Island Life Magazine Ltd October/November 2007 | Page 5

EVENTS GONE BY
Powerboat
Festival 2007
Taking Cowes by storm over
the bank holiday weekend
was the Cowes Powerboat
Festival. A round the island
challenge, between Cowes
and Thorness, made great
spectator sport, as Europe’s
most highly powered
racing boats, up to 43ft
and travelling at 2,000hp
hit the waves quite literally
and spent as much time
in the air as on the water.
Some of the top
domestic and international
championships in
powerboat racing made
their appearance in the
two-day UIM Powerboat
P1 British Grand Prix, and
Cowes itself was abuzz
with podium celebrations
along the parade.

The summer finally
turned up to coincide
with the Island Steam
Show at Havenstreet.
Steam carousels,
circus skills area
and all the fun of the
fair surrounded the
central arena. Slick
skills and stunts by
the Over the Top
motorcycle team
made the slapstick
fun routines look
deceptively casual,
and members of
the public were
persuaded to join in
with The Manchester
Company of Extreme
Largeness.

HAVENSTREET

Steam Show

Wight Air
It was hard to resist having a
go at something at White Air.
Its billing as an extreme sports
festival is not wrong. You could
try anything from an extreme
risk – hurtling down the hills
behind on a noSnow mountain
board – to feeling extremely
daft – peddling something
like a wheel-less bike in the
sea. Most spectacular, either
for participants or onlookers,
were the tricks and jumps
on the central skate park.

County Show
Despite the restrictions
imposed by the foot-and-mouth
outbreak, the County Show
went ahead, making up in other
areas for the lack of livestock.
Dogs and ferrets took over as
representing the animal world,
with the Wight Wizards Dog
Agility team entertaining the
crowds surrounding the North
Ring, and the ferrets having
races. Foresting skills were
demonstrated by Adam’s Axemen,
who stayed an extra day, stunt

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riding kept the crowd’s hearts in
their mouths, while belly dancing
went down very well with a pint
of real ale in the Folk on the Field
bar, a new addition this year.
Classic cars on show included
the 1972 Enfield electric car,
designed on the Island. Whether
or not it can be called a Classic
Car, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
showed her skills in the show
ring to raise awareness for the
journey she is about to undertake
to raise funds for charity.

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