The 2027 race
The race is organised by the Island Sailing Club, and its website gives the 2027 date as Saturday 10 July 2027.
Start times and entry details are posted there too, so check the club's site before you plan a day on the shore to watch.
Plan a spectator's day
Choose a viewing place before planning how many boats you hope to see. Use the organiser's location information to work out how you will get there and where you can stay for a while. A day spent moving between several places can leave little time to watch the fleet.
Keep the race programme to hand so you know which start you are watching. If someone you know is taking part, ask for the boat's name and sail number beforehand. Finding one particular yacht among many similar sails is easier when you have something specific to look for.
The course
The organisers describe a 50.1 nautical mile course starting from Cowes and heading west. Boats pass Hurst, The Needles, St Catherine's Point, Dunnose, Bembridge Ledge Buoy and the forts before returning to Cowes. Starts go every ten minutes from 7am.
Where to watch
The race site lists five official viewing locations. They are the Albion Hotel at Freshwater Bay, the Terrace Rooms in Ventnor, the Bembridge Coast Hotel, The Dell at Seaview and the Race Village in Cowes. Check the site nearer the day for anything new.
If watching the fleet makes you want a yacht on the wall, see our sailing prints, or our gifts for sailors for the racer in your life.
And the Fastnet?
The Fastnet Race is run by the Royal Ocean Racing Club, which describes it as the famous biennial Rolex Fastnet Race. The race site gives the 2027 start as 24 July 2027.
Bring home a picture of the day
For a photograph, leave some water around the boats and keep enough sky to include the whole rig. Take a wider version as well as a close one, so you can compare crops later. Keep the original file, including the ordinary pictures between the dramatic ones.
If the image is for a participant, ask which moment means most to them. The start, a boat they sailed alongside or the return to Cowes can suggest very different pictures. A clear photograph of their own boat will usually be more personal than an unidentified view of the fleet.
Racing yourself?
If you're entering, a print of your own boat from a race-day photo makes a good keepsake. See our boat portraits, our sailing prints or our gifts for sailors.
Sources
Craig Fearn runs Still & Wake. He writes the guides and journal.