The eight-day event will see up to 1,000 vessels racing in the waters of the Solent. The boats compete in 36 classes during the week and range from new-fangled hi-tech racing machines to 100-year-old classics.

Each day over 8,000 sailors of all abilities and walks of life take part in the racing which sees amateur sailors competing alongside Olympic and World Champions.

Competing in the sunshine.

Competing in this year's race is Maxi yacht Enigma Of London who's back on the water after a rapid transformation - she's been made three feet longer and is therefore able to carry a larger sail area.

She'll be skippered by Charles Dunstone, a former Skandia Cowes Week winner who's up for some close racing for the Britannia Cup and the New York Yacht Club Challenge Trophy at the regatta.

Enigma is currently competing in the Mediterranean where the cutting-edge craft has already hit speeds in excess of 20 knots.

As always, the week isn't just for sailors, Skandia Cowes week is a firm date in the social calendar for landlubbers too with a whirl of entertainment throughout the week shoreside.

From live music in the square to cocktail parties, gala dinners and yacht club balls there's plenty to keep active night owls entertained.

The spectacular fireworks display.

The highlight is the annual fireworks spectacular which has taken place on the Friday for the last 130 years and attracts an audience of over 170,000.

This year, the display promises to be even more of a big bang - it's being put together by a new company, Kimbolton, who staged the 'hand over' display in Hong Kong.

The 25-minute display will see six tonnes of fireworks blasted into the sky from a floating raft. It will take six weeks to put the display together and just one man to press a button to set it off on the night!

The Green in Cowes is one of the best vantage points.