Please select your home edition
Edition
Vetus-Maxwell 2021 v2 LEADERBOARD

AAM Cowes Week - Handling local wind effects while racing

by Rupert Holmes on 12 Jul 2013
Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week. RickTomlinson
AAM Cowes Week is coming up and now Rupert Holmes looks at Solent Sea Breezes and Norris Nadgers. The central Solent has a reputation as being a complex place in which to sail, but many of the local wind effects are not difficult to figure out.

The presence of the Isle of Wight has a significant effect on the formation of sea breezes in the Solent area, which take longer to get properly established than elsewhere on the south coast. On a day in which a sea breeze is likely to form – usually a warm sunny one following a night with light northerly breezes – keep an eye on cumulus cloud forming over the land, particularly on the mainland. This is a key indicator of conditions that will lead to a sea breeze – and the period of calm that may precede the new wind.

The eastern part of the Solent is likely to be the first to experience the sea breeze – usually as a south-easterly that gradually makes its way past Ryde and towards Cowes. However, at the same time there’s a tendency for a sea breeze to also build in the western Solent. Initially this is likely to be weaker than that in the east, but as the day wears on, the cumulative driving forces behind the south-westerly breeze in the western Solent become progressively stronger.

The net effect is often a dead patch in the central Solent as the early south-easterly loses its battle against the incoming south-westerly breeze. Keeping your eyes out of the boat and looking for changes in the wind patterns both to the east and west of where you are sailing helps enormously in being able to set yourself up in the best place for the new wind when it arrives.

Norris Nadgers - These are the gusts of wind – interlaced with holes – that form off the high ground at East Cowes in offshore winds. The tall trees, combined with land that falls steeply into the coast, mean that even in strong south-westerly winds there’s very little breeze close to the shore.

However, it’s easy to read the wind on the water here – both as a wind line defining the relatively calm zone inshore and as the bullets of left-shifted pressure further offshore. Even with a small crew it’s therefore essential to have a crewmember dedicated to calling the wind here – the gusts are very visible on the surface. In strong winds the wind increases considerably immediately west of the headland at East Cowes, so be prepared to change gear on sail AAM Cowes Week website
C-Tech 2020 Tubes 728x90 BOTTOMMcDYachts_Pyewacket-for-Sale_1456x180 BOTTOMRooster 2025

Related Articles

And so, it begins…
Grand Final not run yet, but our Hobart coverage begins with something very cool Maybe a tad earlier than last year, which I think was after the Grand Final, but the 100th entrant seemed like a good place to set things off. Now with that said, Sail-World's Hobart coverage begins.
Posted on 21 Sep
ILCA Announcement
Protecting the one-design integrity of the class ILCA's mission is to protect the integrity of strict one-design sailing—the principle that ensures every sailor competes on equal terms. This principle, enshrined in the ILCA Fundamental Rule, has been the foundation of our class's success.
Posted on 21 Sep
The Ocean Race Europe 2025: The summer of racing
Biotherm delivered a masterclass - Paprec Arkéa a lesson in consistency This Saturday, after a fiercely contested final race, the second edition of The Ocean Race Europe came to a close. It was a seven-week adventure from Germany to Montenegro, full of twists and turns, resilience, and raw emotion.
Posted on 21 Sep
Germany Deutsche Bank claim first SailGP event win
Race Day 2 of the Rolex Switzerland Sail Grand Prix The Germany SailGP Team presented by Deutsche Bank has entered the winners circle, claiming their first event victory at the Rolex Switzerland Sail Grand Prix in tricky, light conditions on the waters of Lake Geneva.
Posted on 21 Sep
SailGP: Germany score first Event win - Day 2
The German crew led by Erik Heil sailed consistently, on a day where inconsistency was punished. Perhaps it was not surprising that in a nation known for its horology, that the time-clock should have played such a dominant role for the Final day of SailGP Switzerland.
Posted on 21 Sep
2025 Dutch Water Week day 4
At the end of the city's main shopping street, spectators could watch the racing The penultimate day of the Dutch Water Week brought Olympic-class sailing and windsurfing right into the heart of Almere.
Posted on 21 Sep
America's Cup: Controversial agreement signed
According to Italian media, the secret AC Partnership agreement has been signed by CoR/D* International sailing journalist, Fabio Pozo, writing for the Milan based newspaper La Stampa, reports that the secret America's Cup Partnership (ACP) agreement is expected to be signed next week.
Posted on 21 Sep
Women's Match Racing Worlds in Chicago overall
History made: Match in Pink Team wins fifth consecutive title Pauline Courtois and her Match in Pink by Normandy Elite Team from Le Havre in France have once again proven their dominance in the sport of match racing, capturing their fifth consecutive World Sailing Women's Match Racing World Championship title
Posted on 21 Sep
Race to the Finish with Paprec Arkéa
Zhik is the official gear partner for The Ocean Race Europe The Ocean Race Europe has again proven why it is one of the most demanding tests in sailing. With Zhik as the official gear partner, the Paprec Arkéa crew faced the extremes of Europe's waters equipped for the challenge.
Posted on 21 Sep
New trophy for 2025 Six Metre Worlds
Presented by HM King Juan Carlos of Spain The Opening Ceremony for the 2025 International Six Metre Open and Classic World Championships saw the 29 participating teams from nine nations gather on the waterside lawn of the Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club.
Posted on 21 Sep