Skipper Kenneth Moore, with daughter Katherine and son-in-law Fin, will be among 16,000 sailors set to tackle the famous 50 nautical mile J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race course around the Isle of Wight on Saturday 1 June.
Now in its 82nd year, the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race, organised by the Island Sailing Club, is one of the largest yacht races in the world, regularly attracting over 1,700 boats, and is the fourth largest participation sporting event in the UK.
Myotonic Dystrophy is an inherited condition and the commonest muscular dystrophy of adult life. It is the most variable neuromuscular disorder in terms of severity, age at onset and different body systems affected. Kenneth’s wife, Mary, has a daughter, son and 16-year-old grandaughter who are all affected by this degenerative condition.
Myotonic Dystrophy Support Group is a very small charity, run by volunteers and dedicated to offering the hand of friendship and support to all those affected by Myotonic Dystrophy.
This will be the sixth year 73-year-old Kenneth, who only took up sail racing at 65, has entered the Round the Island Race, with his 20ft Norfolk Gypsy,Kingfisher, the only Norfolk Gypsy to have ever completed the race, which she has done three times.
Kenneth said: “I’ve never done the race for charity before but having seen the impact the condition has on people’s lives it seemed a perfect opportunity to raise awareness and funds for the Myotonic Dystrophy Support Group.
“It’s a nasty condition with very unpleasant side effects. Because it affects all of the muscles in the body, it can attack the heart and sufferers are extremely exhausted as it upsets sleep greatly. The gene can lay dormant for years and people don’t know they are carrying it.
“We’re hoping sailing conditions are more favourable than in recent years. In 2009 we retired due to lack of wind while in 2011 it was so windy we retired before the start. Last year the conditions very windy and rough, but we made it round. It was hairy though!”
The Round the Island’s ‘Race for All’ ethos is unique in that enthusiastic amateurs get to race alongside some of the biggest names from the worlds of sailing, sport and entertainment. Previous high-profile participants include four-time Olympic champion, Ben Ainslie, double Olympic gold medallist Shirley Robertson, Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton, England rugby World Cup winner Will Greenwood and TV star Denise Van Outen.
The race starts on the famous Royal Yacht Squadron line in Cowes and most boats will finish the iconic race between eight and 10 hours depending on conditions.
Once again the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust – the charity set-up by the history-making round the world yachtswoman to rebuild young people’s confidence in recovery from cancer through sailing – is the official race charity for 2013. Through the #raceforall Twitter hashtag, J.P Morgan will donate 10p per #raceforall Tweet to the charity, with the goal of raising at least £3,000, as well as ramping up the online social media buzz around the race.
J.P. Morgan Asset Management has been title sponsor of the Round the Island Race for nine years and is committed until 2014. For more information about the 2013 Round the Island Race visit www.roundtheisland.org.uk
