Cowes Week 2027. The crossing is the journey.
Saturday 31 July to Friday 6 August on the Solent. Getting to Cowes is not a drive, it is a drive plus a boat plus a town with almost nowhere to park, and the order you do it in decides your morning.
The regatta
Cowes Week 2027 at a glance
- DatesSaturday 31 July to Friday 6 August 2027The organisers publish future dates years ahead and move them slightly to suit the tides. The 2028 regatta is 29 July to 4 August.
- WhereCowes, Isle of WightRacing on the Solent, with the shoreside centred on Cowes Yacht Haven and the High Street.
- Getting acrossFerries from Southampton, Lymington and PortsmouthA car ferry takes about an hour from Southampton; the fast passenger service is under half that.
- Nearest airportsSouthampton and BournemouthSouthampton is about twenty minutes from the Red Funnel terminals on a normal day.
Dates as published by the organisers. Ferry timetables for regatta week are released in the spring and we book against those.
The decision
Take the car across, or leave it behind
This is the only real question, and most people get it wrong. Taking a car on the vehicle ferry gives you a car on the island, which matters if you are staying out at Seaview, Yarmouth or Bembridge, or moving between the racing and a house. The cost is time: vehicle ferries run to a fixed timetable, they fill up in regatta week, and you have to be at the terminal well before departure, so a missed sailing is an hour gone rather than five minutes.
Crossing as a foot passenger on the fast service from Southampton is far quicker, and Cowes itself is small enough to walk. That is usually the better plan if you are on a boat, in the Yacht Haven, or staying in the town. Our chauffeur takes you to the terminal in Southampton, waits with the luggage, and is there again when you come back. If you need a car on the island as well, we arrange one through operators we know on the Isle of Wight.
Parking in Cowes during the week is close to non-existent, and the residential streets are controlled. It is worth saying plainly, because plenty of people drive down, queue for a ferry, cross with the car and then spend forty minutes looking for somewhere to leave it.
Journey times
Getting to Cowes
| Leg | How | Typical time |
|---|---|---|
| Central London to Southampton | Road | 1 hour 45 to 2 hours 30, longer on a summer Friday |
| Southampton Airport to the ferry terminals | Road | 20 to 35 minutes |
| Southampton to West Cowes | Fast passenger ferry | Under 25 minutes, roughly every half hour at peak times |
| Southampton to East Cowes | Vehicle ferry | About 1 hour afloat, plus check-in |
| Lymington to Yarmouth | Vehicle ferry | 30 to 40 minutes, then 25 to 40 minutes by road to Cowes |
| Portsmouth to Fishbourne | Vehicle ferry | About 45 minutes, then 20 to 35 minutes by road to Cowes |
Planning guidance, not promises. Regatta week sailings sell out and the mainland approaches queue on the first and last weekends.
What clients usually book
What actually gets asked for in regatta week
- A car from a London or Home Counties address to the Southampton terminal, timed to a specific sailing rather than to a guess
- The same chauffeur and car waiting on the mainland for the return, so nobody is standing on a quay at midnight
- A V-Class for a crew or a family with sailing bags, which do not fit in a saloon
- A car arranged on the island for guests staying away from Cowes
- Airport collections at Southampton and Bournemouth for guests flying in
- Yacht charter on the Solent or further afield, arranged from the same desk
- Hotel and dinner runs in Lymington, Beaulieu and the New Forest for anyone basing on the mainland side
On the island
East Cowes and West Cowes are not the same place
The River Medina divides the town. The vehicle ferry from Southampton lands at East Cowes; the fast passenger service lands at West Cowes, which is the side with the Yacht Haven, the High Street and most of the shoreside events. A chain ferry crosses the river between the two, and it is a two-minute trip, but it is not something to build a tight schedule around. If you are landing a car at East Cowes and your evening is on the west side, plan for that rather than discovering it at seven o'clock.
Cowes fills its hotels and cottages a year ahead, so many guests base themselves in Lymington, Beaulieu or Southampton and cross each day. That works well, and it is another argument for a car and chauffeur on the mainland who knows the sailing you are booked on.
The last night
Everybody leaves at once
The week traditionally ends with fireworks, and the ferries afterwards are the single busiest movement of the regatta. If you are going home that night, book the crossing early and expect a wait. If you can stay one more night and travel on the Saturday morning, do. We will tell you which of those we think is right for your party rather than simply taking the booking.
Book early
Ferry space is the bottleneck, not cars
Vehicle ferry space in regatta week goes months ahead, and the island's own supply of chauffeur-driven cars is small. Tell us your dates as soon as you have a berth, a house or an invitation.
Around the week
Related pages
Request a quote
Tell us your days
Which days, how many of you, whether you need a car on the island as well as the mainland, and where you are staying. We reply with a clear price. Nothing is booked or charged online.
Prefer to talk? +44 2030 048300 or WhatsApp, at any hour.
Questions people ask
About Cowes Week travel
Should we bring a car to the island?
Only if you are staying away from Cowes or moving around the island. If you are in the town or on a boat, cross as a foot passenger on the fast service and keep the car and chauffeur on the mainland.
Can the chauffeur come across with us?
Yes, if the plan needs it. More often the better arrangement is the car waiting on the Southampton side for your return, which costs less time and less ferry space.
Are the cars on the island yours?
No. Our own fleet and employed chauffeurs cover London and Manchester. On the Isle of Wight we arrange cars through operators we know, and we stay the single point of contact.
Can you book the ferry for us?
We will advise on which sailing to take and work to it. Crossings in regatta week sell out, so the earlier you tell us, the more choice there is.
Are you an official supplier to Cowes Week?
No. We are an independent chauffeur company providing transport to and from the regatta, with no official status.
