Cowes Week 2024: What to expect

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11 Jul 2024 15:12

As the excitement for Cowes Week 2024 builds, Georgie Corlett-Pitt looks ahead…

Cowes Week 2024

Cowes Week takes place this year from 27 July to 2 August. Entries for 2024 are already up on 2023, with around 500 boats expected, drawing sailors and spectators in their thousands.

With 2026 set to mark the 200^th anniversary of this iconic event, things are already ramping up to ensure a superlative experience for all, with organisers promising a unique blend of traditional and modern.

Yet sailors need not wait two whole years though to enjoy an exciting, world class regatta, with plans already well in hand to ensure 2024 is a fantastic and memorable event.

High calibre Competition

A concerted effort in recent years has seen the calibre of on the water competition cement the event’s reputation for outstanding racing, with amateur sailors lining up against some of the sport’s top international pros to tackle all the Solent can conjure.

To ensure the needs of all classes are taken into account for 2024, the Cowes Week management team has spent the winter months consulting directly with class reps. Their feedback has been used directly in the planning of this year’s event, so expect a few class-specific tweaks this year when the Sailing Instructions are published on 12 July.

The aim, says Steve Cole, Principal Race Officer for Cowes Week, is to “draw racing sailors together no matter what their experience or interest”.

Regardless of whether a fleet is off orienteering round the cans, or has multiple short-course races scheduled, the opportunity to start amidst the smoke of the iconic Royal Yacht Squadron starting cannons is a prestige granted to all of the 30+ fleets at multiple points during the week.

Other changes in recent years have already ensured the event remains welcoming to all, such as the introduction of two cruiser fleets, and mini-series now run as standard for some classes. Special trophies are awarded for newcomers and charter crews, as well as youth and female sailors, acts of sportsmanship – and of course we couldn’t not mention that there is a Sailing Today Cruiser Trophy for the best Performance Cruiser! Add a plethora of daily and perpetual prizes for every fleet, and there are plenty of silverware incentives for all.

Cowes Week 2024: Tech transformation

Transformations have also come about thanks to technology, alongside a significant increase in race management resources, which together have ensured this most historic of regattas can deliver seamlessly on the racing front.

The introduction of start and finish line VAR cameras, cutting edge course setting and race tracking software for use by officials, plus a ground-breaking competitor communications app have all ensured racing is both fair and first class. It helps of course to have cohorts of highly experienced race officials. There are now four starting vessels out on the water on each of the seven days of racing, in addition to a team on the RYS platform – a herculean feat of volunteer people-power.

Boat heading down solent, portsmouth behind — Credit: Cowes Week

Cowes Week’s Paul Ward explains more: “Our world leading race management app not only sends user-friendly and timely information on courses to all of our competitors, but is a really important part of being able to build in the flexibility that we need to run so many races a day from so many start vessels. So while we still have a significant number of competitors who enjoy our longer ‘orienteering’ courses – and that is why they come to Cowes Week – what we have also been able to add is the much more modern formats for those who want that, and we have been able to mix the two for those who like both.”

Cowes Week 2024: Fresh new vibe

Onshore, the organisers are promising a fresh, new vibe and are currently working towards delivering a programme of ‘festival’ style entertainment alongside the racing events. Details were still under wraps at the time of print, but there are hints at a number of exciting music, entertainment and food/drinks offerings. The Regatta team are working closely with Cowes Town Council, Cowes Harbour Commission and Cowes Yacht Haven to look at ways to enhance the competitor and visitor experience. More details soon…

The town’s yacht clubs, too, are being encouraged to open their doors competitors with more organised events, promising something for everyone’s taste and budget.

This year, the RNLI has been chosen to join the regatta’s official charities, alongside the Tall Ships Youth Trust. The RNLI, the charity that saves lives at sea, will be celebrating their own 200th anniversary in 2024. The RNLI team from the Cowes Lifeboat Station will be organising a variety of fun activities throughout the week at the Parade Regatta Village.

Of this year’s regatta overall, the final word to Cowes Week Chair, Bob Trimble: “We have to be worthy of our 200^th anniversary in 2026, and we also have to be good enough that 2026 is not a one-off. Both on and off the water, we are working hard to ensure 2024 is a milestone on a path of great racing and a true festival onshore.”

How to Enter Cowes Week 2024

Standard Entry is open until Sunday 14 July, and last-minute entries can still be made until 26 July; both regatta and daily entries are available. See the Cowes Week Website for info.

Q&A with Cowes Week Principal Race Officer, Steve Cole

What makes Cowes Week so unique?

Cowes Week is a regatta in the true sense of the word; the town is always busy and with the event being based on a holiday destination it allows friends and families to be part of it both on and off the water. For the sailing, the aim is to provide a mixture of courses, sailing angles and duration to give both value for money and variety.

What might be different this year?

Following the feedback survey conducted after the 2023 event, some classes have requested two or more races a day on some days and we will also be working on rescheduling races if the weather causes difficulties with the schedule. All of this is being thought through now with our course setting team and will be detailed in the sailing Instructions.

Anything else notable on the water?

With the announcement of the return of the Admiral’s Cup in 2025, we are expecting some teams to use Cowes Week as a training week for the races in 2025. The highlights will be the races for the prestigious trophies, including the Britannia Cup and the New York Yacht Club Challenge Cup (for IRC Class 0 and IRC Class 1).

What is your advice for first timers or maybe for those returning to the regatta after a few years away?

If you have never been to Cowes Week before, we would definitely encourage you to come and give it a go, even if you are part of the cruiser classes, or Weekend Warriors, it still gives you the opportunity to sail in the same stretch of water as the pro boats and bigger classes.

For those returning after a few years away, you will notice huge improvements in the technology available; there is an outstanding competitors’ app which gives you all the race information at your fingertips, and allows you to do all the necessary formalities online.

Cowes Week 2024: Ones to watch

Cowes Week is the greatest festival of racing in the Solent each year. Corinthian sailors compete with some of the biggest names in the sport in a wide range of keelboats, from custom designed race yachts to traditional dayboat classes.

Some of the hottest action will no doubt come from the performance race yachts of Black Group, and will include the Performance 40 Class and Cape 31s. Family teams will be racing with Cougar of Cowes and Star-Born 4 will be sailing with three generations of the same family.

Taking things at a more sedate pace perhaps but with some close contests nonetheless expected, the Performance Cruiser and Club Cruisers classes will be racing all week; Club Cruisers will also vie for the Weekend Warrior Trophy. Look out for West Solent One Design Suvretta celebrating her centenary year.

Notable among the dayboat classes of White Group will be Solent Sunbeam Dainty, which has raced in every Cowes Week since 1966.

The largest class is likely to be the X One Design, where the competition for the Captain’s Cup is one of the most hotly fought events. Expect to see teams from Itchenor, Lymington and Poole in action, among them will be Madcap – built in 1911. Previous winners set to compete once again include Itchenor legend John Tremlett, and David Bedford in his 60th year racing an XOD at Cowes Week.

For the J70 fleet, Cowes Week will once again see the biggest UK gathering of this modern and dynamic International Class, with 30 boats racing.

Meanwhile, in the Redwing class 2024 Cowes Week Overall Winners Mark Downer and family team will be back sailing Enigma to defend their title.

International competitors have Cowes Week at the top of their list of great regattas and this year the regatta will welcome Belgian, Dutch and French teams racing in IRC; along with Dragons from Germany and even an Etchells team from New Zealand.

Victory class celebrates 90 years

Celebrating its 90th anniversary in 2024, the Victory Class is a Cowes Week classic having taken part in the regatta as early as 1938.

The earliest of these sturdy, black-hulled, 21ft clinker dayboats trace their pedigree back to the gaff-rigged Bembridge one-designs, penned by eminent Solent designer Alfred Westmacott (also X One-Design, Mermaid and Sunbeam) and later modified by Sydney Graham – their shallow draft, speed and ease of handling under an updated Bermudan rig ensured a swift rise in popularity as the boat was readily adopted for club racing in and around Portsmouth Harbour. A spinnaker was added, along with the ‘Z’ insignia on the mainsail, and the class forged ahead as a strict one-design. The fleet numbered 29 boats by 1939, many sailed by naval officers, resulting in a number of boats being shipped to Gibraltar; a fleet still exists there today.

By the 50^th anniversary in 1984, there were 32 boats racing for the celebrations in Cowes.

90 years later, and the Victory class has maintained that competitive reputation (a busy calendar sees around 90 races run from Portsmouth in the summer months) and the class has had no fewer than seven different winners in the last eight Cowes Weeks!

Celebrations for the 90th are set to be memorable, with a BBQ planned on the Monday night in Cowes to celebrate the Westmacott Trophy, followed by a special class dinner on the Thursday evening.

Even as it celebrates its many years of successful racing, the Victory class is also embracing its future. Since the launch in 2007 of a GRP Victory, developed by the class association and built by David Heritage Yachting, numbers racing have shown an upwards trend, with several new boats bolstering this very active and much-loved fleet.

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