Today will see good sailing breezes but yet another quandary for the race officers and tacticians as a low tracks east across the south coast.

It’s going to be a good day for the foul weather manufacturers at least, with showers and perhaps even some thundery downpours expected throughout the day. The wind is currently firmly established in the south, making it feel quite calm and pleasant in the environs of Cowes (although it is blowing a steady 15 knots the other side of the Isle of Wight). But it will steadily back throughout the day, decreasing as the low passes overhead at lunchtime (1300 if Skandia Life Cowes Week forecaster Chris Tibbs has got it right) and then increase again as it settles in its traditional Skandia Life Cowes Week 2002 north-west patch.

Competitors may not see much more than 15 knots of wind, perhaps a little more depending on the rain and the low’s inclination or otherwise to push on towards Kent. But the spectator fleet could be anchored in as much as 25 knots of north-westerly tonight for the fireworks, which will be enough to dissuade many, one would imagine, especially as the odd shower might still be about.

Provided the low pushes through as expected, winds tomorrow should stay in the north-west and give 15-20 knots at first, easing later. Hardly the 50-knot aged cyclone that synoptics earlier in the week were promising, but knowing the sense of humour that British weather enjoys, should we have just written that?

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