The UK's longest-running and most prestigious sailing regatta, Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week (6 - 13 August), returns to the Isle of Wight with a brilliant mix of competitive sailing, glittering parties and live entertainment, providing visitors with the perfect opportunity to jump aboard and soak up the atmosphere either on or off-shore.
A thousand sailboats, 8,500 competitors and more than a hundred thousand spectators ensures Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week's position as the world's largest sailing regatta of its kind. Races – around 40 per day - take place in the Solent waters off Cowes.
Visitors can enjoy watching much of the racing from the shore in Cowes. The Green and The Parade are great places to view the action, and the ever popular Extreme Sailing Series returns for 2011 with some exhilarating inshore racing off Egypt Point (from 3pm, Saturday 6 until Tuesday 9 August).
For those who would like to get afloat, bookings are now open for the event spectator boat service. The spectator boats allow over 150 visitors each day to get safely among the action and enjoy close views of the racing on hour-long round trips. Book up at www.aamcowesweek.co.uk or in person at the entrance to Trinity Landing during the event. Tickets are £8 for children up to 16, £10 for adults.
An exhilarating ride aboard a high speed Rigid Inflatable Powerboat is an option for the more adventurous, available from Ondeck through their ‘Rock up and RIB’ programme. To book, call 01983 284300 or email [email protected].
Finally, for those that would like to give sailing a go for themselves, the UKSA are offering hour-long sailing lessons for just £5 per person. Bookings can be made throughout the event at the UKSA unit on Cowes Parade.
As well as all the sailing action, there’s plenty going on in Cowes, with live entertainments providing a vibrant, festival atmosphere at each of the key venues.
Cowes Parade provides a unique vantage point of the racing start lines, as well as street entertainment, live music, the Sail for Gold bar and The Deck Restaurant.
At the centre of Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week shore-side activity is Cowes Yacht Haven. Entry is free (excluding Fireworks night) to the Haven, which this year features the Mahiki Cowes Cocktail Bar and live entertainment on the Gill stage. As part of the build-up to the regatta, Cowes Yacht Haven is also hosting two very special events. On Wednesday 3 August STATUS QUO will ‘Rock the Dock’ and on Thursday 4 August, entertainment will be provided by THE MANFREDS. Tickets for both nights are on sale now (http://www.rockinthedock.co.uk/).
Dedicated to Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week participants and friends, Shepards Wharf Marina hosts crew parties and themed nights throughout the week. Entrance to the site is free, although Competitor passes may be required at certain times. The late night Toe in the Water Crew Bar is open until 2am and entry to Club Infernos is free with a Competitor pass before 10pm throughout the week (excluding Fireworks night).
Full details of the entertainment line-up throughout Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week are now available online at www.cowesweek.co.uk - What's On Where. Details will be updated in the approach to the event, so keep checking back for more information.
The sensational Red Arrows will perform their jaw-dropping display at 19:30 on Saturday 6 August (the first Saturday of the event). The Red Arrows are pleased to make a return to the skies above Cowes after a disappointment in 2010 when the display had to be cancelled due to poor weather and visibility.
To help parents and children get the most out of their time at the regatta, a range of family-friendly activities and group offers have been introduced exclusively for Family Day which will take place, for the first time, on Sunday 7 August. The special free events include:
There will also be a special Stargazing Evening at Northwood House. This will be a multimedia presentation showing our excellent night skies, amongst the best in the UK and the beautiful countryside, bays, beaches we have on the Island with some of the wildlife life too. Entrance is free by ticket only - please click here for further details.
In addition, hour-long sailing lessons with the UKSA are available to families of four for a special discounted price of just £15 on Family Day (book at the Try Sailing Unit on Cowes Parade).
More adventurous families can enjoy a “Rock up and RIB” outing with Ondeck who are offering a special discounted ticket price of £95 for a family of four, or, for a slower-paced spectator experience, the spectator boat service has a significantly discounted family ticket price of £20 for 2 adults and 2 children, exclusively for Family Day.
A highlight of the event is the world-renowned fireworks, which take place on the final Friday of Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week. Tens of thousands of spectators flock from all over the Island and from the Mainland to watch the spectacular display over the Solent.
Both the event organisers, Cowes Week Limited, and Aberdeen Asset Management as the title sponsor of the event have committed sizeable contributions to the display this year. However, additional funds are still needed, and a fundraising campaign involving the local community is working hard to make sure that the 2011 fireworks display can go ahead. Anyone wishing to play their part in helping the campaign should visit www.aamcowesweek.co.uk to donate.
Other notable highlights include the newly introduced Family Day on Sunday 7 August, a day of fun for the whole family, whether racing, spectating or just soaking up the atmosphere. The event also hosts its regular Ladies Day on Tuesday 9 August, with activities to celebrate the achievements of women in sailing.
Up-to-date details of all the entertainment and activities on offer at this year’s Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week can be found on the event website at www.aamcowesweek.co.uk
As well as the usual Red Funnel ferry services from Southampton to Cowes, Blue Funnel also operates a dedicated regatta service from Lymington to Cowes during the event. Wightlink will be operating their normal services from Portsmouth to Ryde and Fishbourne and Lymington to Yarmouth and if you plan to bring a car, booking is essential. Parking is available at Northwood House in Cowes and Southern Vectis are offering a Park & Ride service available from Somerton just outside Cowes.
Cowes Week accommodation can be booked on-line at www.islandbreaks.co.uk
While most participants race at the event in their own or a friend’s boat, there are plenty of ways to take part in the racing for those with sailing experience but without access to a boat of their own.
One option is to visit the crewsearch forum at www.aamcowesweek.co.uk and register interest for a place on one of the competing boats. Available positions on boats that are already entered for the regatta can also be found here.
For sailors who have a crew but no boat, chartering a racing boat for individual days or the whole week is an increasingly cost-effective way of taking part in Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week. Details of available boats can be found on the Boats and RIBs forum on the event website, and there are many charter companies who can help too.
For people who would like to get involved but have less sailing experience, both Sunsail and Ondeck have their own dedicated classes at Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week and offer places for sailors of any ability on their professionally skippered boats. The popular “Rock up and Race” programme run by Ondeck also means that visitors in Cowes for the event can even turn up on-spec and go racing for the day (although booking is recommended).
Sailors who are planning on entering this year’s regatta are reminded to do so before the end of the Early Bird discounted entry fee on 13 June at 17:00.