Sailing in Southampton, England

Kevin & Jo in Southampton

Are you a sailing enthusiast? Head to Southampton on southern coast of England for Skandia Cowes Week. Having started in 1826, this event is now the longest-running regetta in the world. Over 1,000 yachts take part in the sailing, and people come from all over the world each August to watch.

While visiting for Cowes Week, many travelers like to enjoy all the quintessentially British charms of Southampton with its shops and pubs, as well as explore the nearby New Forest, the nature wonderland and popular vacation spot. Besides boasting great cycling paths and wildlife viewing, the New Forest has a colorful history.

Realtravelers Kevin & Jo snapped this travel photo of the day while attending the regatta this month:

“We all headed down to Southampton for the start of Cowes Week on the Isle of Wight. The weather was just perfect for the weekend, so perfect we even got sunburnt. We spent Friday looking around the city of Southampton and met some of the crew off Chieftan which is the yacht Stu sailed on in the Trans Atlantic Race to Germany. Saturday we took the car ferry over to Cowes which took about an hour, by this time Cowes week regatta was well underway so we got a good view of the boats from the ferry. We spent the day in the sun with our picnic lunch watching the yachts…it was a fantastic set up, as there are many festivities going on, including some great bands which kept us well entertained, as well as the airforce helicopter stunt pilots who performed above Cowes. All in all it was a great weekend had by all.” (more…)

Useful links:

Southhampton Pictures
United Kingdom Travel Guide
New Forest Travel Guide
Skandia Cowes Week