Cowes

Cowes () is an English seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight, England. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina, facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east bank. The two towns are linked by the Cowes Floating Bridge, a chain ferry. Cowes has a population of 14,370 according to the 2021 Census. Charles Godfrey Leland's 19th-century verses describe the towns poetically as "The two great Cowes that in loud thunder roar/This on the eastern, that the western shore". Cowes has been seen as a home for international yacht racing since the founding of the Royal Yacht Squadron in 1815. It gives its name to one of the world's oldest regular regatta, Cowes Week, which occurs annually in the first week of August. Later, powerboat races are held. Much of the town's architecture is still heavily influenced by the style of ornate building that Prince Albert popularised.