Duke of Edinburgh loans Overall Trophy for Triple Crown Series at Cowes Week

The Duke of Edinburgh at Cowes Week © CWL / Paul Wyeth

Cowes Week Ltd, organisers of the world's best-known sailing regatta and highlight of the British Sporting Summer, is delighted to announce a new trophy for the new Sevenstar Triple Crown series at Cowes Week. The new trophy will be awarded to the overall winner of the Sevenstar Triple Crown. Loaned by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, the trophy will be named the Duke of Edinburgh Triple Crown Trophy.

Cowes Week has few supporters as prestigious and as passionate about sailing as The Duke of Edinburgh, who famously owned a Dragon class boat named Bluebottle, given to him and the then Princess Elizabeth as a wedding present, which he once regularly raced at the regatta. He has also competed on his Flying Fifteen Coweslip and sailed on the yacht Yeoman. The Duke of Edinburgh was instrumental in setting up Cowes Combined Clubs, the body made up of 9 clubs responsible for coordinating the racing today.

The new Duke of Edinburgh Triple Crown Trophy has been kindly loaned from the Royal Collection, and will be awarded to the overall winner of the Sevenstar Triple Crown at a prestigious prizegiving ceremony at the Royal Yacht Squadron.

This trophy is the latest illustrious addition to the Sevenstar Triple Crown, which will also see the awarding of The Queen's Cup, The King George V International Cup and the Royal Yacht Squadron's King's Cup 1920, which will be awarded to the three winners of each of the Sevenstar Triple Crown classes.

The Sevenstar Triple Crown at Cowes Week is a new initiative for 2017. A regatta within a regatta, the series is open to large IRC rated racing boats up to 36m LOA. Three classes will compete: Maxi-Racer Class; Cruiser-Racer Class (both with a minimum TCC of 1.500) and an Ocean-Racer Class (minimum TCC of 1.400). The series will take place on the Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of Cowes Week, with the Wednesday race being designated an Around the Island Race.

Commenting on the announcement, Kate Johnson, Commercial & Marketing Director for Cowes Week Limited said "We're absolutely thrilled that The Duke of Edinburgh has kindly agreed to lend this stunning and historic trophy for the overall winner of the Sevenstar Triple Crown. This will surely make the racing even more competitive as competitors vie for such a notable prize. The Duke of Edinburgh has been a regular competitor at Cowes Week since the late 1940s and we are absolutely delighted that he has chosen to mark his support for the regatta in this way. We are hugely looking forward to watching the development of this new initiative for Cowes Week."

This year's regatta takes place 29th July-5th August. Entries for the Sevenstar Triple Crown are being taken online.