…and we shall have slow (racing) at Skandia Life Cowes Week, at least until Saturday if the current synoptics are to be believed.

A new style of night race might become appropriate if things carry on as they are, given that the north-westerly wind was up to a 6-10 knot average between 0100-0600 according to the www.ybw.com/weather 24-hour log for the central Solent. It dropped down to 4-5 knots from here across to Lee-on-Solent at breakfast time but has picked up a little again and the frustrated throng of assembled yachts pushed out at 0930-1000 as fast as mooring warps could be untangled.

The Isle of Wight is right on the border of a big bank of black nasty stuff that may make life quite wet to the east, but the forecasters are calling only for the possibility of showers later in the Solent and otherwise promising breaks in the cloud cover. Once again that sunny delight may prove a bit too sweet if it leads to sea breezes that knock-back the prevailing wind this afternoon, just as the tide turns unfavovourable.

As for the rest of the week, we can certainly expect rain thanks to a cold front passing through Wednesday night or Thursday morning, but no real wind until Saturday when a depression should provide some real shove for the last day’s racing – and more rain.

For live location weather and tides around the British mainland and European three-day synoptics click here