Please select your home edition
Edition
Zhik 2024 December

Bournemouth Digital Poole Week 2021 - Day 1

by David Harding 23 Aug 2021 03:28 PDT 23-27 August 2021

Having been forced to take a year out in 2020, competitors in Bournemouth Digital Poole Week were more than ready to get back afloat this year.

Further encouragement was provided by conditions for the first day of racing that might have been specially designed to tempt anyone on to the water. As the time for the first start approached just after lunch on Sunday, the clouds cleared and the breeze held up at an average of around 8-10 knots although, being from the north-west, it was far from consistent in either direction or strength.

This inevitably presented challenges for the competitors, especially during the second race for most of the fleets when the tide started ebbing and the wind became more patchy, with prolonged lulls and bigger swings in direction. While the front-runners occasionally found themselves sailing into a hole or on the wrong side of a shift, they mostly managed to work their way back into the running and the results after two races showed few surprises.

As is normal in Poole Week, the fleets were split between two courses. Sailing from the committee boat start line in the harbour's top triangle were the Flying Fifteens, RS200s and the ILCA 7s and 6s (Laser full-rigs and Radials as they used to be known). Further down the harbour, using Parkstone Yacht Club's starting platform, were the Wayfarers, Darts, XODs, Dolphins and the fast and slow handicap fleets.

In the Flying Fifteens, Crispin Read Wilson, sailing with Steve Brown, ended the day tied on points with Pete and Jo Allam, each having a first and a second. Jackie Dobson and Dave Mitchell ran away with the first race in the Wayfarers but fared less well in the second. Changes to the course in the run-up to the start caused some confusion among the fleet and team Dobson and Mitchell ended up sailing the wrong one and having to retire.

Strong leaders at the end of the day emerged in the Dolphins, Darts, ILCA 6s, slow handicap and XODs, all of which had double race-winners. As is so often the case, the closest racing was in the slower fleets. In the first race for the XODs, David Laws in Kyperini won by a whisker from Willie McNeill and then managed to put Tim Martin in Corisande between them in the second race to create a three-point buffer.

Sometimes, however, a lead of a few boat-lengths turned into several hundred yards in the space of a few minutes if one boat managed to sneak around the windward mark while another was stopped dead by the wash of the Sunday-afternoon powerboats charging back up the harbour. Such are the vagaries of racing in Poole on an August weekend, but the coming week should see less traffic and the weather experts promise good breezes and plenty of sunshine. There's much to look forward to over the coming five days of racing.

Provisional results on www.pooleweek.org and more photos on www.SailingScenes.com

Related Articles

Registration open for Annapolis to Bermuda Race
A2B covers 753 nm from the heart of the Chesapeake Bay to the island paradise of Bermuda The organizing committee of the Annapolis to Bermuda Ocean Race (A2B) is pleased to announce that registration for the 2026 edition of this iconic offshore sailing event sponsored by Mustang Survival is officially open! Posted today at 2:42 pm
North launches new Wingfoil Race Collection
Pinch even higher and reach even deeper at pace Pinch even higher and reach even deeper at pace. Engineered with a VMG-optimised partial double skin for improved aerodynamic efficiency, lower drag and precise manoeuvres at higher speeds. Posted today at 10:35 am
AEGEAN 600 Attica Warm-Up Race
5th edition sets sail with strong winds and signature Greek hospitality Under perfect sunny skies and brisk northerly winds, the 5th edition of the annual AEGEAN 600 kicked off with a flawless start both on and off the water. Posted on 4 Jul
GKSS Match Cup Sweden & Nordea Women's Trophy D5
Stage set for Finals showdown in Marstrand With just one day to go at the 2025 GKSS Match Cup Sweden and Nordea Women's Trophy, the stage is set for a thrilling finale in both the Open and Women's classes. Posted on 4 Jul
Sam Goodchild in the Course des Caps
The final phase is full of potential pitfalls Sam Goodchild, the British skipper of MACIF Santé Prévoyance who has been dominating the IMOCA round Britain and Ireland race since the start of the third day, says the goal now is to focus on the complex finishing section. Posted on 4 Jul
29er Europeans at Lake Garda day 2
Light breeze, boat park buzz and big wins off the water >Day 2 brought lighter winds to Lake Garda, but the energy around the event stayed sky-high. Posted on 4 Jul
Rolex TP52 Worlds in Cascais day 3
French tour de force gives Paprec world championship lead As the Rolex TP52 World Championship passed its midway point today in Cascais, Portugal it is the French underdogs on Paprec, led by ocean racing legend Loïck Peyron, which has taken the overall lead. Posted on 4 Jul
Rolex Fastnet Race IRC One preview
Beyond the French legends there is plenty of international talent with podium potential With 17 editions of the Rolex Fastnet Race to his name, including five class victories along the way and an outright victory in 2015, could anyone bet against Géry Trentesaux doing it again? Posted on 4 Jul
International Moth Worlds begin this weekend
Pre-Worlds are under way at Malcesine From 6 to 13 July 2025, the 2025 Moth World Championship officially gets under way, hosted by Fraglia Vela Malcesine and preceded by the Pre-Worlds on 4 and 5 July. The event marks the culmination of three weeks entirely dedicated to foiling. Posted on 4 Jul
K-Challenge gives opinion on proposed Protocol
Why the 38th edition could usher in a new era for the America's Cup Stephan Kandler and Bruno Dubois, Co-CEOs of K-Challenge, jointly stated: “The provisional Protocol published on 23 May 2025 by Defender Emirates Team New Zealand is an important step forward for the America's Cup." Posted on 4 Jul
Hyde Sails 2024 - One DesignMackay Boats 728x90 BOTTOMAllen Dynamic 40 Footer