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 »

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 »

Cowes Week advertises IRC a “fully international rating system” on its web site, yet canting keel yachts above 14 m will have to pin their keels (if it wasn’t a safety hazard it would be a joke). This shows ...

I get the monster hump when people criticise Cowes Week because first and foremost I believe that Stuart Quarrie (Cowes Week Director) is totally beyond reproach and has steered the regatta to the very top. I've been a journalist there for years as well as a competitor since before I can remember and I can say, hand on heart, that last year I had the time of my life sailing in lowly Class 9 IRC in my H-Boat. Sure we didn't win but we won one race and had a great week on the water...all the boxes were ticked in my book and the race management was first class - period.  read more »

There has been much speculation over the last few days regarding Skandia Cowes Week and canting keelers following an open email from Ger O’Rourke. I therefore feel it is important to address some of the partly thought-out ideas and comments ...

Here are the IRC constitution objectives: 3.1 To facilitate handicap racing based on the IRC Rule for a wide range of cruising and racing ballasted monohull keelboats by providing a system of measurement to classify boats for competition ...

Artemis Investment Management is title sponsor of the Artemis Challenge, a 50-mile sprint around the Isle of Wight during Skandia Cowes Week, specifically and exclusively for Open 60’s. The company says that the event was introduced in order to ...