Cowes Week Limited has welcomed Laithwaite’s Wine to join its family of sponsors as the Official Wine and Champagne Sponsor of Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week, for an initial two year term.

Laithwaite’s Wine has been discovering and sharing great wines since the 1960s when Tony Laithwaite started shipping wines back from Bordeaux. As part of the sponsorship deal, Laithwaite’s will establish a Wine Corner enabling those connected with the regatta to enjoy great wine deals throughout the year.  During the event itself, Laithwaite’s will create a wine garden in Cowes Yacht Haven for visitors and competitors to relax with a glass (or bottle) of wine or Champagne after a day’s racing, they will also have a wine ‘hub’ on The Parade where visitors can sample wine and take part in tutored tastings. A range of Laithwaite’s wine, sparkling wine, and Champagne products will be available during the regatta, which takes place 2-9 August.

It was a sweltering hot day in Muscat, Oman, for the final 11-boat showdown at the Extreme Sailing Series™, where the Arabian peninsula saved the best for last, with winds that blasted across the course at a steady 20 knots, with gusts of 26, before a final race shoot out.

Four teams were gunning for the top spot and there was no room for error, with just four points between them – and 20 points on the table for the taking. The defending champions and home team on The Wave, Muscat made a real statement of intent from the gun, with an aggressive start that saw them lead the fleet of the line, and Leigh McMillan, Sarah Ayton, Pete Greenhalgh, Kinley Fowler and Nasser Al Mashari didn’t look back, snatching the win from the hands of the Kiwi, Swiss and Danish teams, to claim not only the Act win, but putting them top of the overall Series leaderboard after two Acts.

Over the weekend of 17-18 May, the RYA will once again be running RYA Push the Boat Out with clubs, centres and marinas across the UK offering a range of ‘have a go’ and taster sessions for people to experience sailing and windsurfing.

Clubs and centres can now register their 2014 PTBO open days and taster sessions online.  

If your club is holding an event for the public on RYA Push the Boat Out weekend, the RYA will provide promotional materials including postcards, badges and pens, coasters and key rings. Resources will also be available on the RYA website including advice on how to run an open day, promote your event and downloadable PTBO posters.

In 2013 thousands of people took to the water including newcomers, regular sailors as well as families. Over 100 sailing clubs opened their doors to host Push the Boat Out events.

Cowes Week Limited has published its Notice of Regatta for Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week 2014 (2-9 August) which is already looking in great shape with well over 100 entries received before the end of 2013 and with more being registered on a weekly basis.

The popular Aberdeen Asset Management Under 25 initiative, which was expanded to provide support to twenty under 25 year-old crews in 2014 when it was announced in November, has reached capacity this week with the full quota of crews. Aberdeen Asset Management looks forward to welcoming all under 25 crews and witnessing an even more fiercely fought battle for the Under 25 Trophy this year.

Organisers are looking forward to a year of celebrations with the 80th anniversary of the Victory Class, the 10th year of the reformation of the Quarter Ton Class, plus the 50th anniversary of co-ordinated race management by Cowes Combined Clubs at this year’s 188th Cowes Week.

On the water highlights include the inaugural European Championships for the J/111 Class which takes place on the first four days of the regatta, a repeat of the successful two-race-a-day format for the SB20 and J/70 Classes at the start of the Week, as well as the possibility of another Big Boat mini-series which, subject to demand, will be introduced for those boats taking part in the Round Britain and Ireland Race and wanting to take part in Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week too.