The UK’s longest annual dinghy, catamaran and board race takes place around the Isle of Sheppey this weekend.

The Round The Island race has been going since 1959 and is organised by the Isle of Sheppey Sailing Club.

The 40-mile course takes in the open sea, river and estuary. In past years, up to 300 competitors have taken part.

Sailors will leave the yacht club in Marine Parade, Sheerness, at various times on Saturday morning and then sail clockwise around the Island passing Minster Leas, Warden, Leysdown, Shellness, Harty and Queenborough before returning to Sheerness.

All boats must sail under the Kingsferry Bridge or be walked along the beach.

Before the Sheppey Crossing was built, this led to huge traffic delays on the A249 as the bridge had to be lifted to let competitors with tall masts sail underneath.

The race is open to all classes of yachts, catamarans, paddle and sail boards.

Every competitor who completes the course receives a “circumnavigation certificate” signed by the club’s commodore.

Entry is £35 on the day. Registration takes place from 8am inside the clubhouse. If weather is bad the race will be held on Sunday.

Stuart Gummer and Ryan Crawford hold the record for multi-hulls in Hobie Wild Cat at 1hr 52mins. Neil Ashby and Sam Proctor set the course record for a single-hull yacht in an RS800 at 2hrs 17mins. The late David Clay still holds the sail board record at 2hrs 42mins which he set in 2010.

Start times

8am Paddleboard

10am Mono-hulls and sailboards

11am Mono-hulls and slow multi-hulls

11.30am - Fast multi-hulls

Sailors must finish the course by 7.30pm to be included in the results.

High tide is at 3.23pm

Find out more at www.iossc.org.uk/islandrace/index.php