Cowes Week 200th Anniversary: A Week to Remember! 🌊🚣♂️
7 days, hundreds of conversations, a Royal visitor, and endless inspiring moments, our week at the Bicentenary of Cowes Week was nothing short of extraordinary.
The team at the stand
Taking our carbon fibre ocean rowing boat, Pacemaker, over to Cowes Week to build some momentum as we gear up to row 3,000 miles non-stop and unsupported across the Atlantic Ocean this December. We spent the week opening up the boat to visitors, showing them the reality of ocean rowing: where we’ll be sleeping, how we’ll be cooking our 5,000-calorie freeze-dried daily meals, and what life in two-hour shifts for 40 to 60 days really looks like.
Royal Encounters & Island Hospitality
A true highlight of the week was speaking to HRH The Princess Royal who stopped by Pacemaker on her way to the docks. Having the opportunity to share our journey and mission with Her Royal Highness was an absolute honor.
We were invited over to the Isle of Wight Chamber of Commerce luncheon by Jonathan and Nicola at PC Consulting who were our very first sponsor, who believed in us and our vision right from the start. Whilst at the lunch we also had the opportunity to speak to many fantastic island businesses and caught up with several of our current sponsors.
HRH The Princess Royal speaking to Lottie
Battles on the Ergs!
To bring a bit of friendly competition to our stand, we set up a rowing machine for a 100m sprint challenge. The energy was electric, and we had so many people giving it their absolute all!
A huge congratulations to our grand prize winners:
🏆 Jono – taking the men's title with a lightning-fast time of 14.9 seconds!
🏆 Juliette – taking the women's title with an incredible 17.1 seconds!
Both walked away with a well-deserved bottle of Isle of Wight Distillery’s famous Mermaid Gin.
Thank You for Your Support
Beyond the fun and the rowing chat, our main goal was to raise awareness and vital funds for our three incredible charity partners: British Heart Foundation, Calder Valley Search and Rescue Team (CVSRT), and Seaview Sailing Trust.
We want to send a massive, heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone who stopped by, donated, sponsored a mile, or bought one of our caps. Every single pound raised brings us closer to making a real difference through these charities, and your encouragement on the dock meant the world to us.
What’s Next?
Our voices are officially resting after a week of non-stop talking, but there's no slowing down! We are now shifting our full focus toward our next big display at the Southampton International Boat Show from September 18–27.
Thank you again to everyone who made Cowes Week so special. See you in Southampton!
