Cowes is a yachting center on the north coast of the Isle of Wight, England. The town is situated on both sides of the mouth of the River Medina. It overlooks the Solent, a strait that separates the island from the mainland. Cowes includes the former towns of West Cowes and East Cowes. It lies about 10 miles (16 kilometers) south of Portsmouth and is a fashionable resort.
Osborne House was built in 1845 in East Cowes for Queen Victoria. In West Cowes, the former Cowes Castle, built by King Henry VIII, serves as the headquarters of the Royal Yacht Squadron, a club established in 1815. Cowes Week is an annual yachting regatta (series of races).
See also Wight, Isle of.
