News - 02/08/16

Racing in the 2016 Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week gets under way at 1005 this Saturday, 6th August, with the eight day regatta offering, as always, a great mix of competitive sailing and social activities. 

This year’s Cowes Week is a week later than usual to avoid spring tides; the opening day is only two days after the peak of the spring tide cycle. The regatta start sequence gets closer to low water as the week progresses, with the first starts happening on a falling tide from Thursday, 11th onwards. Read more on Cowes Week tidal streams and heights on the event website. 

Many of the world’s finest sailors take part, including Olympic medallists, world champions and America’s Cup crews alongside families and friends. For all sailors, the waters of the Solent are challenging and rewarding to compete on, busy with shipping and leisure sailors, dotted with sandbanks and rocky outcrops, with complex tides, and subject to the ever-changing British weather. Every year, scores of Cowes Week competitors miss out on potentially good race results, so this year, regatta organisers have prepared some helpful tips on how to avoid those classic Cowes Week mistakes! 

For the much-loved Cowes Radio, this will be the 31st continuous year of broadcasting at Cowes Week. For competing yachtsmen the station provides essential news and race information including the official broadcast of the race courses from the platform of the Royal Yacht Squadron, tide times, winds, race results, dedicated weather forecasts from a marine meteorologist and essential regatta information. Listen on 87.7FM or at www.cowesradio.co.uk.

Whether you are a competitor at Cowes Week, interested in watching the racing, or simply want to be involved in the festival atmosphere of the event, there are plenty of things to see and do, from Family Day to Ladies Day, Try Sailing to the Artemis Challenge, outdoor cinema, fantastic aerial displays and fireworks. The Red Arrows will be performing at 1920 on Thursday, 11th August with the RAF Typhoon display at 1930 on Friday, 12th August, ahead of the spectacular fireworks at 2130.

For Cowes Week safety and navigation information, including relevant Cowes Local Notices to Mariners, please read “Enjoy safe sailing at Cowes Week”. 

Cowes Harbour Commission’s marina at Shepards Wharf is one of four official Cowes Week shoreside events venues and you can find out what’s on during the regatta in “Cowes Week 2016 at Shepards”.