Yachts, Airbus and flying boats. How Cowes is keeping its marine and aerospace heritage alive.

This week is Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week, the classic sailing regatta that has been running since 1826. At Sarum Hydraulics we love the spectacle and with some 8000 competitors, up to 1000 boats racing and 40 races each day, we are not alone. Cowes Week is one of the busiest weeks on the Isle of Wight, and the regatta’s unique position as part of “The Season” (slotting in after Glorious Goodwood) means there is no shortage of society balls and fabulous parties taking place on the island. Glorious weather on the Solent on Saturday helped things get off to a great start, and with the grand finale featuring a spectacular firework display at 9pm on Friday to look forward too, Cowes truly is a highlight of the Great British sailing calendar.

But don’t let the champagne and sunshine fool you into thinking of the regatta solely as a week of exclusive parties.  Cowes’ long heritage of craftsmanship and innovation has ensured that where so many industries and products have come and gone, Cowes consistently evolves and adapts.

Sarum Hydraulics has a soft spot for Cowes, nestled each side of the River Medina and joined by the clanking chain operated “floating bridge”. Arriving by water, one is greeted by wonderful buildings build in the ornate style loved by Prince Albert. Much of the waterfront remains beautiful, although sadly the historic boatbuilding vista has been replaced by marinas and apartments. Thankfully, Clare Lallow’s yard, with its ramshackle sheds and slip, is still around to give visitors a taste of Cowes’ heyday.

Shipbuilding and Cowes have traditionally gone hand in hand. From the 1800’s right up until the late 1960s, firms such as J Samuel Whites Shipyard cemented the Medina’s reputation for ship building excellence with their Naval Vessels, whilst Saunders Roe embraced Cowes’ craftsmanship with their legendary flying boats, and of course, the original SRN hovercraft. Sarum Hydraulics still has an old boy who saw a very early SRN hovercraft skimming past the Queen Mary when he went on holiday to Cowes back in the mid 1960’s. Wow, that is a long time ago! In due course the British Hovercraft Corporation became a big employer on the island, manufacturing hovercraft for customers across the globe.

Today, life in Cowes has certainly moved on since the era of the hovercraft. If you have flown on a recent Airbus, chances are that some of the composite wing panels will have been made in GKN’s cutting edge composites factory just across the chain ferry in East Cowes. That plant is thriving and uses the manufacturing heritage that made beautiful yachts, flying boats and hovercraft. Even better, Sarum Hydraulics’ pressure testing equipment running on high pressure Skydrol aerospace fluid is used in this advanced manufacturing facility, proving that in Cowes, only the best will do.

Sarum Hydraulics knows that Cowes’ craftsmanship is second to none. Keep up with all the action via the official Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week Twitter, or keep an eye out for our highlights at @SarumHydraulics.