Hats off to Stuart Quarrie, race director of Skandia Cowes Week who has remained calm in the rather vitriolic canting keel storm. Sounds pretty obvious to me: get some boats and Stuart will give you a start...can't say fairer than that really. Anyhow here's the latest press release (where even Mike Urwin is lured out of the shadows) that will hopefully put this non-story to beddy-byes: There has been much speculation over the last few days regarding Skandia Cowes Week and canting keelers following an open email from Ger ORourke. I therefore feel it is important to address some of the partly thought-out ideas and comments that have been made, in order to try and lay this matter to rest.  read more »

The volunteer lifeboat crew based at the new RNLI lifeboat station in Cowes' Shepherds Wharf marina faced a busy Cowes Week sailing regatta (2-8 August). The lifeboat launched a total of 11 times during the regatta, aiding around 55 ...

Cowes Week Limited is looking forward to another incredibly successful Skandia Cowes Week, the last Cowes Week regatta with Skandia as title sponsor. Skandia has been a fantastic partner to Cowes Week for 14 years and has worked hard ...

[Source: BMW Oracle] Valencia, Spain, 1 July 2008: BMW ORACLE Racings sailing will continue a full program of training and competition in RC 44s and Extreme 40 catamarans through the European summer while it waits for delivery of its new Americas Cup multihull boat, skipper Russell Coutts (NZL), said today. As part of a stepped-up multihull program, the team also confirmed today that it will field two entries in the iShares Cup at Skandia Cowes Week 2-4 August, part of the highly-competitive iShares Cup Sailing Series. Coutts and multihull consultant Franck Cammas (FRA) will share the afterguard duties for one entry in the Cowes regatta, with helmsman James Spithill (AUS) and tactician John Kostecki (USA) on the other. Final crew lists will be confirmed closer to the regatta.  read more »

One of the best regatta Directors in world sailing, who rarely takes or makes a decision lightly and without considerable thought, responds to the Ger O'Rourke inspired sh*t-stirring (below). Clearly the canting keel brigade feel that we should all bend over backwards for them, the minority, whilst the rest of us that sail H-Boats, Benesleau's (how rude is that), Sigma's etc are just in it to drink "pink gins". Go and sail an X-boat and see where you come... Open letter re canting keels at Skandia Cowes Week 2008 From Stuart Quarrie , Chief Executive, Cowes Week Limited .  read more »

As Skandia Cowes Week 2008 draws to a close today Stuart Quarrie - Cowes Week Limited's CEO - spoke this morning about the hugely successful week and says the general feeling from competitors and visitors is a positive one. ...

The big boats were ruling the waves on day four of Skandia Cowes Week as the second Artemis Challenge at Skandia Cowes Week for Open 60s gave Pindar skipper Brian Thompson a fairytale ending. Also, Geoff Carveth stormed home to his first win of Skan...

The big boats were ruling the waves on day four of Skandia Cowes Week as the second Artemis Challenge at Skandia Cowes Week for Open 60s gave Pindar skipper Brian Thompson a fairytale ending. Thompson, and a crew that ...

At the last count there are well over 80 Js competing at Cowes. The bigger boats are in IRC classes and, for example, there are two J/133s and six J/122s (including two boats from France) racing in IRC ...

Driving rain and a bracing Force 5 deterred many competitors from the race track on the final day of Skandia Cowes Week but the 14 remaining unclaimed trophies found worthy winners as class warfare continued to the bitter end. ...