Cowes Week

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Yacht Racing during Cowes WeekPicture courtesy of Isle of Wight Tourism

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Cowes Week is the longest-running, regular regatta in the world. The event is held in the town of Cowes on the Isle of Wight, off the southern coast of England.

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It is held in early August, set as running in the social calendar after Glorious Goodwood which, in most years means, from the first Friday to the following Friday, after the last Tuesday in July. However it is occasionally moved to another week if the state of the tide in the normal week is unfavourable. This happened in 2004. The regatta finishes with a large evening fireworks display launched from barges in the Solent (the area of water between southern England and the Isle of Wight).

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A typical Cowes Week now has at least thirty-five starts a day for the same number of the classes; the number of boats taking part is around nine hundred. Classes include cruiser-racers, one designs and keelboat classes. Cowes also plays host to visiting foreign warships, sail training vessels and celebrated high profile yachts. During this time the Solent is filled with sailing boats of all classes and is particularly colourful due to the display of different spinnakers (the large triangular sail hoisted at the front of a yacht).

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As well as the sailing-related activities, the week includes a number of onshore events including live music and cocktail parties. From marquees erected in the marinas serving food and drink, through to crowds overflowing from busy public houses and restaurants around the narrow high street, the town becomes a hive of activity into the early hours of each evening.

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Regatta: A regatta is a boat race or series of boat races. This can include both powered and unpowered craft. The term is also used to describe the festivities that occur during the lead up to the races, often a large social event for the town the regatta takes place in....

Cowes: Cowes is a seaport town on the Isle of Wight, an island due south of the major southern English port of Southampton. It is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east Bank. The town is therefore sometimes referred to as West Cowes, ...

Isle of Wight: The Isle of Wight is an island off the south coast of England, opposite Southampton. Popularized from Victorian times as a holiday resort, it is known for its areas of natural beauty and as home to the Royal Yacht Squadron at Cowes, a town that hosts a world famous annual regatta. Colloquially, it ...

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