Some Pointers for First-Timers. Please contact us if there's anything missing or you require more details.

Entry

Entry to Cowes Week is completed online. The Notice of Regatta and entry systems come online in late March or early April. It should be noted that we give an early bird discount to those who enter early. After this time we go into our standard entry fee until the week prior to the start of Cowes Week when the late entry fee is applied.

If you are entering one of the handicap classes (IRC for larger monohulls, SBR for sportsboats, MOCRA for multihulls or, for the final Saturday only, ISCRS for cruising boats that want to try racing just for a day) then you will need to obtain an up-to-date rating (for details see here). However, you can enter Cowes Week before you have your rating, so long as you allow enough time for the administration to go through.

If you choose to display advertising on your boat, or your boat name advertises a commercial product, then we charge a double entry fee. This extra fee is waived if the advertising is purely for a registered charity or promotes one of Cowes Week’s official sponsors.

Berthing and shoreside accommodation

Berthing and accommodation in Cowes get booked up very early. It is therefore worthwhile sorting out these aspects even before our entry process is online. See here for places to berth and here for accommodation.

Class flags and sail number dodgers

All boats racing at Cowes Week need to display a class flag. The flag needed by your class will be detailed in the Notice of Regatta; it is up to each boat to provide its own flag. All boats should also come equipped with a flag 'B' (swallow tailed red flag) to display in the event of protesting another boat, and a flag 'Q' (rectangular yellow flag) in case you need to accept a penalty.

You will need to have your sail number displayed on your mainsail, overlapping headsails and your downwind sails. In exceptional circumstances (i.e. if you are forced to borrow a sail from another boat) it may be possible to display a different number on that sail - so long as it does not conflict with the number carried by any other Cowes Week competitor - dispensation for these exceptional circumstances must be applied for as early as possible.

All boats in the black group classes (see below) also need to display their sail number by way of a dodger carried in the guardrails (or stick-on numbers on each side of the hull). Again, the Notice of Regatta provides full details of what is required.

Sponsor decals and pennants

As allowed under the Racing Rules of Sailing, the regatta reserves the forward 20% of the hull for our own sponsor decals and may also require you to fly a sponsor pennant from the backstay. Details of these requirements are in the Notice of Regatta.

The Regatta Office

Registrations at the start of the week must be completed at the Regatta Office (18 Bath Road, behind the Bandstand on Cowes Parade). This acts as the central hub of information for all racing related queries.

It is also where protests will be heard after racing each day – you can check the EventTV screens throughout Cowes for details of when your protest will be heard, or if you have been protested.

Black Group & White Group

Cowes Week differentiates the smaller open day boats which are referred to as white group, and the larger boats (mainly with cabins) that are referred to as black group.

Safety Equipment

All white group boats have to comply with the specific Cowes Week safety equipment regulations (found in Race Documents under the Racing menu) as well as with their own class rules (if appropriate).

Boats in the black group classes need to comply with the ISF (International Sailing Federation) regulations for inshore (category 4) races – found on the ISF website at www.sailing.org. However, if your boat cannot fully comply for some reason then you can apply in writing for dispensation. Common examples include boats that do not have guardrails, or boats that cannot comply with the required size of cockpit drains.

Sailing Instructions

With nearly 1000 boats racing across about 40 classes, the sailing instructions for Cowes Week are generally more complex than other regattas. So the first and most important piece of advice is to read the Sailing Instructions (SI’s) thoroughly, read them again, and then get someone else on the boat to read them too! There will often be amendments as changes are made or errors are picked up after the SIs have been printed. It is vital that these are read and ideally integrated into the body of the SIs.

Navigation Restrictions

Don’t get caught out! Every year, many boats are penalised unnecessarily because they go through restricted areas – read the SI’s. It's just as important for regular Cowes Week competitors as it is for newcomers to read the SI’s thoroughly.

Start Lines

Most starts happen off the Royal Yacht Squadron line, although please read your SI’s carefully as some starts will be from a committee boat line. If you are starting from the committee boat line, make sure you listen to the VHF from 0900 to ascertain where the line is likely to be – also check the boards by the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club as you leave the harbour. Please bear in mind that it may take considerable time to get to your start depending on where the line is positioned, so do allow plenty of time.

While the start sequence will normally give 10 minutes between each start, there will be times when this is shortened down to only five minutes. Make sure you understand how this shorter sequence is signalled by reading the SI’s.

Courses

Courses are designed each day taking into account the weather forecast, tidal streams, and speed of each class of boat.

Courses are broadcast just after your warning signal via VHF for Black Group and via course boards for the White Group. Courses are also sent via text to mobile phones - if you have registered your mobile phone details with us. Registration must be done in advance via the entry form or let us know by the Thursday prior to the start of the week. If you lose your phone or need to change numbers for any reason then you will need to let us know the evening before a new number is to be used.

Finish Lines

The finishing line to be used by each group is allocated on a daily basis. The two fixed lines are either at the RYS (between the flagstaff and mark Alpha), or just to the east of Cowes Harbour (between a committee boat and mark Gamma).

Retirement

If you retire from a race for any reason, please let us know either by calling on VHF 77 or by phoning the Regatta Centre on 01983 295744.

Declarations

One aspect of the SI’s that is often overlooked by first-timers on day one of racing, is the need to complete a declaration before the deadline after each day of racing. The declaration needs to have your finish time and ideally should include details of the sail number of the boat ahead and the boat astern of you at the finish regardless of class. Read your SI’s carefully!

Declarations are needed for a number of reasons:

• If the race officers on the finish line fail to spot you finishing among all the other boats, this is a way of being reinstated.
• If there are urgent messages for anyone on your boat, the system ensures that someone from the boat can be contacted at least once a day.

Declarations can be completed either:

• Online. Note that for those without access to their own computers, there will be internet points located at the Regatta Information Office.
• By SMS text message from your registered race mobile phone (see here for instructions).

Note: There are NO paper declaration forms at the Regatta Centre. All declarations should be completed using one of the above methods.

Identification

With so many boats racing, and many others cruising round the Solent, identifying all the boats for starts and finishes can be difficult. Be sensible and carry all the required means of identification including class flags, sail number dodgers on the guard rails etc. as appropriate. Failure to do so may result in your boat being marked as ‘Not Seen to Finish’, which is frustrating!

Cowes Radio

Cowes Radio do a fantastic job of following the racing and providing commentary, quasi-official information on courses, updates on racing, plus interviews etc on 87.7FM. Competitors generally find this a great source of information.

Cowes Radio is also broadcast on the public announcement system along the Green and Cowes Parade.