Following the heroic exploits of the British sailors in Athens it's now up to the construction industry to prove it can rule the waves.

The construction industry will be crossing its collective fingers for wind and sun next weekend as it prepares its annual jaunt to the Isle of Wight for the Little Britain Challenge Cup 2004.

The Cowes sailing regatta, billed as the biggest industry sailing festival in Europe and part sponsored by Building, will be held between the 9 and 12 September and will have its usual mix of expert sailing hands and enthusiatic amatuers.

This year will see a record 230 yachts take part, 69 of whom are new entrants and with well over 2,500 contractors, consultants lawyers and developers taking part. Last year's event raised over £100,000 for charity.

Little Britain, now on its 17th year, will also boast impressive "post water" social events, including a champagne reception on the Thursday and the gala dinner on the Saturday, which will include after dinner speaker Tom O'Connor and music from the Las Vegas All Stars.