmer.
The Langley family is a patron of the Prince's work with injured servicemen and women through The Royal Foundation of the Duke & Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry. The family has been instrumental in introducing competitive sailing to over 350 injured servicemen and women in recent years.
And whereas no quarter is given and none expected on the water, Sir Keith, who is Chairman of Their Royal Highnesses' foundation, is also a good friend of the family and regularly competes with the Gladiator B, winning last year's IRC Class 0 and the Gold Roman Bowl in 2013.
Bernard Langley at the helm of Gladiator B, powering past the Needles.
Bernard Langley:
"We knew that Invictus was going to be a real challenge today and it was just fantastic to win the class, but the Gold Roman Bowl as well? Unbelievable!....I hope that Prince Harry enjoyed his first Round the Island as much as we did and that he'll come back and do it again next year. We certainly will!"
The Gladiator B team finished just 6 minutes ahead of Invictus on corrected time, completing the 50 mile course in 4 hours, 28 minutes.
The 1,500 plus competing boats experienced heavy seas and strong winds, seeing Lloyd Thornburg’s MOD70 trimaran, Phaedo 3 smash Sir Ben Ainslie's 2013 record for the 50 mile circumnavigation. Smaller boat classes were cancelled by the organisers due to the extreme conditions.
Meanwhile, in Porto Cervo, Sardinia, the Gladiator A boat notched up its first win in the 52 Super Series. The A boat had been struggling to find form since launching last season.
The Gladiator A boat notched up its first win in the 52 Super Series on the same day that
Gladiator B claimed the Gold Roman Bowl.
Next up, the Gladiator B will be competing at Cork Week in Ireland later this month. The boat dominated Antigua Sailing Week in April and won the prestigious Class 1 at the Royal Yacht Squadron Bicentenary Regatta last August, teaming with injured veterans on Atomic of Cowes, Langley's Farr 45 on permanent loan to injured ex-servicemen charity Toe in the Water.
Gladiator B - winner of the Gold Roman Bowl in this year's JP Morgan Round the Island Race. Photo JP Morgan Asset Management
About the Round the Island race
The annual JP Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race, organised by the Island Sailing Club, is a one-day yacht race around the Isle of Wight, an island situated off the south coast of England. The race regularly attracts over 1,700 boats and around 16,000 sailors, making it one of the largest yacht races in the world and the fourth largest participation sporting event in the UK after the London Marathon and the Great North and South Runs.Competitors come from all over the UK, other parts of Europe and as far away as the USA to follow the 50 nautical mile course round the Isle of Wight.