Georgie Corlett-Pitt talks to top sailors about Cowes Week 2025 and this event’s unique appeal, and gets their insider tips on taking part…
Cowes Week 2025 takes place this year from 2-8 August and is, incredibly, just one year away from celebrating its bicentenary. The allure of one of the world’s biggest regattas is, it seems, timeless. As ever, this year’s seven-day Solent extravaganza is set to draw a diverse fleet – from classic cruisers to out-and-out racers – bringing thousands of sailors from far and wide to tackle challenges on the race-course and lap up the convivial post-race social scene.
I asked four well-known sailors, who are set to race in some very different classes, what it is they most love about the regatta…
Giovanni Belgrano – IRC (Whooper)
Racing his much-loved one-off 1939 Laurent Giles design is top racing yachtsman and America’s Cup designer, Giovanni Belgrano. A Cowes Week competitor since, in his words, “forever”, Giovanni switched from the Etchells class into IRC when he bought Whooper some 25 years ago. Since then, he and his team have enjoyed plenty of high-profile Solent success, including IRC Nationals and the Gold Roman Bowl (Round the Island Race) wins – not to mention numerous class and Black Group overall victories at Cowes Week…
“As soon as entries opened, I signed up. This is a key event for us; we typically race 60 days in total per year, and I love Cowes Week because it’s a great challenge.
“You have a very three-dimensional type of sailing where there is always a new situation, and that’s unique. Thanks to the Solent – and the tides, the fleets, the long courses – you get pushed into situations you have never experienced before, so it’s a continuous learning curve.
“Every year you get one or two races that are particularly unusual, often with very strong tides or a wind shut-down, and you have to think completely out of the box. You can spend an hour trying to go forwards 30 or 40 metres with another 100 boats around you; that involves a lot of skill, but also a good sense of humour. And that’s what Cowes Week is all about.
“We’re a very tight crew on Whooper and we love our boat. For us, the fun comes from sailing well; we like to earn respect from our competitors – and equally, show respect – by competing well, so that’s our priority.
“Racing at Cowes Week is very dynamic, and you can’t not make mistakes – it’s about making fewer mistakes than the boats around you, drawing on lessons from the past, and always looking out for opportunities; for example, the tide makes a huge difference to us so we try to position ourselves to use that as a strength and make up for any weaknesses, such as not being able to point high. At Cowes Week, the picture is always evolving. You never stop learning and enjoying the experience.”
Top Tip for Cowes Week 2025
“Navigation is key – you’ve got to know where you are and where you’re heading to avoid silly mistakes like rounding the mark the wrong way – we’ve learned that the hard way, and now have a very good system (using GPS, and charts as a back-up). Cowes Week is unique in that you get pushed into situations which you don’t normally encounter in windward/leeward racing; therefore, having good sail handling ability and confidence in sail choices for different angles is paramount. This way you can keep your eyes out of the boat, make good decisions, and be ready to respond to changing situations, without struggling to handle the boat. That comes with practise and requires thorough pre-event boat prep. Also, enjoy the regatta’s social side and make time to celebrate as a crew. “
Gerd-Jan Poortman, IRC (Ker 46)
Three-time veteran of The Ocean Race, multiple world champion and past Admiral’s Cup winner, Gerd-Jan is currently coach of the Rotterdam Offshore Sailing Team youth programme and skipper of the team’s Ker 46 Van Uden. The team will also sail in this year’s newly-revived Admiral’s Cup, representing the Royal Mass YC, and so Cowes Week will form a much-anticipated finale to their Solent based season. As a pro sailor, Gerd-Jan is no stranger to Cowes Week, having sailed most years since 1997…
“Cowes Week is a super event; so many boats, beautiful sailing waters – and the social side is also very important. It’s one of the best events in northern Europe.
“I love that the racing is so challenging! It takes a great deal of studying if you’re sailing there for the first time. Even now, after 26 years, I still get the books out – Solent Weather, Winning Tides – to get my head around where we can and can’t go, and where to get the best help or relief from the current. There are so many dimensions that make the Solent a very interesting place to sail, including the winds around the headlands and the Island.
“For first timers, I’m sure they find it difficult, but with experience and good preparation then you can close the gap on the local knowledge advantage. Our boat is currently in the Netherlands, but is due to move to the UK soon and will do four or five weekends in the Solent (including the Admiral’s Cup) to help build up the knowledge among the young sailors in our team.
“For Cowes Week – coming after the Admiral’s Cup – we are using it as an opportunity to showcase what we do, to our sponsors, who are crucial in enabling our team to operate. So we will sail it with half crew, half guests – though most of them are sailors too, so we will still be competitive while also relaxing a little and showing our supporters the best of sailing. Cowes Week is perfect for us to do that.”
Top Tip for Cowes Week 2025
“Be prepared! Organise all your knowledge beforehand; make a shortlist of what’s important to your team for sailing well. Plan to have a good balance between partying and sailing well. Our crew is young so we do have some rules in place, but I still encourage them go out there, enjoy the socials – as well as take in the scenery, the boats and all the many dimensions that sailing in the Solent brings.”
Giles Peckham – (Daring)
Giles Peckham is a longstanding Cowes Week competitor in the Daring fleet, having won the class, White Group and the regatta overall a record-breaking number of times. Each year, Giles and his wife Jane, look forward to the event as a break within their usual busy race schedule (this year they have cruising plans to factor in too!) choosing to sail with the boat’s co-owners Milo Carver, and Richard Romer-Lee. Despite only sailing Dauntless together during Cowes Week, the team gels well and they have enjoyed numerous successful Cowes Weeks…
“Cowes Week is such a great buzz! There’s so much going on – so many different yachts, a huge variety of different people – from professionals to those sailing with friends and family, like us.
“I like the long orienteering courses and the variety of the weather we get as that gives everyone an opportunity to have their moment – to catch the right shift or get the tide just right – and that’s part of the excitement. It’s very difficult to be top dog every day with any guarantee.
“Our boat tends to favour the lighter conditions when the tide really comes into play. It can be frustrating, but with the right team on board, the right tuning, finding the perfect line really concentrates the mind – and to me, that’s a classic Cowes Week challenge. Having a really good crew is invaluable in helping the skipper focus on sailing the boat fast.
“Over the course of the week a lot can happen; even over the course of one race a lot can happen! Often, on the startlines, I have to remind myself that it’s a week-long regatta and you don’t have to win every start to win the week.
“I’ve done Cowes Week over 35 times, and we are already looking forward to the special anniversary event next year. Even after so many years, one of the best things about Cowes Week is that it never loses the buzz. At the same time, the variety of the racing means every year is different, so every year is memorable.”
Top Tip for Cowes Week 2025
“Keep your head outside the boat – and I don’t just mean the skipper! Having a good crew is really important to feed information on wind, tide, competitors, and to help work out what’s going on around you. It’s a great opportunity for good crews to shine through. Communication is therefore crucial; the conversation on our boat is only ever about the racing – there’s no chat, but it’s all friendly; everybody is contributing, talking things through and making decisions together. It’s something we’re lucky to have and have worked hard at, particularly as we don’t sail together very often.”
Kai Hockley – (Flying 15)
A hugely talented sailor who took his first steps in sailing at the age of 11 thanks to The Greig City Academy’s Scaramouche project. Most recently Kai has been training with Ben Ainslie’s Athena Sports Group, which includes the Emirates Great Britain SailGP team, the INEOS Britannia America’s Cup team and Athena Pathway Youth team. A regular at Cowes Week, Kai has previously won both the Young Skipper award and Under 25 trophy. In 2025, for the second consecutive year, Kai will be sailing a Flying 15, kindly gifted to him, with teammate Jesse Opoku-Ware…
“For me, Cowes Week is definitely one of the stand-out events of the season. We really look forward to doing it because it’s an all-round great event that guarantees a good time and high level competition.
“My favourite Cowes Week (so far!) was two years ago, competing in the Etchells class; it was the first time we had done a whole season on one singular boat instead of chopping and changing between classes, so, as a team, we felt pretty ready for Cowes Week. It turned out to be a great event, and we were competing against some great competitors, the likes of Andy Beadsworth and Ted Blowers, which was really cool; they won overall and we were pretty happy to finish third that year.
“This year we are hoping to be top of the fleet in the Flying 15 class, and planning to use this as a warm-up for the Worlds the week after, in Weymouth.
“Since last year’s Cowes Week, I’ve had some incredible opportunities through the America’s Cup and SailGP. Being with the sailors I’ve been working with, you obviously pick up a lot of knowledge, particularly in terms of boat preparation. So that is something I’m taking on board for this year; Jesse and I are used to doing just a bit of boat work then turning up for racing, but we’re definitely going to get this boat in tip top condition over the next few months.
“Overall, though, I’ll still be going into this regatta with the same sort of perspective. That’s the great thing about Cowes Week – it is always a fun event to go into, no matter your skill level; Olympians, club sailors – everyone just wants to go there, sail well and have fun. If you ask me where the balance lies on our boat, it’s probably tipped a bit more towards winning, but Jesse and I are still there to enjoy it and have a great time. We’re looking forward to it!”
Top tip for Cowes Week 2025
“In the grand scheme of things, we are pretty new to the sport compared to many who have been doing it for 20, 30 years; but they all want to give their advice, so my number one tip for others who want to get ahead in their racing is simply to go and ask! That’s a great thing about Cowes Week – everyone wants to win, but equally, everyone is happy to share and talk about their experiences. There are loads of social events which make great networking opportunities. Just get stuck in. At the beginning it may seem daunting, but once you’ve asked once, it’s amazing how quickly you can build connections. Even if you are new to the fleet, people will always be welcoming.”
Thinking of taking part in Cowes Week 2025? Did you know…
- You can enter for any race up until 17:00 the day before; check out the Notice of Race and enter at cowesweek.co.uk
- Entries received before 4 May receive an Early Bird discount!
- Cowes Week has its own app, used for results, tracking and competitor updates
- A sophisticated VAR camera is used by race officials to catch anyone over the line, ensuring racing is fair for all
- As well as daily prizes, class trophies and group trophies, there are also a number of special trophies to encourage newcomers, youth and female sailors, as well as those awarded for team results and seamanship
- Boats in the Club Cruiser and Performance Cruiser class need an ISCRS rating, issued free by the Island Sailing Club
2025 Cowes Week Official Charity
Autism on the Water (AOTW) is a registered charity with locations in Scotland and the South Coast of England that provide sailing and motorboating opportunities to all ages on the autistic spectrum plus their families free of charge.
Murray MacDonald, Director of Autism on the Water spoke of his delight at being appointed as Official Charity for Cowes Week 2025, saying: “Alongside competing at the regatta this year, we will also be running many free sailing and motorboating trips and we’re planning some surprises too! AOTW are avid fans of Cowes Week, both on and off the water, and we’re looking forward to a week of exciting racing and shoreside fundraising activities.”
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The post Cowes Week 2025: Top Sailors & Insider Tips appeared first on Sailing Today.
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