Cowes Combined Clubs (CCC), the organisers of Skandia Life Cowes Week have announced some changes to this year's event
Cowes Combined Clubs (CCC), the organisers of Skandia Life Cowes Week have announced some changes to this year’s event. They are also delighted to announce that Skandia Life has taken the decision to continue as title sponsor for an additional three-year term. The new contract commences in 2003.
Cowes Combined Clubs has obtained planning permission for the development of a brand new Regatta Centre on its site in Bath Road, Cowes. This will involve buying the next-door property then demolishing both buildings in order to provide a purpose designed Regatta Centre on the ground floor, financed by the sale of 8 flats above. It is hoped that the project will start immediately after this year1s Event and be complete for Skandia Life Cowes Week 2003.
Competitors at this year1s Skandia Life Cowes Week are set to benefit from a new initiative set up by the organisers in the form of an Event Tent situated on the Parade.
It will provide online browsing of each day’s photographs taken exclusively by Event photographer Polly Durrant. Competitors will be able to order and/or purchase photos on-site. It is also planned that competitors will be able to browse and purchase through the official Skandia Life Cowes Week website at www.cowesweek.co.uk
This year, CCC will be requesting the email addresses of crewmembers so that, post the event, they can email each crewmember with thumbnail pictures of their boat and a link into website inviting them to purchase photographs.
We all know the frustrations of going to a regatta and the results for one day not being ready until after the following day’s racing (and often still being wrong!). Skandia Life Cowes Week is very pleased that the team of Next Generation Results will again be handling its results service. Those who have taken part at Cowes in recent years will know that it boasts the best, most accurate and the speediest results service of any large regatta.
After last year’s Regatta some competitors asked organisers to consider moving the fireworks display from its traditional Friday night slot to the final Saturday, by way of celebrating a true finale to the Regatta. However, the feedback received has shown categorically that whilst this idea has merit, the vast majority of competitors would prefer the fireworks to remain scheduled on the Friday evening. Therefore, tentative thoughts for change have been shelved.
Cowes Inshore Lifeboat (ILB) is this year1s Official Charity. The emergency service operates 24 hours a day, 365 days per year, handling in the region of 40 emergency call-outs and assisting approximately 120 people every year.
The Unit has a new ‘100,000 lifeboat in service called “Spirit of Cowes”, an 8.9m Barbarian Class semi-rigid inflatable powered by twin 225 hp Yamaha four-stroke outboard motors. It has a top speed in excess of 40 knots, is equipped with state-of- the-art navigational aids and is capable of handling the severest of weather conditions found in the Solent.