North Sails Cowes Week announces its Youth Sailing Zone
by Cowes Week Ltd 25 Jul 14:30 BST
1-7 August 2026
North Sails Cowes Week - Youth Sailing Zone © Cowes Week Ltd
As a regatta of such size and magnitude, we want to use our platform for good. Cowes Week has always welcomed sailors from all walks of life and, with crews that are truly intergenerational, we feel well placed to help support the next generation of sailors.
The future of sailing lies within that generation, an important focus for the regatta going forward is on creating opportunities for young people from all backgrounds to experience sailing.
The UKSA's free Try Sailing sessions - an initiative on this 200th anniversary to get 200 young people out on to the water with the hope of inspiring the next generation of sailors - is being funded by The Gosling Foundation.
Bruce Huber, Chairman of Cowes Week Limited and Cowes Combine Clubs Limited, commented: "Early sailing experiences have been proven to build confidence, resilience, teamwork and leadership skills. Many sailing bodies such as UKSA nationally and, here on the Isle of Wight, in co-operation with Seaview Sailing Trust, are already delivering high quality youth sailing programs at scale together with schools and other youth and charitable bodies. Cowes Week aims to support projects which leverage existing sailing and safety boats, infrastructure and facilities, and training expertise and resources".
Adam Gosling, Chairman of The Gosling Foundation, explains: "One of The Gosling Foundation's key funding priorities is to support projects taking young people out of their comfort zone, thereby encouraging vital resourcefulness and resilience. UKSA's Try Sailing sessions - specifically created to encourage young people aged between 8 and 18 to come down and have an experience on the water, giving young people the chance to discover sailing for the first time - dovetail perfectly with our ethos. We are thrilled to be able to support young people on the Isle of Wight in this way."
On the ground:
Throughout North Sails Cowes Week, the Try Sailing sessions will run from the Trinity Landing on the Cowes Parade. A team will be on hand to talk about youth sailing programmes and opportunities for young people to get involved in sailing. Free try-sailing sessions for under 18s will be available between 9.30am and 4.30pm every day from Saturday 1st to Friday 7th August 2026, with two keelboats operating. Each session will include 45 minutes on the water supported by experienced instructors, with safety boats ensuring a safe, supportive and unforgettable sailing experience. The initiative is funded by The Gosling Foundation. Alongside UKSA, members of the Athena Pathway Youth Squad - the high-performance foiling programme developing Britain's next generation of elite sailors - will host a series of Q&A sessions in the Youth Sailing Zone, giving young visitors the chance to be inspired by and learn about pathways into professional sailing.
Q&A Timings and Dates
2nd August - 16:30-17:30 Finn Dickinson
3rd August - 16:30-17:30 Katy Jenkins
4th August - 16:30-17:30 Kuba Staite
5th August - 16:30 - 17:30 Kai Hockley
Cowes Week Youth Sailing Programme:
The Youth Sailing programme has been running for many years with a number of youth prizes awarded during the week, including the Youth Trophy for a young sailor who has made a notable impact on the sport - whether or not they've stood on the podium. Cowes Week Ltd intent to expand the program into a national initiative for 2027 focusing on increasing accessibility and inclusivity, whilst giving opportunity for the next generation to get involved in the UK's biggest sailing regatta. Sailing clubs and non-sailing bodies wanting to find out about future participation in this initiative can email info@cowesweek.co.uk.
For full details on our youth sailing programme, please visit the event website.