I was planning to sail from Chichester and out past the Needles on Tuesday 6th. I've never seen Cowes Week and wonder whether the racers fill the entire Solent? Or is the action all failrly local to Cowes?
It will be busy but provided you keep away from the start lines and turning marks you will be ok on the water, the big problem is that every cafe, bar pub etc will be full of horay types.
We were out at the weekend. We kept out of the way by sailing along the northern edge of the Solent. We came close to a few turning marks but never had to cross a fleet. You can normally traverse the Solent without too much difficulty but be prepared to heave-to while a long line of boats cross ahead or tack to make a big diversion. It's not worth the hassle of mixing it too closely.