Sailing History

Cowes Week 2026 celebrates 200 years of sailing in the Solent. Race or spectate in style with yacht and RIB charters for this historic bicentenary event.

Cowes Week 2025 – 199 years of one of the oldest and most prestigious sailing regattas in the world. Hundreds of boats, 8,000 competitors and thousands of spectators. The shoreside atmosphere is buzzing, but nothing quite compares to experiencing the action from a boat. Taking part in the racing is one option, but if thatContinue reading "Cowes Week Spectating: A Front-Row Seat to Sailing History"

The start of Cowes Week 2024 is less than a month away and we can’t wait! At 198 years young, Cowes Week is the world’s longest running regatta – what started with 7 yachts in 1826, now has evolved into a 500 boat, 7-day racing event. The mixture of ultra-modern designs with classics, one-design andContinue reading "Cowes Week 2024"

With just over 3 weeks to go, the standard entries for the iconic Round the Island Race close on the 1st June, with late entries allowed until the 12th June. One of the largest yacht races in the world, this amazing and unique one-day yacht race, anti-clockwise around the Isle of Wight, regularly attracts overContinue reading "Race for All – Round the Island Race"

Standard entries for the iconic Round the Island Race on the 1st July 2023, close on the the 17th June. This unique one-day yacht race around the Isle of Wight, regularly attracts over 1,200 boats and around 10,000 sailors, making it one of the largest yacht races in the world and the fourth largest participationContinue reading "Round the Island Race 2023"

10th September 2023, 15 classic sailing boats, 27,000 miles – no high-tech equipment In September 1973, 17 yachts lefts Portsmouth for the Whitbread Race around the World. On its 50th anniversary, the 10th September 2023, 15 pre-1988, classic yachts will be starting from Southampton, on their version – the Ocean Globe Race. Not returning untilContinue reading "Ocean Globe Race 2023"

Is being out on the water your passion, but prefer not to be the one “in control”? Love the thrill of the start of a sailing race, but preferably from the side-lines? Can’t really own your own amazing yacht, but love admiring them? Why not come out on a skippered charter – yacht, powerboat orContinue reading "Being part of it, without taking part"

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"

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!"

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"

Today it was announced that their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be hosting (and racing in!) an inaugural King’s Cup Regatta on Friday 9th August 2019, the day before Lendy Cowes Week and SailGP Cowes begin. The regatta will be to raise awareness of their charities and involve eight teams, oneContinue reading "Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to Race at Cowes"

The Solent is often referred to as the “home of world sailing” but why is this? Racing of boats has long been an informal activity, born out of necessity. Before the marine engine was created sail was the only form of propulsion open to working vessels. Fishermen would race to get to fishing spots beforeContinue reading "Solent Yachting – a brief history"

Hopefully you’ve read our last blog which goes into some of our favourite everyday terms which actually have a nautical etymology. Here are some more which you might not know… Hands on deck – sailors were referred to as “hands”, if they were all called on to the top deck it was for something important and/or urgent to be relayed toContinue reading "Nautical words & phrases – part 2…"

History was made yesterday when Jean-Luc Den Heede finished the 2018 Golden Globe Race. Not only has he won the race, but at 73 years he is the oldest competitor to have completed the solo circumnavigation! The Frenchman takes both titles from yachting legend Sir Robin Knox-Johnson, who won the original race in 1969 withContinue reading "Never too old to hang up your sailing boots!"