Ferries from Cowes
Cowes Isle of Wight Cowes is an English seaport town on the Isle of Wight, an island south of Southampton. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east bank. At the northern tip of the Isle of Wight, Cowes is inextricably associated with sailing craft: Henry VIII built a castle here to defend the Solent’s expanding naval dockyards from the French and Spanish, and in the 1950s the world’s first hovercraft made its test runs here. In 1820 the Prince Regent’s patronage of the yacht club gave the port its cachet with the Royal Yacht Squadron, now one of the world’s most exclusive sailing clubs. History The Isle of Wight had been a frequent target of attempted French invasions. The west fort survives, albeit without the original Tudor towers, as Cowes Castle. The construction of the ship Rat O’Wight on the banks of the river Medina in 1589 for Queen Elizabeth I set the scene for Cowes to grow into a world-renowned centre for boat-building, but it was not until the reign of keen sailor George IV that the stage was set for the heyday of Cowes as ‘The Yachting Capital of the World.’ In 1798, the architect John Nash, began building his home, East Cowes Castle, where he later entertained the Prince Consort and other prominent guests. In 1826 the Royal Yacht Squadron organised a three-day regatta for the first time and the next year the king signified his approval of the event by presenting a cup to mark the occasion. This became known as Cowes Regatta and it soon grew into a four-day event that always ended with a fireworks display. Queen Victoria made her summer home at Osborne by acquiring and rebuilding Osborne House. West Cowes and East Cowes became a single urban district in 1933. What to See and Do in Cowes
