North Sails Cowes Week's 200th anniversary edition sees its commitment to young sailors formalised into a dedicated Youth Sailing Zone.
The centrepiece is a partnership with the UKSA, whose free Try Sailing sessions, funded by The Gosling Foundation, aim to get 200 young people onto the water during the regatta, a neat nod to the milestone anniversary. Sessions run daily from Saturday 1 to Friday 7 August, between 9.30am and 4.30pm, and are open to anyone under 18.
Bruce Huber, Chairman of Cowes Week Limited and Cowes Combine Clubs Limited, framed the thinking: "Early sailing experiences have been proven to build confidence, resilience, teamwork and leadership skills. Many sailing bodies such as UKSA nationally and, here on the Isle of Wight, in co-operation with Seaview Sailing Trust, are already delivering high quality youth sailing programs at scale together with schools and other youth and charitable bodies. Cowes Week aims to support projects which leverage existing sailing and safety boats, infrastructure and facilities, and training expertise and resources."
Adam Gosling, Chairman of The Gosling Foundation, explained why his organisation backed the UKSA sessions. "One of The Gosling Foundation's key funding priorities is to support projects taking young people out of their comfort zone, thereby encouraging vital resourcefulness and resilience. UKSA's Try Sailing sessions, specifically created to encourage young people aged between 8 and 18 to come down and have an experience on the water, giving young people the chance to discover sailing for the first time, dovetail perfectly with our ethos. We are thrilled to be able to support young people on the Isle of Wight in this way."
Members of the Athena Pathway Youth Squad will also host Q&A sessions in the Zone. The Athena Pathway is the high-performance foiling programme developing Britain's next generation of elite sailors, giving younger visitors a direct connection to the sharper end of the sport.
Youth prizes have been part of Cowes Week for many years, among them the Youth Trophy, awarded to a young sailor who has made a notable impact on the sport whether or not they've stood on the podium.
Cowes Week Ltd intends to expand the programme into a national initiative from 2027, with a focus on accessibility and inclusivity. Sailing clubs and non-sailing organisations interested in future participation can email info@cowesweek.co.uk.
