200 Years of Cowes Week: Between Tradition and Technology – An Interview with the Regatta Director
Fabian Boerger
· 29.07.2026
For Mead, what continues to set the regatta apart to this day is its unusual combination of proximity to the town, a challenging sailing area and a genuine sense of camaraderie. In this interview, he talks about the Corinthian spirit of the event, the role of digital control via an app, and why Cowes Week remains true to itself despite falling participant numbers.
Mr Mead, what makes Cowes Week so special compared to other events such as Kiel Week?
Cowes Week is a real town event. In Kiel – where I’ve also sailed – the sailing takes place quite a way out of town. In Cowes, everything happens right in the heart of the town. The starting line is off the Royal Yacht Squadron, just 80 metres from the main street. It’s a week full of fun, great parties, wonderful camaraderie and some very tough sailing – after all, it’s a demanding venue for it.
How do you organise a regatta of this size in a sailing area like this?
The conditions are predictable. We know which way the tide is flowing, and with today’s weather forecasts we can predict what will happen. What’s more, some parts of the Solent offer better shelter from the wind than others.
The other thing that makes Cowes Week possible in its modern form is the Cowes Week app.
Whether it’s the race organisers or the sailors – everyone uses it. It tracks the boats’ progress. It shows users the course, the distance to the next mark and all the start times. It’s very advanced and vital for running a flexible regatta. We used to have course boards and a flag system to communicate the courses. It was madness! Those days are over, and the regatta has improved so much as a result.
How up-to-date is this regatta technology?
That’s cutting-edge technology. I don’t know of any other regatta where something so sophisticated is used. It’s designed to make the whole regatta experience easier for the participants.
Cowes Week: An event organised by and for sailors
The America’s Cup and SailGP want to become more appealing to the media. Does that matter?
Not really. Our aim is top-class regatta sailing. SailGP is a spectacle, not a proper race. Everything is geared either towards television or the spectators. If the quality of the race drops, the sailors just have to accept it. Here, it’s exactly the opposite. This is a Corinthian event – for sailors who want to enjoy their sport.
What does ‘Corinthian’ mean?
This refers to people who take part in the sport because they love it, but do not earn any money from it.
New materials have transformed the sport of sailing. Does that apply to Cowes Week as well?
Not quite. One thing has remained the same: we only allow keelboats. Conditions in the Solent are too windy, and we don’t have the resources to cope with dinghies. The Solent is simply not suitable for foiling boats either. We’re keeping an eye on developments in boatbuilding, but Cowes Week remains very traditional when it comes to the types of boat.
Will that change?
I don’t think so. That’s also down to the angles at which, for example, foiling boats sail – they’re hard to reconcile with boats sailing close-hauled. Even now, the J70’s sharper downwind courses, with its asymmetric spinnakers, are a challenge. If we now had foiling boats that were three to four times as fast, that would be a problem.
Just six cancellations in 200 years of history
How else has the race changed?
One of the biggest turning points was undoubtedly Covid. I was Race Director at the time, and we had to cancel Cowes Week. That has only happened six times in its 200-year history – due to the world wars and due to Covid. Apart from that, not much has changed.
That’s certainly one of the reasons why sailors love it so much. There’s a friendly atmosphere; you meet fellow sailors and catch up with friends you haven’t seen for ages.
Cowes Week is the place everyone loves to return to.
It was already like that when I took part for the first time in 1982.
Participation figures are falling. Why is that?
Sailing is suffering from falling participation figures worldwide. This is also becoming apparent at Cowes Week. We used to have over 1,000 boats. That was too many, though. Now the number has settled at 500 or 600 boats. That’s just right. The great thing, though, isn’t the number, but the variety of boats. A Contessa 32 sails round the mark alongside a TP52 – and both crews are enjoying it. It’s a brilliant mix.
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”
In 1964, the organisation of Regatta Week was overhauled with the formation of Cowes Combined Clubs. What’s next?
That’s a good question, but I can’t answer it like that. As the English saying goes: ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ – if it’s not broken, don’t repair it. And Cowes Week works really well. One point of debate is whether to shorten it from seven to five days. Others want to split the regatta into two parts.
But then you lose the carnival atmosphere – and that’s what makes it special. If there are any concerns raised by the sailors, the race committee listens carefully and makes adjustments. But that’s something that happens all the time. Above all, we want the sailors to be happy. Add to that good wind and, hopefully, not too much rain – very British, in fact.
More information you can find here on the official Cowes Week website.
Fabian Boerger
Editor News & Panorama