Two sailors representing the island will be on the start line in Cowes for the 50th edition of the Rolex Fastnet Race tomorrow, Saturday.

Polish-born skipper Kuba Szymanski and co-skipper Maciej Lato will be racing the Polished Manx 2 yacht in the IRC 3 class.

They will be among 3,500 competitors from across 32 countries, competing in a fleet of 490 yachts.

The biennial event has been held since 1925, with only seven boats taking part in the first race - a world away from this year’s 490. The race has been held every two years since the 1930s, barring war time.

The huge fleet will set sail from the Isle of Wight to tackle the complex 695 nautical mile course, ultimately finishing at Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, France via the infamous Fastnet Rock off the southern tip of Ireland.

Jamie Stott was also scheduled to participate in Countess Charlotte - but had to withdraw for reasons unknown.

The majority of those taking part are amateur sailors, but Szymanski has been sailing for 50 years, at first in dinghies, then offshore and now as a professional seafaring captain.

Co-skipper, Lato, is a young Polish yachtsman who started out on the Polished Manx 2 three years ago. He has co-skippered in various offshore races.

Both men are looking forward to racing, and hope to sail to Denmark after the event in time for the start of the Round Denmark race on August 3.

Szymanski’s love for sailing originates from his former years in Poland: ‘We’ve had teams in the OSTAR and TWOSTAR since 1974 and there were three Polish teams in the 1979 Fastnet. Polish sailors love offshore racing’.

The 1979 Fastnet Race he refers to was hit by a tragic storm which killed 18 people and sank five boats.

All yachts carry a tracker so their progress in the race can be followed via the RORC social media and the race website, www.rolexfastnetrace.com