Lady’s Guide to Cowes Week on the Isle of Wight

Every summer a small island off the southern coast of England comes alive for a regatta. Dating back to 1826, Cowes Week on the Isle of Wight is the biggest event of its kind in the world. Today I want to share my guide to Cowes Week with you.

Cowes Week on the Isle of Wight

Cowes Week on the Isle of Wight is an important event on the English summer calendar. It takes place over 8 days in August and brings the island to life, making it one of the best places to visit in the UK in summer.

During the 40 daily races, 1,000 boats of all sizes, 8,500 competitors of all skill levels, and 100,000 spectators from all over the world gather on the island to race, watch, and enjoy the festivities.

Cowes Week Experience

I was invited to Cowes Week by a whiskey producer on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. The Scottish drinks company was hosting both a whiskey tasting event and the world’s first ever sail-in cinema in celebration of the regatta.

How to Get to Cowes Week

I traveled on the train from London to Southampton on Friday afternoon and met up with my media group. We took a fast hydrofoil ferry to the Isle of Wight, and soon we were right in the heart of the Cowes Week action.

The Atmosphere

The small streets on the island were packed with sailors, spectators, locals, and press. Everywhere we looked, blue banners heralded the arrival of Cowes Week on the Isle of Wight.

Once at the waterfront, there were big tents set up selling beer and spirits, and the sea was full of sails.

Royal London Yacht Club

We made our way to the Royal London Yacht Club, where there was a whiskey tasting set up for us. We sampled four different whiskeys as our guide explained the brand’s signature scent of chili and burnt bonfire.

First we tasted the 10 Year, which was aged in American oak and had flavors of peat, cracked black pepper, coconut, and chili. It was light, sweet, and crisp.

From there we tasted the Distiller’s Edition, which was made by transferring the whiskey from the original American oak barrels into Amoroso sherry barrels from Spain.

After 10 years, the resulting whiskey was velvety and had a chocolatey flavor. It was my favorite.

Another whiskey we tried was a cask-strength whiskey with 57% alcohol content. Aged in first-fill American oak, the whiskey had sweet, strong flavors and hints of vanilla.

For a special treat, we took the whiskey outside and sipped it by the waterfront. Our guide encouraged us to view the sea air and atmosphere as the whiskey’s “terroir”.

When we finished, we enjoyed heaping boxes of fish and chips from the best chippy in Cowes.

Cowes Week Sail-in Cinema

After our tasting and our meal, we headed over to a boat that was to take us to the sail-in cinema. We picked up whiskey cocktails on the way in, and headed to the upper deck to enjoy the fresh sea air.

The film was Master and Commander, which was appropriate for Cowes Week on the Isle of Wight.

We were each given an earpiece so that we could listen to the dialogue, and we spent the next few hours enjoying the movie, eating popcorn, and watching the boats go by.

Cowes Week Fireworks

After the film we found ourselves in prime position for the Cowes Week fireworks. The display was impressive, and the show lasted for a long time. We each sipped a hot toddy as we watched the sky illuminate with colors and light.

Cowes Week

Back at our hotel in Southampton, we slept soundly and woke up the next morning to travel by train back to London.

My first experience at Cowes Week on the Isle of Wight had been a good one, and as I left I hoped to return again the following year to experience more of the regatta. More whiskey wouldn’t go amiss, either.

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