The 2009 Metre & Classic Keelboat Regatta will be held from 20 to 24 July during Cowes Classics Week. It will link directly into the Household Division Regatta on 25 July and the Royal Yacht Squadron Regatta 26 July – both events also for qualifying keelboat classes.

The event will be closely co-ordinated with the British Classic Yacht Club Regatta being held during the same week and to which cruising yachts smaller than 30ft have been invited for the first time.

Racing will be co-ordinated by three principal Cowes yacht clubs: The Royal Yacht Squadron, The Royal London Yacht Club and the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club, each taking responsibility for different groups of boats on different race tracks under the management of the Solent’s top race officers.

In addition to the established classes (6mR, 8mR, 12mR, Daring, Sunbeam, X One Design, Bembridge Redwing) a commitment has already been received from the Victories and Bembridge One Designs. Other classes are welcome and will get a class start with sufficient numbers or a class result in a mixed fleet.

Or, individual representatives of any class may sail in a handicap fleet so that the event is inclusive for everybody eligible to race.

A new web site for the event has been launched on which additional details will be posted as they become available. For more details, visit www.cowesclassicweek.org .