Three days into the 199th edition, the variety that defines Cowes Week is on full display, from nine-race mini-series battles in the one-design fleets to a 27-mile bash for the big boats.
The J/70 fleet heads into its final day of racing on Tuesday with Martin Dent's Jelvis firmly in command. Carrying the yellow North Sails-branded spinnaker as overall leader, Dent and his crew have finished on the podium in all nine races sailed so far.
New to Cowes Week this year, the RS21 class wrapped up its mini-series with Tiga Tiger, sailed by Tom and Jo Hewitson, winning by 8.5 points from Geoff Carveth's Does Your Mother Sail? Carveth is a serial championship winner across J/70s, Melges 24s, and a host of dinghy classes, so that margin is no small achievement. It was also good to see Hong Kong entry Rainbow Chaser, sailed by Simon Wang and KK Lee, on the water, one of about half a dozen Hong Kong crews competing.
Also adopting the mini-series format for the first time in 2026 is the Folkboat class, where the racing could hardly have been tighter. Gybe N won from Crackerjack by a single point, with If Only a further point back in third.
The returning Squib fleet has made its presence felt, their distinctive tan sails easy to spot among the 641-boat fleet. Martin Harrison and Andy Ramsey on Lee Deck have posted three bullets from three races and look the ones to beat. Kev and Marnie Gibson from Royal Victoria Yacht Club in Wootton hold a slim lead over Steve Warren Smith in second, with Charlie Thomas and Harry White pressing hard in fourth.
At the other end of the scale, the Weekend Warrior Trophy celebrated boats that race infrequently but want a slice of the world's biggest keelboat regatta. Selina Dallas and her crew on Xscapiste claimed the trophy, with local Cowes sailor Louis Kenna second and Paul Foster's Harlequin taking bronze.
IRC Zero covered the most ground on the day, a full 27 miles east past the forts. The big boats got the best of the breeze out there and were back in good time, with Karl Kwok's TP52 Beau Geste taking their third class win of the week.
The race team is working through what the regatta calls "Cowes Week bingo," aiming to give each class a mix of conditions and courses across the seven days, whether that means starting on the Royal Yacht Squadron line and heading west along the Green, finishing under spinnaker with the RYS cannons firing, or making an eastern run when the breeze favours that direction.
The benign conditions of the opening days may not last. A solid south-westerly is forecast for Tuesday, with Wednesday shaping up as a possible "big day at North Sails Cowes Week." Legend has it there is always one, and the 2026 edition may be on its way.
Racing continues until 7 August 2026.
