Optimist open meeting at Parkstone Yacht Club

Sunshine, shifting breeze and racing for all ages

Parkstone Yacht Club welcomed 92 young Optimist sailors to Poole Harbour over the weekend of 5-6 September for the 2026 Parkstone Optimist Open.

With three separate fleets - Main Fleet, Racing Regatta and Coached Regatta - the event catered for sailors across a huge range of experience, from established Optimist racers at the front of Main Fleet to young sailors taking part in their first open meeting.

Main Fleet - Optimist open meeting at Parkstone - photo © Kate Davis

The sun shone throughout the weekend, although Saturday's breeze did its best to test the patience of sailors and race teams alike.

A light and shifty westerly of around 6-10 knots moved across Poole Harbour, with long periods of waiting for sufficient breeze to get racing under way.

The 35-boat Main Fleet raced at Poole Harbour's Top Triangle on an outer-loop course and had the hardest time finding consistent wind. Just two races were possible during the day, with a long wait on the water before the breeze finally filled in properly in early afternoon and allowed the second race to be completed.

Closer to the club, the 28 sailors in Racing Regatta had slightly better luck with the conditions and managed four races, while the 29-strong Coached Regatta, racing a triangle course in Parkstone Bay, found the best of Saturday's breeze and packed in an impressive five races.

For the youngest sailors, the Coached Regatta provided an introduction to open-meeting racing in a supportive environment. The sailors, aged seven to ten, included several competitors taking part in their first ever open meeting.

Coaches Henry Keegan and Holly Norton provided coaching while the racing was taking place, helping the sailors learn from each start, beat and mark rounding while retaining the excitement of proper racing. With lunch also taken on the water, it was a full day afloat for the youngest competitors.

Main Fleet - Optimist open meeting at Parkstone - photo © Mark Norton

After a frustrating Saturday for some, Sunday provided exactly what the race teams had been waiting for.

A much more established south-easterly breeze of around 10-16 knots arrived in Poole Harbour, again accompanied by sunshine, allowing all three fleets to get down to some serious racing.

Main Fleet returned to the Top Triangle and, with four races completed on Sunday, finished the weekend with a six-race series.

At the front, Sean Di Salle of Gurnard Sailing Club emerged victorious after a very close battle with Parkstone Yacht Club's Chloe Davis.

Di Salle finished the six-race series on 10 points after discard, just two points clear of Davis on 12, with Theo Fox taking third overall on 15 points.

Davis's result was particularly impressive after having to discard a BFD. Her remaining scores of 7, 1, 2, 2 and 3 demonstrated the consistency needed to challenge right to the end of the weekend.

Main Fleet - Optimist open meeting at Parkstone - photo © Mark Norton

Consistency pays in Racing Regatta Fleet

With Sunday's stronger and more reliable breeze, Racing Regatta completed another six races to produce an excellent ten-race series over the weekend.

There were several different race winners across the series and no single sailor had things all their own way. With plenty of sailors capable of winning individual races, consistency became the key to the overall result - avoiding the bigger scores was every bit as important as collecting race wins.

Dexter Truswell ultimately put together the most consistent series to take the Racing Regatta title with 30 points.

Edith Charles finished just four points behind on 34, while Parkstone's Christian Sperryn completed the podium in third.

The result demonstrated exactly what Racing Regatta is intended to provide: competitive fleet racing and close battles throughout the field as sailors make the transition towards Main Fleet racing.

Racing Regatta - Optimist open meeting at Parkstone - photo © Andy Hadfield

Eleven races for the Coached Regatta Fleet

Meanwhile, the Coached Regatta sailors continued their busy weekend in Parkstone Bay. After completing five races on Saturday, another six on Sunday gave these young sailors an impressive 11-race series - more racing than either of the other two fleets.

There was also plenty for the home club to celebrate. Parkstone's Evan Bailey took the overall Coached Regatta victory after an excellent weekend which included four race wins.

Bailey finished six points ahead of Seb Charles in second, with Bertie Russell completing the podium in third.

For many of the Coached Regatta sailors, however, the weekend was about much more than the final results. Getting onto a start line, racing around a course and learning to make their own decisions in a fleet environment provided invaluable experience - and hopefully the first of many Optimist open meetings.

Coached Regatta - Optimist open meeting at Parkstone - photo © Michael Crane

In it to win it

Once racing was completed, attention returned to Parkstone Yacht Club for the prize-giving. As well as the traditional prizes for the leading sailors, the event's "IN-IT-TO-WIN-IT" prizes, sponsored by Parkstone Chandlery, gave competitors throughout the fleets the opportunity to head home with some useful Optimist kit.

Prizes included Optimist bailers, a Praddle, Optimist spares and Rooster clothing.

The main event prizes were supported by Alfatronix, Sarah Hornby and Rooster and included Rooster clothing, Alfatronix goody bags containing hats, notebooks and sweets, and an Optimist print by Sarah Hornby, alongside medals for the first three sailors and trophies for the winners.

Prizegiving - Optimist open meeting at Parkstone - photo © Freya Storey

The prizes were presented by Parkstone Yacht Club Optimist Fleet Captain Andy Hadfield.

Running an Optimist event for almost 100 young sailors across three separate race areas is a significant undertaking, and a huge team of volunteers kept all three courses running throughout the weekend.

From the race teams and safety crews to those helping with launching and recovery, the event relied on the efforts of a large number of volunteers from both the home club and visiting families and supporters.

With 92 sailors, three fleets, sunshine throughout the weekend and everything from young sailors experiencing their first open meeting to close racing at the front of Main Fleet, the 2026 Parkstone Optimist Open demonstrated the breadth of Optimist sailing.

Saturday may have required plenty of patience, but Sunday's breeze provided a fitting finish - and after a combined 27 races across the three fleets, there was certainly no shortage of racing by the time the final prizes were handed out.

Racing Regatta - Optimist open meeting at Parkstone - photo © Andy Hadfield

Main Fleet Results:

Racing Regatta Fleet Results:

Coached Regatta Fleet Results:

Coached Regatta - Optimist open meeting at Parkstone - photo © Michael Crane