News - 04/09/15

The British Powerboat Racing Club will again be running the annual Cowes – Torquay – Cowes Powerboat Race on Sunday, 6th September 2015. This year the race will start across the Royal Yacht Squadron line with some 15 -20 Marathon class offshore powerboats crossing the harbour entrance and roaring off down the western Solent at 0930. Their course will then take them to East Lepe, Sconce and SW Shingles before heading west through Poole Bay to Portland Bill and then across Lyme Bay to Torquay.

After racing to Torquay in the morning, the boats will race back to the Solent in the afternoon following a reciprocal course and finishing north of the Gurnard cardinal buoy. If the weather is good, the leaders are expected to return past Hurst Castle shortly after 1500 with slower craft following any time up until 1730.

This year, there will also a second race from Cowes to Poole Bay and back for smaller boats. This race will start at 0945 and return between 1100 and 1300 to the same finish off Gurnard.

Finally, a rally of Classic Powerboats will re-enact starts of years gone by crossing the RYS line at 1000.

Further information on the event is available on the Cowes-Torquay-Cowes event website. As always, the safety of both spectators and the race boat crews is paramount. Further guidance for spectator craft, pleasure boats, and other mariners regarding the course and safety precautions for the event is provided in Cowes Local Notice to Mariners No 33(T) of 2015.