The oldest video footage of Cowes Week

by Magnus Smith 4 Aug 2024 04:00 PDT

The Isle of Wight © OS

Cowes Week 2024 has just concluded. But how has it changed since the early years? England has certainly changed, and so have the yachts. Let's look back at the 1920s to 70s at the oldest video footage we can find in the archive.

The main problem we are going to face is the obsession British Pathé had with filming royalty visiting Cowes. Whilst the earliest newsreels have been preserved, and that is wonderful, there is often not the focus on racing which we might like! Be prepared to see the King and Queen embarking motorboats and waving, or Prince Phillip in his Dragon and Flying Fifteen, if you go hunting for more early Cowes action on YouTube.

In this article we have tried to present only the top ten of the 38 videos we have on Cowes Week prior to the year 1990.

We skip 1920 and 1920s to go straight to Cowes Week 1921 which features J class, gaffers, dinghies and 6 Metres. It's not speedy but is worth watching.

We skip 1922, 1923, 1920s, 1926, 1929, 1930, 1931 and 1932/1932.

Cowes Week 1935 is worth showing as the commentary identifies boats and people by name.

We skip 1935 and look at Cowes Week 1936 where J class yacht 'Endeavour II' has a mishap: to break one mast is an accident, but two...?

We skip 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1947, 1949 and 1951.

Cowes Week 1952 is almost all about "the duke" but it gives enough general Cowes flavour to be worth a watch. It's amusing that a royal competitor wins ten shillings!

We skip 1952/1952 and 1953, 1956, to see Cowes Week 1957 with our current King as a young boy, out racing. The footage is worth watching for larger fleets and shore shots too.

Cowes Week 1960 has 12m, Dragon, Redwing, XOD, Flying Fifteen and Redwing - supposedly there were nearly 400 yachts competing. (There is the inevitable royal bit too.)

We skip 1960 and the first from 1961 to see Cowes Week 1961 which has footage on board 12 Metre 'Sceptre', plus lots of shore footage and people.

We skip 1962/1962 because Cowes Week 1963 is better.

We skip 1964/1964, 1965 (and another from 1965 and more 1965 ), 1960s and one from 1967. Much better is this other Cowes Week 1967 with its focus on youth, and great footage of XOD class (still one of the largest classes at Cowes).

There is some good on-board footage in Cowes Week 1968.

Finally we skip 1971 and 1979 and end our top ten here.

What of the rest?

Do you know the location of any 1980s Cowes Week videos that are worth a watch? We would love to share these with other sailors. You can submit video links to us for immediate review.

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