Lendy Cowes Week 2018 opens for entries

Lendy Cowes Week Regatta 2017 © Tom Gruitt

Entries for the world famous Lendy Cowes Week Regatta opened today, with organisers Cowes Week Limited (CWL) announcing a range of competitor-led initiatives for the flagship event.

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Feedback from the various classes taking part has led to a comprehensive re-working of the entry fee structure. Standard and Late entry Fees for all classes have been reduced for the 2018 event, while smaller one-design and IRC boats received an added boost, as CWL introduced two new entry categories to further reduce the entry fees paid by those boats with fewer crew and more limited budgets.

Boats opting to take advantage of the Super Early Bird entry fee, which ends on 29 December, will also be entered into a prize draw with the successful entrant receiving not only a rebate on their entry fee but a whole host of enticing prizes, including a Musto jacket and a £200 TNG Swiss Watches voucher.

Other initiatives for 2018 include the introduction of four-day mini-series for the Quarter Ton and FAST40+ classes and the new HP30 class, which will include fixed line and committee boat starts each day, together with the exciting addition of an Around the Island Race on Thursday 9th August for IMOCA 60s, IRC Super Zero and Class 40 yachts.

Commenting on the new initiatives, CWL Commercial & Marketing Director Kate Johnson said, "We're delighted to announce that we're open for entries for the 2018 edition of Lendy Cowes Week. Over the autumn we've completed a comprehensive review of entry fees across all the classes, and we're very pleased to be able to bring down standard entry fees for the 2018 regatta. At a time when boat ownership and racing participation is getting more expensive for many, our partnership with Title Sponsor Lendy means that we can offer better value to competitors joining us next summer. As a result of the very positive feedback from this year's regatta and the new initiatives announced today, we're looking forward to welcoming many new and returning boats to Lendy Cowes Week 2018."

Liam Brooke, Director and Co-Founder at Lendy said, "We at Lendy Ltd are extremely proud of our title sponsorship of Lendy Cowes Week, the world's premier sailing regatta. We were delighted to meet so many of you at the 2017 regatta and to experience first-hand the tremendous competitive spirit on the water as well as the fun-packed shore-side scene activities. It's given us lots of enthusiasm and ideas for 2018, and looking ahead to the second year of our partnership, we're excited to be working with Cowes Week Ltd on a range of initiatives to improve the event still further for you. We look forward to seeing you in Cowes!"