Cowes Port Handbook 2014-2015 April 2014 | Page 86

COWES PORT HANDBOOK 2014 - 2015

Yacht Racing
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Cowes is one of the most visited ports on the south coast of England and
hosts an unrivalled number of yacht races and regattas every year. Cowes
has an unsurpassed heritage in racing yachts and indeed the world’s most
famous yacht race, the America’s Cup, was first raced from Cowes around
the Isle of Wight in 1851.

Hamo Thornycroft

Since that time, yacht racing of all types has become a popular pastime as
well as a high-tech professional sport that embraces many thousands of
participants in many hundreds (sometimes thousands) of boats. Aberdeen
Asset Management Cowes Week is the highlight of the British yacht racing
calendar and the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race is
one of the largest participatory events in the world.

Organising Clubs

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Cowes has many famous yacht clubs and alongside their busy social
calendars is a packed schedule of activities and racing events. The
‘organising club’ will determine the sailing instructions for a race as well
as setting the course and calculating any handicapping that might be
involved for a multi-class race. They will also undertake to start the races,
either at one of the several start lines in Cowes, or using a ‘committee
boat’ start. The host club will issue the provisional results; these may be
subjected to a protest before final results are issued.

Racing Rules

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A proper understanding of the racing rules is crucial to success on the
water! The Racing Rules of Sailing govern the sport on the water and are
revised every four years by the International Sailing Federation following
the Olympic Games. The latest version (2013 - 2016) came into effect on
1 January 2013.
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