PERFECT PITCH

The world’s biggest regatta is currently minus a title sponsor. It’s Kate Johnson’s job to find one. How’s that going? asks ROB PEAKE

- ROB PEAKE

The young girl who enjoyed sailing her Mirror from a beach hut at Calshot in the school holidays, watching in delight as Cowes Week thundered past every August, never imagined that one day she’d have a key role in running the regatta herself.

Kate Johnson’s job as Cowes Week’s Commercial and Marketing Director doesn’t allow her much time to look across the water and remember those early days afloat, but having known and loved the regatta all of her life certainly does no harm as she pitches to potential sponsors of Cowes Weeks to come.

“As children we spent many happy summers messing around in boats on the Solent,” she says, “and since then I have done Cowes Week many times. I remember winning our class a couple of times. It was during the Skandia days and we were given a huge race winner’s flag. Both times we were over the moon – it was cause for much celebration, and wearing of the flag.”

As we meet today, in the lobby of a London hotel, Johnson is between appointments and admits that with six months to go before the first gun fires off the Squadron, her diary is “very busy”. The hunt is on for the right partner, or partners, of the world’s biggest regatta after Lendy went into administration in late May 2019, less than three months before the event. The regatta went ahead as planned and despite galeforce winds throwing an additional spanner in the works, those who took part enjoyed great sailing and there was widespread praise for Regatta Director Laurence Mead, who had joined Johnson and Technical Director Andrew Rayner on the Cowes Week Executive Team in 2018.