skandia cowes week accommodation / skandia cowes week news

cowes week rss feed

2006-04-30T12:42:00.000-07:00

rss feed for my cowes week blog should be available later this week. This post is a test.

So we roll on to cowes week 2006

2006-04-30T10:49:00.000-07:00

Well my sailing seasons off to hopefully a good start as I'm going racing next weekend, free food, drinks & free corporate clothing! How cool is that! Hopefully racing this Tuesday in the ISC Tuesday night series. Best of all this blog has now acheived a google pager rank of 3. I thinkt that make's it one of the hgihest rated cowes week blogs!
I am running another great glove giveaway on my destinationcowes.com website so visit and sign up for my newsletter if you've not done so already.
Oh and book accommodation now if you've not already - It as I predicted will be in short supply this year. It ake enquiries ont the site although I don't deal with cowes week accommodation directly I do pass all request for cowes week 2006 on to a very reputable agency. More tomorrow - this is Cowes!

Free Sailing Gear

2006-03-19T09:01:00.000-08:00

Take up on my cowes week 2006 newsletters slowed up this week, despite the chance to win a free pair of sailing gloves. So in order to expand the mailing list I've moved the competition back to the top of the cowes week homepage. Cowes week accommodation requests are still rolling in but again it's been a quieter week on that front.
I've been developing the skandia cowes week 2006 guide over the weekend but still need to trawl the internet for more information on cowes week 2006. So if you are holding a social event in skandia cowes week 2006 then please e-mail me with thte details and I'll post them on the destination cowes site.
We're also working on a solent wide sailing site which is going to be huge.
More soon,
Dickie

It's Cowes, and it's on the rise

2006-03-13T07:23:00.001-08:00

My site is 'On the rise' as they say. I'm nowhere near Cowes.co.uk, but I am now getting people want to advertise on the site particulalrly for Skandia Cowes Week 2006 accommodation and rib charter. The fastest catamaran project is just having the final few legalities ironed out and then we're back up and running and I think we can safely say that then we will be seeing a marked increase in hits. Average visit time is now around 15-16 minutes so we know we're doing something right. So if you've not visited our Cowes site do so now (Use the sidebar links). We also have massive and I mean massive solent wide site under construction which should be up and running mid-april (we estimate around 10k hits a day so if you have a marine business anywhere in the solent e-mail us for advertising opportunities.

Also looks like being a massive entry for this years round the island race, it's the 75th Anniversary so if you've not entered do so now. I will miss Tony Chilvers who sadly passed away last year as club sailing secretary.

I'm not renting the house out for Cowes week this year as I'm working on a few new business ideas. I'm now going to start posting cowes week news on the site as well. I'm just working on some automated RSS Feeds which I'll also be adding to this blog once I've converted it into a wordpress blog at the weekend.
More tomorrow,
"This is Cowes!"
P.S. Also got my whole seasons sailing sorted this week - Yippee!

It's Cowes, and it's on the rise

2006-03-13T07:23:00.000-08:00

Million Pound Lady - Island Dreams Project

2006-02-26T10:47:00.000-08:00

Well following a busy few days the project should be back on the website shortly. I have just being ironing out a few legal T & C's which should be signed off in the next few days. The interest I have received in the island dreams - fastest catamaran has been huge. With e-mails of support coming in from all over the world. All I need now is people to start buying pixels to support the project.

More news as it happens

Accommodation in Cowes & Advertising

2006-02-24T03:34:00.000-08:00

Well sadly it's been a few days since my last post. Howwever in the past few days I notice the new Royal Yacht Squadron marina appears to be nearly done - less the actual pontoons of course. The big dregger / breakwater builder thingy has now gone away.

Building work on the new flats overlooking the parade is goign on at some pace, one can only assume they want them built and up for sale prior to Cowes week. The same is afoot with the building works on the new flats at Shephards Wharf.

It snowed for most of the day on the Island yesterday hence the world stopped moving as it never snows here.
If you are looking for Cowes Week accommodation visit my site and send us a request with your requirements, we are now getting requests on a daily basis, however we aim to get back to you within 24 hours.
Happy Sailing!
Dickie Boy

And so it begins

2006-02-18T14:47:00.000-08:00

Well so it begins, the sailing project which I had been working on has somehow been unleashed onto the world. It appeared on one of the major sailing chat rooms and traffic to my site kind of - well snowballed would be an understatement, so as a result the entire cowes / cowes week 2006 site has had to have a major frontpage revamp (and I've added a couple of new sections this week). So visit it and see what you think

Rain

2006-02-15T15:30:00.000-08:00

If anyone's reading this wondering if last nights big storm hit Cowes then yes it did, only in Cowes does it rain horizontally as well as straight down due to the driving wind, boat was I believe as lumpy as hell crossing to Southampton today.
Well finally my 'Big Project' is only a couple of days away from launching on the site. All I'll say is it's big and it's unique. So watch this space - this Cowes! If you've not signed up for my newsletter on the site do so now!

Yahoo at last!

2006-02-14T13:08:00.000-08:00

Whooohoo! Finally my main site destination cowes has got listed in google, at one point we were even showing on the first page! Accommodation requests are now begining to go from a trickle to a flood! Slowly but surely the town is awakening - I see the new Cowes Marina that is the RYS is racing up. Easily open for Easter - but I do wonder if they will apply for a 'Permanent' berthing licence. It would make sense. I wonder though how often it will silt up. More tomorrow - and this Friday my Cowes week mail will eventually emerge from the shadows - I'm getting around five people a day subscribing to it, it's free and you get the chance to win a new pair of sailing gloves! Register today!

C for Cowes, D for Disaster

2006-02-06T15:27:00.000-08:00

Word to the wise if you're renting a house for Cowes week check if the bathroom was put in by B&Q, Why? well thanks to B&Q aka morons! my bathroom still leaks after 16 weeks - end of rant. Back to Cowes
Went to the 'monday club' in the Pier View Today, for all those non-Cowes people this is the place where everybody who runs their own business / self-employed goes to of a monday lunchtime. How cool is that? Does this happen on the mainland It think not. If you want to find out what's going on in Cowes then this is the place to go on a Monday. Excellent coffee compared to the Anchor Inn as well.
Listened to the Isle of Wight Radio again today, they keep cutting loads of people off before they can say a word, it appears there is some 'major rumour' going around the island - this would be great news if only I new what it was, or anybody I know come to that matter...
Cowes week Website hits have rocketed this week so I have a feeling that this Summers going to be a big one. STOP THE PRESS - got my Tuesday nights ISC sailing sorted out today - yeehaa(!). After three seasons we may actually be able to do some damage this year, now that I've finally got arm muscles big enough to gybe the poll end to end. I still meet so many people that say you can't gybe a 26ft sportsboat without lazy guys, more fool them! Mind you in a force five it's a handfull.
Gadget of the Season - and you read it here first, Garmin Foretrex 201 - buy one NOW (Check out the amazon ads on the site) this is going to be this years hottest sailing gadget. I'm getting one for short course racing and as a safety for my Jog racing. It's around £120 + buy a handheld radio for £80 - and for £200 if you fall off a JOG or RORC race mid channel in the middle of the night and you've got the tools to be picked up within 30 mins. £200 you say, big money?, no, that's less money than the price of a good pair of sailing pants (BUY OF THE WEEK - henri lloyd ocean pants £199 in their sale) and around a fifth of the money of a funeral - sharpens the mind eh!
Whooo! I'm flying along tonight - more tomorrow. Book mark - this page. "This is Cowes!" - and there's now around 200 people a dy reading this! and rising!

Warming up Cowes

2006-02-05T10:36:00.000-08:00

Much warmer today in Cowes although we didn't venture far. That said I must go and do some work on my boat tomorrow. Also must get back to the gym and get working on my arm muscles for sailing, I'm still determined to win the sailing jacket 'grinder competition' in Cowes week. I've also received another couple of accommodation requests from the site. Despite my best efforts my first Cowes week newsletter didn't happen on Friday. But I have been working on a big addition to the site to fulfill my sailing dream. This addition should be on the cowes site by the end of the week. It's going to be big even in Sailing terms so bookmark this blog. Also if you've not joined my Cowes week mailing list do so now (sign up under the 'Cowes week news' link - you get the chance to win a pair of new sailing gloves!
Also check out the new crew register and yacht charter sections.

Cowes Week Ideas

2006-02-04T03:23:00.000-08:00

Pixel Nation? Destination Sailing? I've thought of a new idea for Cowes week, I'm trying to raise money for a new race boat, it's to be built with a very specific purpose in mind so I can't say much about it yet. It strikes me that Cowes week would be the ideal time to open the fund raiser. I'm thinking along the lines of the milliondollarpixel.com site as I figure that around $1,000,000 should cover the entire budget. With any luck I should be able to get a few sailing magazines onboard as well.
Other than that it's so cold over here it's unbelieveable. I was going to wander through the yacht haven today but due to the recent episode of vandalism (Lets just say boats on sticks don't balance well when some idiot kicks away the sticks) the whole yard is cordoned off. Still they should have done that years ago.
Speaking of security as a whole - East Cowes marina seems to offer the best in town.
Must dash - got a boat to clean and a fund raising campaign to start. As a last note Rib Charter seems a popular page on my site this week so visit us and check it out. My friends Rib company is already fully booked for Cowes Week.
Cheers,
Dickie Boy

Snow in Cowes

2006-02-02T12:57:00.000-08:00

I predict it will snow tonight in Cowes, I can't believe it is colder than yesterday. The yacht haven looked earily quiet earlier today, nobodies movign around unless they have to. Mind you I've just been for a curry - bought cat food earlier today but forgot tea (DOH!). Interestingly there was no one in the new 'Saffron' curry house, mind you if you have the service from hell then you're not going to get regulars (e.g. locals) coming back in Winter and without them you're dead in Winter. Personally I won't eat in there, but judging by no one being in there pretty much every evening this week I guess they're suffering (Mind you they're also paying astronomic rent) and have a conservatory they can't use due to fire hazards. Guess they should have got that sorted out 'before' building it...
Still that's the madness that's Cowes for you. Guess they'll want to get that sorted out before Cowes Week...
Made a few changes/tweaks to the site today and have finally succumbed to advertising on the site.
Good Night Cowes,
Dickie Boy

Freezing again!

2006-02-01T14:26:00.000-08:00

It's so cold in Cowes today, what is it with this weather? Roll on Summer - I've a feeling it's going to be a hot one. They're already talking about a water shortage over here. (Only 10% of the Islands water comes from the mainland). The 'Great glove giveaway' on my site is going well and as my mailing list builds up I'll be sending out a weekly Cowes / Cowes week 2006 newsletter. So if you've not signed up yet do so - and you get the chance to win a nice new pair of sailing gloves in tiem for the start of the sailing season (I'll send them worldwide so please sign up).
The town is just beginning to show signs of life yet on sunday it was a ghost town. I'm now going down the gym three times a week (I am aiming to win the Grinder competition in the Yacht haven this year) so if anyone needs a grinder than I'm the man for the job.
I was hoping to go out on the Civil Services sailing boat but it seems it's in for repair again - Not sure that I want to go on a boat that's run aground twice though.
My Cowes week accommodation requests are beginning to come in, I won't make a fortune but hopefully it'll help apy a few bills, just get your cowes week accommodation booked early as accommodation will be at a premium this year.
Night for now.
Dickie Boy

Great Glove Giveaway

2006-01-24T13:16:00.000-08:00

After a fraughtful day (You can only do it when you B & Q - company from hell!!!) I've had a tinker with my destination cowes website and anyone signing up for my cowes week 2006 weekly newsletter enters a free draw to win either a pair of harken or henri lloyd gloves in a size of your choosing. Subscription list and hits to the site are both growing day by day but if you like what you see on the main site then please feel free to link to me.

Weather in Cowes today has been below freezing all day - meaning it's been colder than hell. Speaking of weather I really must aim to get a live weather feed up and running this week.
I have a whole host of local news on Cowes week so this Friday should see the launch (Finally) of my Cowes week 2006 newsletter - tada!

Free Sailing Gear

2006-01-22T22:01:00.000-08:00

Hmm...Trying to generate interest in my soon to be released 'Cowes week 2006' newsletter. So from around midday tomorrow my main Cowes site will be changed to feature the 'Great Glove Giveaway'. Everyone who signs upto my cowes week 2006 newsletter (it's free! and only comes once a week) will enter my prize draw for a new pair of harken or henri lloyd gloves in a size of the winners choosing.

I'm hopeful of adding a live weather feed to the site fairly soon, all I can say today is that in Cowes it's freezing, it's only the second time ever I've seen gritting lorries on the Island for goodness sake. It's even so cold the Anchor Inn was virtually dead, that said the high street was busy so I think we may be in for another big sailing season.

More tomorrow

Cowes Rain?

2006-01-18T14:47:00.000-08:00

Is it me or is Cowes the only place in Britain where it rains horizontally? Well other than the rain it's not been a bad day, I've even received my first Cowes Week Accommodation request, if this continues I'll be able to start buying food again!
I've been busy on my destination cowes site and my visitors continue to rise week on week - now if I can just sell my motorboat before the season starts...
In preparation for this seasons sailing I've started going to the Gym on a regular basis - for those visiting Cowes we have a new Gym called 'Urban Gym' only £25 a month (Bargain) or £5 per session for visiting yachties. I'm doing the JOG races again this season, and now I've got a new job hopefully I'll be doing Cowes week on water again.
Any comments on Cowes week or queries on Cowes in general much appreciated, but it's late so for now night, night

Skandia Cowes Week? or just Cowes Week 2006

2006-01-17T07:32:00.000-08:00

Let the debate commence! I have received an e-mail from Skandia asking me to use the correct term of Skandia Cowes Week 2006 as opposed to just Cowes Week 2006, whilst it's no skin off my nose does this mean that they own the name Cowes Week e.g. if they pull out of sponsoring it are we going to be forced to call it 'August in the solent week'.
Alas the more I hear on accommodation the more I recommend you book early, hearing of a real shortage this year due to increased visitor numbers but a large decrease in rental accommodation.

Still the RYS new marina will be open by Easter in time for the new racing season adding around 130m of new berths to Cowes. Debate still rages on as to whether the Cowes Harbour Commission will dredge in East Cowes opposite the Yacht Haven to create a new marina, the words 'silted up' and 'dredge every year' spring to mind which is fine provide you can just move the 200 odd boats it'd hold elsewhere for a few months a year - all at once. Not happening is it?
For those who are reading this (And I know there's a few regular readers now) I am starting to post everyday again now. (Spent the past two weeks job hunting).

On the down side for those visiting Cowes Week 2006 beer is now around £3 a pint for Stella - Boo! But on the plus side it's still around £2.60 in the Island Sailing Club.

Lastly my thoughts go out to Tony Chilvers family, much loved sailing secretary of the Island Sailing Club who passed away sudeenly in December. The round the island race will miss him greatly.

New Year Cowes Style!

2006-01-02T14:07:00.000-08:00

Well it's finally 2006, to be blunt last year was crap so I'm not sad to see it go. I spent New Years Eve in the fine company of the owner of Murrays fish restaurant in Cowes (best seafood in town - book for Cowes week now, end of plug). New years eve seems to get better year on year in Cowes. As of March we've been here 4 years, and every year that passes the fancy dress gets bigger and better. The local island paper 'The county press' even sends a photographer along for the evening for goodness sake. The high light of this years Cowes new years eve had to be the fake riot police (complete with guns!) meeting the real police outside of Murrays - It's amazing how fast you sober up when told that carrying a fake firearm in public carries a mandatory five year sentence! Still they were let of with a caution probably due to 12 men dressed as a crate of newcastle brown ale running the other way. If you've done New Years eve anywhere else then get to Cowes for new year '06 - trust me there's nothing quite like it...More tomorrow
Dickie Boy aka the Black Sheep

Cowes Weather

2005-12-30T15:56:00.000-08:00

Minus 5 in cowes! What's the world coming to? It's so cold even the Anchor Inn's nearly empty. Still New Years eve tomorrow. I'm just about to start work on a new solent wide sailing site from Chichester through to Poole covering just about every service going. Still no rest for the wicked - roll on the sailing season.

Cowes Week Forum

2005-12-29T16:49:00.000-08:00

Hmm...debating whether to start a Cowes week forum or not. Any thought I ask you / myself? The skandia cowes week site has one but I think it could do more. I'll ponder it over the weekend and post my ramblings on it next week. Sounds to me I should do some market testing in the Anchor Inn!!!

Record Cowes Week Entry

2005-12-28T14:51:00.000-08:00

I see 2006 has barely begun and yet we are already looking at a record cowes week 2006 entry, this will surely add to the forthcoming accommodation shortgage. The worst tale of woe I've heard about last years cowes week was one unlucky family who rented out their house only to return to find the bath taps still running, the plug in, and the bath in the kitchen in the room below. Result - one hefty insurance claim and Cowes week insurance premiums higher and thus accommodation costs higher as a result.
I'll post initial cowes week entry news tomorrow

Cowes Restaurant News

2005-12-27T16:00:00.000-08:00

For those visiting cowes in the coming season there's a bit of movement on the restaurant & pub front. Both the old three crowns and the 'crew bar' are up for sale. The Pier view has bought out the old Wight stuff clothing company next door, rumours are afoot that's going to be their new restaurant.
The Globe on the seafront has been sold and is going to be a Chinese restaurant upstairs and remain a pub below.
Whilst all this sounds good - However as yet absolutely no one has started any building work whatsoever...welcome to cowes

skandia cowes week 2006

2005-12-27T07:29:00.000-08:00

Well we're nearly into to 2006 so I thought it about time to set my cowes week 2006 blog in motion. I've titled it cowes week accommodation as this year I have feeling that it's going to be a hot topic. Why well for a start I've taken the decision not to rent my house out for Cowes Week this year. Although I may offer B & B nearer the time. It was only on the wway home on the Red Jet I mentioned I wasn't renting out the house for Cowes week when it became the hot topic amongst the people I was with. Collectively out of 12 people we knew between us 9 had taken the decision not to rent out houses for cowes week 2006. The impact of this is failure major - not really you might think, but hang on if this rental pattern was followed throughout Cowes then accommodation prices will skyrocket surely.

Phoning around a few agents and speaking to a lot more friends it seems that cowes week 2006 accommodation is likely to be in short supply and a lot more expensive.
I'll post some sample accommodation prices as soon as I have them. Hopefully next post should be more upbeat with info on Cowes Week entertainment!