News - 2014

12:28 Saturday 2 Aug 2014 Sue Pelling/CWLFirst timers and vintage sailors add to the flavour of Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week

Lloyd's Lutine continuing the tradition of competing at Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week – photo Rick Tomlinson/CWL

Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week has always been known as one of the world’s greatest all-embracing regattas. From Olympic, professional, to family sailing, this regatta caters for all.

The event continues to flourish with plenty of first timers signed up this year. In all there are 54 newcomers to the event in range of different classes including entries from France, Ireland, Belgium and Italy.

On the other end of the scale there are 15 competitors racing at this event who also raced at the 1964 regatta, including Peter Nicholson – former chairman of the Cowes Combined Clubs (CCC). Nicholson, who’s racing this week on an XOD (Sunshine X77) chatting about how the event has changed in the last 50 years, said: “I’ve been racing at Cowes Week since 1946 but it was 1964 when the Cowes Combined Clubs was formed that really made the difference. Prior to that each club ran its own regatta but it was the HRH The Duke of Edinburgh who made a suggestion to run it as one regatta. The racing was similar but with fewer boats and the emphasis then was on the big boats. The two big trophies were the Britannia Cup and the New York YC Challenge Cup. They were the ones to win. In those days is was more of an amateur event but sponsorship over the years has enabled the regatta to flourish in to the highly successful event we see today.”

To celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the CCC an anniversary Trophy has been introduced – a painting by local yachtsman and artist Mike Till. This perpetual trophy, which depicts HMY Britannia off Cowes with the Duke of Edinburgh’s yachts Coweslip, Bluebottle, and Bloodhound under sail, is being awarded to the best club team who registered before 1 August.