Skandia Cowes Week

The oldest and largest sailing regatta in the world breezed into the Island’s social calendar once again this year, celebrating its 180th anniversary as well as another record number of entries.

Skandia Cowes Week retained its first class reputation for treating yachties, visitors and Island spectators alike to another incredible eight days of competitive racing and shoreside festivities.

Ideal sailing weather

In the week which followed the hottest July on record, the weather for Cowes was quite mixed this year as cooler and more unsettled conditions made their presence known amongst light-moderate south-westerly winds and the odd shower of rain. However, this was good news for the sailors as it set the foundations for a superb racing terrain.

Throughout its 180-year lifetime Cowes Week has acquired a rich heritage and now annually attracts a wide range of competitors from amateurs to Olympic and World champions to take part in an exciting racing schedule and a packed entertainment itinerary on shore throughout the course of the week.

8 days packed full of highlights

The record for the fastest time to sail around the Island was smashed by nearly 50 minutes on the Thursday afternoon of this year’s Cowes Week. Supermaxi racer ICAP Maximus completed the record-breaking attempt, in a time of 3 hours 20 minutes and 9 seconds, beating the current record held by the yacht Leopard that set a time of 4 hours 8 minutes and 55 seconds back in 2001.

Another highlight of Skandia Cowes Week 2006 was the first ever Ladies Day. 88-year old Betty Moore was selected to be the proud owner of the trophy; which was presented to her by Dame Ellen MacArthur. Ladies Day has been introduced to Cowes Week in a bid to mark the impact women have on what has, down through the years, been seen as a typically male dominated sport. Deserved winner Betty has been sailing at Cowes Week every year since 1947 and said she has every intention of returning next year.

The Ellen MacArthur Trust which is the official charity of Skandia Cowes Week, raised just over ninety thousand pounds during the course of the 8-day event. The Cowes yachtswoman's charity takes young people sailing with a view to helping them recover from serious illnesses.

The widely acclaimed fireworks display which is often seen as the traditional closing act to the regatta witnessed an estimated 200,000 people descending upon the town to catch a glimpse of what was indeed a spectatular array of fireworks, lighting up the night sky amidst a sea of boats.

A town ‘thriving with activity’

Whether competing at the event, interested in watching the racing or simply soaking up the festival atmosphere of Skandia Cowes Week, there was certainly no shortage of things to see and do in the town this year.

Races began every day from a line off the Royal Yacht Squadron. These took place every five minutes from 10:30am onwards. Further along The Parade and home to the Cowes Combined Clubs offices throughout the year, "Regatta House" acted as a central hub of activity for competitors during Skandia Cowes Week. It was from here that registration took place at the start of the event and declarations were collected at the end of each day of racing.

The Parade Village in the very heart of Cowes town is famed for it’s vibrant and exciting atmosphere during the premier sailing regatta and this year was no exception. It featured the Sail For Gold Bar and BBQ, retail units where individuals could sign up for free introductory sailing sessions, visit the Ellen MacArthur Trust and learn about the Skandia Team GBR. The Parade Village was also the place to visit into order to sample the work of local artists whist enjoying wine tasting exploits, live music, street entertainment and a unique vantage point of the racing start lines.

The new Cowes Yacht Haven once again housed the famous beer tent along with a varied selection of catering options. Notorious for its main stage and the wide range of entertainment on offer; this year the Yacht Haven played host to the likes of cockney favourites Chaz ‘n’ Dave and Rock ‘n’ Roll legends Showaddywaddy.

Shepards Wharf Marina situated on Medina Road down towards the floating bridge was another popular spot for competitors. Buzzing with activity, Shepards Wharf was the place where live results screens and online declarations could be found as well as Infernos Nightclub and the late night Crew Bar - for those who were still able to drum up some energy to party the night away following an energetic day at sea.

The future of Cowes Week

Skandia Cowes Week has grown beyond all expectation in the last 10 years and is now bringing an extra £20 million in revenue to the Island per year. However, during this time its rate of growth has meant an extra 50-100 boats gracing the shores of Cowes – many of which have to berth elsewhere and travel in daily. Much of the media coverage surrounding the Cowes Week 2006 focused upon the working party recently formed by Skandia to look at a long-term strategy for the event.

The Working Party maintains the view that allowing the event to grow in an unchecked way is not a viable option. They believe that in reality there are only two ways to go. Either, entries and class numbers need to be limited in some way or, the event needs to be extended beyond its current one-week format in order to allow future growth.

If you would like to air your views on the future of Cowes Week please follow this link to complete a short 10-minute questionnaire.

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