Racing

A New Year, a New Record  It’s a special year – the 50th edition of the Rolex Fastnet – and the new race entry system for the “world’s largest offshore yacht race” coped admirably.  In the first hour alone, 433 entries signed up – a promising sign that a record size fleet might be atContinue reading "50th Rolex Fastnet Race"

‘Tis the Season to be Jolly     We might not be decking our halls with boughs of holly, but we are certainly scrubbing the decks and cleaning the bow! Our winter maintenance season is now in full swing, and looking back at a successful, packed season on the water, we do feel rather jolly. FromContinue reading "‘Tis the Season to be Jolly"

With the days getting shorter and the air getting that bit colder, our corporate sailing season is drawing to a close for 2022 – and what a season it has been! It was clear from the start that people were travelling again – UK colleagues finally got to spend time together with their international counterparts,Continue reading "When one season finishes…"

“What do I tell people to wear?” The question we get asked the most in the run up to any sailing event – whether it is a luxurious hospitality day or company regatta. Obviously, sailing apparel is totally dependent on the type of sailing you are looking to do – and when and where youContinue reading "Water Wardrobe"

Now we might be a little biased, but we do think that we offer just about the perfect location for a trip out on the water. First of all, there is the water – The Solent.  Offering The Needles and Hurst Castle on one end, four Napoleonic era Forts on the other, and in betweenContinue reading "Location, location, location"

We are just over a month into 2022 and despite a cautious start to the year, it is clear that people are feeling optimistic about the summer to come – enquiries about spending quality time on the water, with colleagues, clients and friends, are coming in thick and fast. Obviously, we couldn’t be happier thanContinue reading "Solent Dates for your Diary 2022"

The 2022/23 SailGP season has been announced and it couldn’t be more exciting. Kicking off in Bermuda in May, it will return to Plymouth for the second year running, for the 3rd Sail Grand Prix Event of the series. After an incredibly successful event this year, with an estimated 27,500 spectators enjoying the thrilling raceContinue reading "SailGP Season 3 – Coming back to Plymouth in 2022!"

World renown sailor Alex Thomson has announced he is stepping down as skipper of his Open 60, Hugo Boss for the time being. With nearly 20 years of offshore sailing behind him, 47 year old Alex has given a fair chunk of his life pursuing the holy grail of round the world single handed sailing,Continue reading "Alex Thomson hangs up his sailing boots… for now!"

Well, if you had told us a year ago how this season would have gone, we would have said you were crackers!  With extended lockdowns early in the season, legislation allowed us to continue to run certain events, mainly teambuilding and conferences for small groups. When the restrictions lifted, the flood gates seemed to openContinue reading "WOW….. what a season!"

With Cowes Week just a couple of weeks away, the Solent Events team are gearing up for a busy week! This famous regatta founded in 1826 is held annually on the Solent to fit into the social calendar after Glorious Goodwood and before the Glorious Twelfth (the first day of the grouse shooting season). TheContinue reading "Cowes Week is just around the corner… don’t delay!"

The Little Britain Challenge Cup sailing regatta will follow a different social event schedule this coming year when it runs on 10th & 11th September 2021. The first racing day will take place on Friday 10th but will see a new evening BBQ at the Royal Ocean Racing Club for hungry sailors eager to networkContinue reading "Changes to the Little Britain Challenge Cup for 2021"

At Solent Events we get people onto the water that may never have been afloat before and always hope that this may be the start of something for an otherwise landlubber!  Our sailing event days require no previous experience and we estimate that 70% of the guests that sail with us have never sailed before.Continue reading "Sailing…. where it all starts"

With our Marine based events season starting shortly, you might be wondering why we mainly use the Solent for our events. The answer is simple in that the area of water between the Isle of Wight and the South Coast of the UK, known as ‘The Solent’ enjoys sheltered waters for most of the yearContinue reading "Why The Solent?"

We are looking forward to what we hope will be a more normal time when Cowes Week plans to return on Saturday 31st July 2021 having taken a year out. The regatta will differ slightly and go back to times past when racing finished on the Friday, rather than sailing an 8th day on theContinue reading "Changes for Cowes Week 2021 – Connected Cowes!"

Following the government announcements last night there are very encouraging signs that the events industry will be able to start to get back to work soon. At Solent Events, our season is relatively short so with 17th May being sited as a potential date that small groups can again get together, we’ll be ready andContinue reading "Events Update – 23rd Feb 2021"

We’re not sure what Phileas Fogg would have made of the being alone on a 60 foot foiling racing yacht in the Southern Ocean, but French sailor Yannick Bestaven has just achieved his very own Around the World in 80 days to become the winner of the 9th edition of the Vendee Globe, the toughestContinue reading "Around the World in Eighty Days!"

The Vendée Globe single handed round the world yacht race takes skippers into barren and unfrequented areas of the planet. Often, the IMOCA 60 foot yachts travel through areas of the ocean which are largely unexplored and outside the common trade routes. Therefore, in the 2020-21 Vendée Globe, 13 of the 33 skippers chose toContinue reading "Drifting Bouys & Argo Floats!"

At time of publishing, the 8th of November will kick off the 2020/ 2021 Vendée Globe, the world’s toughest sailing race. This year, there will be 33 skippers setting sail from Les Sables d’Olenne in western France. The best solo sailors will line up in this single handed non-stop sprint around the planet with virtuallyContinue reading "World class yacht race to go ahead!"

Solent Events are immensely proud to be able to announce that we will be official suppliers to the America’s Cup World Series, presented by Emirates Team New Zealand in Portsmouth this year.   We’ll be providing exclusive Yacht and Power Boat Charters to view this event from an exclusive VIP area on the water thatContinue reading "Solent Events announced as America’s Cup World Series official supplier!"

2020 is set to be a bumper year for super-fast sailing on The Solent. Earlier this month SailGP announced that they were bringing their 50′ foiling catamarans back to Cowes Week and now the America’s Cup World Series (ACWS) is returning to Portsmouth between 4th-7th June. The ACWS is the precursor to the 36th America’sContinue reading "America’s Cup World Series Dates Announced for 2020"

We are delighted to be able to announce that SailGP with their foiling catamarans will be returning to The Solent during Cowes Week 2020. 14th & 15th August will again see teams from all over the globe battling it out on The Solent at over 50 knots powered by the wind!   “Our apprenticeship isContinue reading "SailGP Coming Back to Cowes in 2020!"