Cowes Week

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Cowes Week is held at the beginning of August after Glorious Goodwood. In 2008 it will take place from 2nd to 9th August. Around 8,500 competitors in over 1000 boats in up to forty different handicap, one-design and multi-hull classes take part in this annual sailing regatta which includes is a mixture of classic and modern designs including many classes which have been racing for over 50 years  such as Dragons, Flying Fifteens, Redwings, Sea View Mermaids, Solent Sunbeams, Swallows, Victories and X-one-designs with the competitors  ranging from world class yachtsmen to amateur sailors.
 

Where is Cowes?

Cowes is  on the Isle of Wight, a small island situated just south of the UK mainland. It is the main port with a natural harbour at the mouth of the Medina river which feeds into The Solent, the body of water separates the Isle of Wight from mainland England. The Solent is renowned as a training ground for sailing due to its varied coastline and fierce tidal streams.

During Cowes week a large number of events and parties are held onshore bringing crowds of revellers to the town which becomes a hive of buzzing activity.

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History of the Regatta

The first race was held in 1826 for the prize of a  “Gold Cup of the Value of £100”. Only seven yachts took part under the flag of the Royal Yacht Club. However the next year King George IV stamped his seal his approval of the event by presenting a cup (the King’s Cup) and the event became known as Cowes Regatta which was run as a three-day event and which subsequently became an essential part of the social calendar attended by  both British and foreign royal and the nobility plus the rich and famous.

From 1946, other yachting clubs organised racing either side of the three days and by  1953 it had grown to nine days of racing although each club still ran its own event with its own sailing instructions, racing marks and start and finish lines.

In 1964 Cowes Combined Clubs was formed to run and organise the regatta. This body represented the seven clubs involved in managing the racing when the universal start line, sailing instructions and racing marks were standardised for the Week.

In 1995 Skandia came on board as title sponsors of the event and today, Cowes Week is one of the UK’s longest running and most successful sporting events.