Day 3 of North Sails Cowes Week saw another varied day of racing on the Solent, with close competition across the fleets as the world’s most famous keelboat regatta continued its 200th anniversary edition.
North Sails Cowes Week has remained true to its roots over the past 199 years, with most boats continuing to race a single longer course around the Solent each day. Meanwhile, several smaller one-design classes now compete in multiple short races, with the event evolving to cater for both formats.
Joining the mini-series format for the first time in 2026 was the Folkboat class, where just 2 points separated the top 3. Gybe N took victory ahead of Crackerjack, with If Only finishing third.
In the J/70 fleet, Martin Dent’s Jelvis, carrying the yellow North Sails-branded spinnaker as the overall leader, continued to dominate heading into Tuesday’s final day. Dent and his crew have finished on the podium in all 9 races sailed so far.
Another new class this year is the RS21, where Tom and Jo Hewitson’s Tiga Tiger won the 9-race mini-series by 8.5 points ahead of Geoff Carveth’s Does Your Mother Sail?. Hong Kong entry Rainbow Chaser, sailed by Simon Wang and KK Lee, was among around 6 Hong Kong crews competing during the regatta.
The Weekend Warrior Trophy, designed for boats that race less frequently but still want to experience Cowes Week, was won by Selina Dallas and her crew aboard Xscapiste. Local Cowes sailor Louis Kenna finished second, while Paul Foster’s Harlequin claimed third.
The Squib class has also returned to North Sails Cowes Week after a few years away, with Martin Harrison and Andy Ramsey aboard Lee Deck making the perfect start by winning the opening 3 races. Kev and Marnie Gibson, representing Royal Victoria Yacht Club in Wootton, hold a narrow lead over Steve Warren Smith, while Charlie Thomas and Harry White remain in contention.
IRC Zero completed the longest course of the day, covering 27 miles through the eastern Solent. Hong Kong skipper Karl Kwok guided TP52 Beau Geste to a third win of the week after benefitting from the strongest breeze furthest east.
Looking ahead, organisers are expecting conditions to change significantly, with a fresh south-westerly forecast on Tuesday before stronger winds could bring a challenging day of racing on Wednesday. The calm sunshine and flat water seen over the opening days may soon become a distant memory.
