As the nineteenth century progressed, the coast became the site of recreation rather than defence, giving rise to the modern culture of tourism. This picture was begun at Cowes, on the Isle of Wight, in 1892. Cowes Regatta had become an annual event after the end of the Napoleonic War, and quickly became the subject for painters.

Steer was trained in France in the 1880s and 1890s, and he experimented with a range of Impressionist techniques. The bright dashes of colour were inspired by the work of the French artists, Georges Seurat and Camille Pissarro, who made similar paintings of yachts in profile.