From Cowes Roads the yachtsman sees the Squadron Castle as battlements, a round tower, and a flagstaff. Behind the embodied history of the sport of yachting is another history too, for Henry VIII had the castle built in 1539 as a deterrent to the French.
Its former guns are only once known to have been fired in anger, in 1642 during the Civil War. Now its William IV cannon, which once belonged to the Royal Adelaide, fire at five minute intervals to start 4,000 yachtsmen in their races.
From here much more began than racing under sail. It was once believed that the name Cowes came from the two forts or ‘cow castles’ that Henry VIII built at the entrance of the Medina River. John Leland wrote in 1545
Contact Info
Address:
The Castle, The Parade, Cowes PO31 7QT, United Kingdom
Phone: 44 (0) 1983 292 191
Website: www.rys.org.uk
