As the cannons fired across the Solent on Friday (8 August 2025), Cowes entered the last races of 2025 knowing the next time the starting guns sound, it will be for a once-in-a-lifetime celebration. The 2026 regatta will mark the 200th anniversary of Cowes Week – the world’s largest and most storied sailing event.
Two centuries in the making
Cowes Week began in 1826 with a single race for a £100 Gold Cup. Seven yachts, racing under the flag of the Royal Yacht Club (later the Royal Yacht Squadron), set a tradition that would grow into the biggest multi-class regatta on the planet.
Royal patronage came early – King George IV presented the King’s Cup in 1827 – and through the 19th and early 20th centuries, Cowes became part of Britain’s high-summer social calendar. From the graceful metre-class yachts of the 1900s to the mighty J-Class of the 1930s, and now TP52s, Cape 31s and foiling sportsboats, the regatta has always been a showcase for innovation, competition, and spectacle.
In 1964, on the suggestion of HRH Prince Philip, the Cowes Combined Clubs (CCC) was formed to bring nine organising bodies into one coordinating structure. In 2007, Cowes Week Ltd took over overall management, creating the streamlined format we see today. What hasn’t changed is the mix: 500 boats across 28 classes, 40 races a day, and a shore scene that draws more than 60,000 visitors.
2025: a regatta of variety
Cowes Week 2025, held from 2–8 August, delivered a full sampler of Solent sailing conditions. Light airs on Day 1 delayed starts, while Day 3 was abandoned entirely for safety in the teeth of Storm Floris. Breezy, sun-lit days alternated with shifty tactical tests, keeping race officers and crews busy.
Some of the week’s standout results came from the high-performance Cape 31 fleet. Sandy Askew’s Flying Jenny lifted the prestigious Britannia Cup on Youth Day, beating 23 of the highest-rated IRC yachts in a mixed-fleet contest. Bullit, skippered by Julian Metherell, claimed the New York Yacht Club Challenge Cup after a clean sweep for the Cape 31s in IRC Zero, IRC1 and their own class.
Mini-series titles went to Flying Jenny (Cape 31), Nils Razmilovic’s Glasgow Kiss (SB20) and Martin Dent’s Jelvis (J/70). In the charity and community sphere, the Andrew Cassell Foundation fielded four Sonars with crews of sailors with disabilities; the Scaramouche Sailing Trust’s Flying Fifteen Scaramouche raced with a replacement spinnaker donated mid-week after a blow-out; and Autism on the Water competed in IRC6, sharing the transformative benefits of sailing.
Recognisable names on the startline
Several Cowes Week legends and grand prix machines were on the water this year. Tony Langley’s TP52 Gladiator joined for the final days, alongside Malcolm Offord’s TP52 Braveheart. Adam Gosling’s Yes! – a multiple Black Group overall winner – battled in IRC2 against Rutger Krijger and Caroline van Beelen’s Jack Rabbit and David Franks’ Leon.
Peter Morton’s Scherzo of Cowes, the 2022 Black Group winner, returned in IRC5. South African-flagged Tokoloshe 4 (Cape 31) and the immaculate Quarter Tonner BLT added further pedigree.
Kiwi and Aussie links were strong. Scherzo of Cowes carries New Zealand design heritage, and Morton is a familiar name to many Down Under. Several professional crews in the Cape 31s and IRC Zero fleets featured Antipodean sailors – experience honed in Fastnet, Sydney Hobart, and SailGP campaigns.
Trophy battles to the wire
Going into Friday’s finale, the race for the Overall Black Group Trophy, White Group Trophy, and Cowes Week Overall Trophy was tight.
Black Group contenders:
- BLT (IRC6), unbeaten all week
- Tokoloshe 4 (IRC1), one of the fastest Cape 31s on the water
- Leon (IRC2), dominant early in the regatta
- Wight Wedding (IRC7), leading with three straight wins
White Group contenders:
- Astralita (XOD), steered by John Tremlett with Tim Copsey and Fraser Graham
- Bertie (Sonar), helmed by Richard Bailey
- Sheen (Seaview Mermaid), with an almost perfect scoreline
- Bluebottle (Dragon), with Graham and Julia Bailey aboard
- Osprey (Swallow), sailed by Jack Hartley, Georgina Patterson, and Luke Cross
Every one of these boats knew that today’s race would decide not just trophies but bragging rights heading into the 200th anniversary year.
The final day: light to lively
Friday’s forecast from Garmin’s official Cowes Week meteorology service called for a post-frontal south-westerly. The morning began with 5 knots, veering from westerly to SW, building to 12 knots by noon and 16–20 knots by mid-afternoon. Race officers were alert to a potential “divergence zone” off Cowes where the breeze might lag, but by midday the Solent had filled in.
From the Royal Yacht Squadron line, the J/109s, IRC4, IRC5, IRC6, Contessa 32s, IRC7, Performance Cruiser B, and Club Cruiser fleets headed out on courses between 9.6 and 16.1 nautical miles. Committee Vessel 1 saw IRC Zero, IRC1, Cape 31, IRC2, IRC3 and Performance Cruiser A on longer legs out past Hamstead Ledge, Zwerver and The Boss mark.
With the breeze filling, downwind legs became lively. Spectators on the Parade saw asymmetric kites snap full as Cape 31s planed past smaller keelboats. The TP52s roared through the fleet, Gladiator leading Braveheart in IRC Zero boat-for-boat, though corrected-time honours would go elsewhere.
Class contests and character
In the Dragons, Bluebottle kept her grip on the series despite fierce resistance from Bertie. In the J/109s, Dutch-flagged Joule maintained a near-perfect week, fending off Jukebox. The Quarter Tonner BLT looked on course to complete an unbeaten run in IRC6.
For many, Cowes Week is as much about the stories as the scores. The Seaview Mermaid fleet, for example, saw Sheen hold her advantage, but the pack behind remained separated by just a handful of points. In the Victory class, Peregrine led overall, though the chasing group – Shearwater II, Zada, Zilch, Zest, Ziva – promised a fierce scrap to the finish.
Final results
By the time the final gun fired, the leaderboard battles were settled.
In Black Group, the Quarter Tonner BLT capped an extraordinary week with another win in IRC6, sealing an unbeaten record and the Black Group Overall Trophy. In IRC1, Tokoloshe 4 closed with a commanding race win to confirm second overall in group honours, while Leon secured the IRC2 title despite finishing just off the podium today. In IRC7, Wight Wedding delivered under pressure, taking the final race and clinching class victory.
In White Group, Bluebottle’s measured defence in the Dragons earned the Baileys both the class win and the White Group Overall Trophy. Astralita held off late charges in the XODs to finish top of their fleet, while Bertie triumphed in the Sonars after a week of tight duels. The Seaview Mermaid Sheen ended with another top-three finish, securing her near-perfect series, and in the Swallows, Osprey’s youthful crew converted their overnight lead into silverware.
The Cowes Week Overall Trophy went to BLT, a fitting reward for a flawless performance in a fleet where small mistakes are usually costly. The regatta’s other special awards included the Under-25 Trophy, presented to the all-youth crew of Mary Rose Tudor, and the Sustainability Trophy, awarded to White Heather II for the highest number of carbon-free miles sailed.
Shoreside scenes
Royal Navy Day lent extra colour to the finale, with a helicopter and Fairey Swordfish display scheduled for the evening. Along Cowes High Street, crews fresh from racing mixed with day-trippers. The Parade stage hosted live music, while prize-giving preparations were underway.
For those ashore, Cowes Week offers a spectacle that rivals any major sporting event. From the moment the morning cannon fires, visitors can watch world-class sailors short-tacking up the Green, see fleets converge at rounding marks, and feel the thump of hulls punching through Solent chop.
Final thoughts
With BLT lifting both the Black Group and Overall Cowes Week trophies, and Bluebottle taking the White Group title, the 2025 champions head into the history books with momentum and bragging rights. Their names now join a roll of honour stretching back to 1826 – and they’ll carry the extra weight of defending their crowns in the regatta’s bicentenary year.
For others, this year’s performances set the stage for another shot in 2026. Crews like Tokoloshe 4, Leon, Astralita, Bertie, Sheen, and Osprey have proved they can win races in any conditions, and will return with unfinished business.
As the sun dipped over the Royal Yacht Squadron on Friday night and the last prize-giving applause echoed down the Parade, Cowes closed the book on 2025 and turned the page to history. The bicentenary promises record fleets, global challengers, heritage parades, and a summer on the Solent like no other.
In the words of one long-time competitor stepping ashore on Friday afternoon: “It’s Cowes Week – the trophies are hard to win, the beer tastes better when you do, and next year it’s the big one.”
For now, the fleets will head for home ports across the UK, Europe, and beyond. But the countdown is already on. Cowes Week 2026 will be more than a regatta – it will be the celebration of 200 years of sailing history on the Solent.
