A sea-faring summer can be had by all on the Isle of Wight, as Cowes Week sails up the Solent this August.

The annual event attracts more than 1,000 competing yachts and 8,500 competitors, making it one of the biggest sporting events of the British calendar.

Alongside the sailors, the Isle of Wight week is shared by 100,000 spectators avidly watching the 40 daily races contested by a mixture of part-timers and world-class professionals.

Cowes Week was established in 1826 as an amalgamation of competitive sailing and social activities.

The latter includes a glittering ball hosted by the Royal Yacht Squadron club and an impressive fireworks display on the last day to round off what has become the biggest sailing regatta of it kind in the world.

The Isle of Wight lies three miles off England's south coast. In the 15th century it enjoyed nominal independence but today remains a British county.