Skandia Cowes Week

Cowes Week Skandia Cowes Week - Cowes Week (known as Skandia Cowes Week since 1994) is the longest-running regular regatta in the world. Having started in 1826, the Event is held on the Solent (the area of water between southern England and the Isle of Wight made tricky by strong double tides), and is run by Cowes Combined Clubs in the small town of Cowes on the Isle of Wight.

Skandia Cowes Week The regatta has been part of the British summer social calendar for many years and is traditionally held after Goodwood and before the start of the grouse shooting season. Over the years the regatta has been visited by royalty and other world-famous personalities as well as naval warships, superyachts and square-riggers.

A typical Cowes Week now has over thirty-five starts a day for classes of cruiser-racers, one designs and keelboats; over a thousand boats and 8500 competitors take part. During this time the Solent, which is a busy commercial waterway, is filled with boats of all classes and is particularly colourful due to the spinnakers (the large triangular sail hoisted at the front of a yacht when running downwind). Skandia Cowes Week now stages up to 40 daily races for over 1,000 boats and is the largest sailing regatta of its kind in the world.

Skandia Cowes Week As well as the sailing activities, the week includes a large number of onshore events including live music and cocktail parties. From private or commercial house parties, and nominally private yacht clubs and boats. Around 50,000 visitors are attracted to Cowes by the Skandia festival atmosphere of the Event each year, in addition to all the competitors.

Skandia Cowes Week is traditionally held during the week beginning on the first Saturday after the last Tuesday in July (except where the tides make the traditional dates virtually unworkable). Dates for future Skandia Cowes Weeks are listed below:

2008: 2 to 9 August
2009: 1 to 8 August
2010: 31 July to 7 August
2011: 6 to 13 August
2012: 11 to 18 August