Cowes Week off to a spectacular start (From Daily Echo)

Cowes Week off to a spectacular start

12:04pm Saturday 1st August 2009 in

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THOUSANDS of sailors will hit the water today to mark the start of the oldest yachting regatta in the world.

More than 8,000 people packed onto about 1,000 boats were due to fill the Solent for the first day of Cowes Week.

In the run-up to the historic event, which was first held in 1826, Southampton sports stars Iwan Thomas and Shelley Jory stepped out of their comfort zones yesterday as they joined the crews of one of the most spectacular sailing series in the world.

Iwan, the former European and Commonwealth sprinting champion, and top powerboat racer Shelley teamed up with legendary Hampshire sailor Mike Golding and the Isle of Wight’s former Olympian Shirley Robertson for “joyrides” on their state-of-the-art Extreme 40 catamarans ahead of the iShares Cup.

The high-speed catamarans, capable of speeds of up to 40mph, have been a huge hit on the sailing scene since being introduced at Cowes Week in 2007 and have attracted some of the top names in sailing, including Ben Ainslie, Shirley Robertson, Ellen MacArthur and French multi-hull legend Loick Peyron.

Iwan and Shelley got the chance to blast up and down the Solent in the spectacular nine-boat fleet which starts the first of three days’ racing today.

The iShares Cup will see the 40ft catamarans go head-to-head from 2pm each day just metres from the shore off Egypt Point.

The teams will take part in eight 20-minute races each day in pursuit of the top spot.

The best spot to watch the racing from will be the iShares Cup Race Village at Egypt Point, Cowes Es-planade, or the Green.

And the events don’t stop when the racing is over – the race village has a public bar, a host of entertainment and daily promotions open between 11am and 8pm all week.

More than 100,000 people are expected to flock to the Island during the course of the week to soak up the carnival atmosphere in Cowes, which culminates in a spectacular fireworks display on Friday.

n Police will have extra precautions in place to make sure Cowes Week runs smoothly.

To help make local residents and visitors to the regatta feel safe the Island will be patrolled by more uniformed officers than usual.

Cowes police station will also be open for longer – from 8am to 8pm until next Saturday – with extra staff working to help the public.

People attending the regatta will also be given advice about staying aware of pickpockets and opportunist thieves.

Latest Cowes Week news at sailsolent.co.uk