A Big Night Out - Cowes Week 2012

If you've ever heard of Cowes week you will probably know that it is the biggest Sailing Regatta in the world. A week of thousands of boats racing, tens of different classes with every kind of sailing boat imaginable thats bigger than about 10 feet. As a previous Cowes week sailor I can truthfully say this is something worth doing. And with sailing brings sailors. Thousands of them.

Cowes is transformed for the week into the place to be seen. From movie stars to F1 drivers, High society to TV personalities. The towns population increases three fold literally overnight. Clubs and bars materialise in the boatyards and empty spaces of the town and every square inch is filled with something exciting.

So, a night out. I could only do one this year which is NEVER enough, but better than nothing. Starting with a few cheeky ones at my friends house (I usually throw a Cowes Week party after which we head into town) but this year it was not to be. After a few cold ones at Sophie's we popped into the Pier View pub, potentially Cowes' most famous venue, where is necked a few aniseedy cocktails. No idea what it was called, I pointed at one and said 'I WANT THAT'.

Pre drinks, with Bilbo the Cat. 

After this we nipped into the Marina opposite, where for the week a wedding marquee sized bar facilitates the revellers as they watch live bands and dotted around the site are other drink holes, including a Pimm's bus and a 'Queen Vic' temporary pub. Fun but a tad festival-esque commercial and a far cry from our usual Cowes drinking holes.

I can't talk about a Cowes Week night out without mentioning Mahiki Banyan Beach as it was known this year. An enormous Tiki themed marquee with a bar down its entire length plays club hits until the wee hours of the morning and the locals mix with the visitors sloshing their hulled out pineapples of Pina Colada around in a drunken haze. This place has never let me down and the five quid entry charge is more than worth it. The pop up nature of this place means you have to wee in a portaloo (although they make up for a bit by providing about 20) and if it's good enough for the posh totty from London it's good enough for me. The atmosphere in here is young, especially when it gets later as the older revellers return to bed in anticipation of a long days racing (the sensible choice, Cowes week can be quite a toughy, I know).

Inside Banyan Beach.

So a brilliant night out, I hope to see you all next year. And safe to say I woke up with a fairly sore head the next day and an excruciating journey back to Brighton!


Ciao for now.