Cowes Week Diary: Rugby stars and royalty set to collide in Artemis Challenge
IT HAS been almost 20 years since my retirement from international rugby, and although I miss playing the game I’ve been fortunate enough to attend some of the greatest sporting events on earth since, so it’s certainly far from being bad.
One of those has to be Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week, and for four years now I’ve joined sailors and spectators from across the country, as well from the City’s social scene, who have decamped on the small town of Cowes for one of the biggest weeks in the sailing calendar.
Having set foot on the Isle of Wight yesterday, it occurred to me just how all-encompassing this event is. Not only are there 8,000 sailors here, both young and old, but there are also a whole host of other athletes, celebrities, Square Mile chiefs and royals all looking to savour the unique atmosphere.
Princess Anne is one such royal known for getting stuck in and that is exactly what she did yesterday with youth charity UKSA, racing on board a Farr 65 by the name of Whirlwind II as an official patron. Ollie Phillips, the former rugby World Sevens player of the year, was also showing off some new-found nautical skills, having recently returned from a Clipper Round the World yacht race.
For me, this event has a bit of everything. Its lifeblood is the sailing, with one of the biggest races taking place tomorrow in the Artemis Challenge, a 50-mile, winner takes all, high-speed sprint around the island.
Abu Dhabi’s Volvo Ocean Racing yacht, Azzam, is one of the favourites but skipper Ian Walker faces strong competition from others in the fleet, including Zara Phillips and another rugby star in Mike Tindall. It looks like it’s going to be a whirlwind finish.