Cowes Week 2020 will be running nine IRC classes, up from eight last year, as splitting class five into two classes (called A and B) worked really well. Organisers say It enabled them to separate out lighter-weight asymmetric boats, and the feedback from competitors on this was excellent.
Knowing that in advance means it makes sense to rename the classes Zero through Nine, but it won't make a huge difference to the IRC class splits in reality.
Secondly, organisers are splitting the cruiser division into two entirely separate entities, to be called 'Performance Cruisers' (4 divisions as in 2019) and 'Club Cruisers' (2 divisions). Cowes Week will be making racing available for what, in essence, are two entirely different types of boats and will be encouraging people to enter the right division based on their boat type. Modern cruising boats with bulb keels and epoxy construction deserve a class of their own, as do some of the more genuine cruisers, and the two will now be able to race separately.
The new Club Cruiser division will also enable people who have not entered Cowes Week in the past to be able to do so, even if their boats really are set up for cruising most of the time.
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