Please select your home edition
Edition
Maritimo 2023 M600 LEADERBOARD

Bournemouth Digital Poole Week 2024 - Overall

by David Harding 31 Aug 2024 19:13 UTC 25-30 August 2024

Studies in concentration

A lot happened on the final day of Poole Week 2024. The wind was in one of its light and fickle moods, the tide was ebbing for the first starts, and the harbour was busy with traffic that had been mercifully light earlier in the week.

The fact that it was a warm and relatively calm Friday afternoon during the Bournemouth Air Festival might have accounted for the proliferation of motorboats and assorted watercraft that, all too often, showed scant regard to the rules of the road and even less consideration towards the racing sailor. A notable exception in that respect was the Border Force cutter - always a reassuring sight - which patiently waited for several minutes while a densely-packed fleet rounded the gybe mark.

Contributing to the congestion and general merriment in the eastern end of the harbour was the complete lack of wind in the top triangle, where the ILCAs and Flying Fifteens should have been racing. Bryan Drake and his team on Parkstone Yacht Club's committee boat had no choice other than to move the start line eastwards, to the north of Brownsea Island. Then the course, for what turned out to be the only race of the day, took the fleets on more-or-less a windward/leeward, with the weather mark near Sandbanks. Some different interpretations of the course led to a little confusion within the Flying Fifteens and protests that, in turn, delayed the prize-giving, but all was resolved in the end.

Results-wise, Bob Alexander and Huw Willetts maintained their lead to win the week from Richard Whitworth and Trefor Jones in 2nd. Geof Gibbons, crewed by Dave Moy and clearly finding his feet in the Fifteens after moving across from the Wayfarers, finished 3rd in this intensely competitive fleet.

Starting in deeper water, the Parkstone Platform fleets had a stronger ebb underneath them for the first starts, resulting in a few boats being OCS and having to fight their way back to the right side of the line.

Thankfully the combination of patchy wind, chopped up water and assorted other challenges didn't, in most cases, have a significant bearing on the overall results. Nigel and Gareth Yeoman won race 5 in the Dolphins to snatch victory from Richard Whing and Gail Davies, who had held the overnight lead and who ultimately finished equal on points with the winners. Many of the XODs opted not to sail the last race, in which traditionally the crew takes the helm, but Penny Fulford did a horizon job in the penultimate race to secure her 3rd place overall.

The stand-out performance of the week was also in the XOD fleet, from John Tremlett and his crew of Fraser Graham and Tim Copsey, who counted nothing but 1sts and 2nds. In fact their only finish outside the top two was a 6th in the first race on Tuesday. This extraordinary set of results earned them the boat-of-the-week trophy in the form of the impressive Britannia Cup for the second successive year. The calculations for the Britannia Cup take into account the results in every race - no discards allowed - and other factors including the size of the fleet. It's not an easy one to win.

Another well-earned victory went to the chairman of the Poole Week committee, Peter Loretto, in the RS200s, which shared a start and a course with the 400s. Peter and his crew, Lily Tointon, often got in among the 400s and, in the first race on Friday, finished 2nd on the water out of the entire combined fleet. Sean and Helen Murray, meanwhile, made sure of their result in the 400s with two more wins to count a clean row of bullets and finish 11 points clear at the top of the table.

Across the fleets were many worthy winners and, inevitably, one or two who might well have won had a shift or two - or, on Friday, possibly a powerboat or two - gone the other way. Poole Harbour has its peculiarities and it takes time to learn your way around. Local sailors might have a better idea where the marks are (on round-the-harbour courses, finding them can be an exercise in itself), but they don't always get to them any faster than the visitors. Witness the success of the Lymington and Itchenor XODs, which filled seven of the top eight places. Rob Jackson, all the way from the Cayman Islands, so nearly won the ILCA 6s. He had held the overnight lead and, had the last day's racing been on 'normal' courses in the top triangle rather than battling with traffic in the unfamiliar eastern end of the harbour, things might have been different.

Whatever the results, the event proved that Poole Week is as vibrant as ever. Not everyone comes to win. Some boats had their own reasons to celebrate, such as Mark and Tessa Woodhouse's XOD No. 12, Dawn, marking her centenary year. Poole Week has always offered much more than just racing, generating its own unique atmosphere that's hard to define and that keeps people coming back year after year.

As everyone was reminded at the prize-giving, the event wouldn't happen without an army of people including the organisers, the volunteers and the sponsors and supporters, especially the title sponsor, Bournemouth Digital.

So that's it for another year. Poole Harbour might become a little quieter for a while now, but the buzz from this very special week of sailing and socialising will help to keep everyone going during the darker months and looking forward to doing it all over again in 2025.

Provisional results on www.pooleweek.org

Photos on www.SailingScenes.com

Related Articles

Bulwarks and Bulldust – watch Episode Five
Episode Five - Shane Subichin, The Boat Works - is now up and running Watch along as we speak with Shane Subichin, GM at The Boat Works about his life from tinnies on Sydney Harbour to leading the team at the premier refit and maintenance yard on the Gold Coast. Posted today at 4:28 am
New Formula 360 Crossover Bowrider
An exciting new generation of Formula dayboats has arrived An exciting new generation of Formula dayboats has arrived with the upcoming debut of the all-new Formula 360 Crossover Bowrider. Posted on 5 Jun
Michael Rybovich & Sons construction updates
Progress on hulls from 84', 62' down to 42' New construction updates of 70' S/F Hull # 9, 42' S/F hull #10, 75' S/F hull #11, 84' S/F - Hull # 12. Posted on 5 Jun
A very clear video for overhead casting
Stop fly casting 10-2 and start using this method for longer casts Lyall and Nathan have spoken to me often of how to advance beyond the clock face 10-2 using the terms translation before rotation. Posted on 4 Jun
Valhalla 55 Sport Yacht - Ready to ride
Making her highly anticipated debut in Atlantic City The Valhalla 55 Sport Yacht makes her highly anticipated debut in Atlantic City, New Jersey – and it's more than a new model. Posted on 4 Jun
NOAA reduces Atlantic bluefin tuna retention limit
The adjusted limits will take effect June 3, 2025 and extend through December 31, 2025 On May 29, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced adjustments to the Atlantic bluefin tuna daily retention limits for recreational anglers. Posted on 3 Jun
Delegation urges state control of red snapper
Expressing "strong support for a state-led framework to ensure science-based stewardship" South Carolina's congressional delegation, led by Congressman Russell Fry and joined by U.S. Senators, formally urged U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to transfer management of the South Atlantic snapper-grouper fishery to the states. Posted on 2 Jun
Bayliss Boatworks new construction updates
Big Deal's final touches are coming together beautifully Gearing up for her christening later this month, Big Deal's final touches are coming together beautifully. Posted on 2 Jun
Bulwarks and Bulldust – watch Episode Four
Episode Four - Mark Elkington, The Yacht Sales Co. - is now up and running Watch along as we speak with Mark Elkington from The Yacht Sales Co. about his transition from a West Australian crayfisherman to a global sales and support organisation par excellence. Posted on 30 May
All the hurricane preparation info boaters need
Atlantic hurricane season starts June 1 Recreational boaters whose vessels have been impacted by a hurricane and came out relatively unscathed know it all starts with a plan. Posted on 29 May
Palm Beach Motor YachtsMaritimo 2023 S-Series FOOTER