To win at Skandia Cowes Week, you need patience and resilience as much as flair and a little bit of luck. Click on the names to read the secrets of a successful regatta from the 2007 winners.

Simon Russell
Winner XOD

Simon ‘Fumesy’ Russell, a past Etchells World Champion crew, also won the Captain’s Cup for XOD in 2002.

Sander Speet
Winner Class 3 IRC

Twenty-four-year-old Sander Speet skippered the Grand Soleil 44 Holmatro to win Class 3 IRC in 2007. This year he is sailing in the iShares Cup Extreme 40 circuit. He is also a member of the Mean Machine sailing team.

Tim Spalding
Winner Class 4 IRC and Black Group overall

Spalding’s Amey Love Shack has a regular core crew of eight and this year, as in 2007, they will be joined each day by four guests from Amey. Some of these will be non-sailors and sampling Cowes for the first time.

Graham Bailey
Winner Etchells 22

Bailey won the 25-strong Etchells OD class, plus White Group overall with a score including five 1st places.

Colm Barrington
Winner Class 1 IRC

Colm Barrington owns the TP52 Flash Glove, the New Zealand-built ex-Pinta, and won Class 1 IRC last year with two days to spare. A big fan of Skandia Cowes Week, he enjoys the scale of the event and is looking forward to a competitive line-up of TP52s at this year’s regatta.

Glynn Williams
Winner Class 2 IRC

Glynn Williams skippered the Swan 45 WISC. Currently performing strongly in the Mediterranean Swan 45 fleet, WISC will be missing Cowes this year.