Please select your home edition
Edition
A+T Instruments BFD 2024 Leaderboard

Bournemouth Digital Poole Week 2023 – Day 5

by David Harding 24 Aug 2023 22:03 PDT 20-25 August 2023

In the context of one of the south coast's biggest regattas, it might seem strange to say that it's not all about the sailing. But in the case of Poole Week, it never has been.

Sailing is the focus, of course, and it's the sailing that brings people together. The coming together is what makes it for many of those who take part. The mornings are free so you can do other things. Then you have six afternoons of racing in Poole Harbour, and the evenings to relax at Parkstone Yacht Club, enjoying good company and what many people consider to be one of the finest views in England.

And when there's no sailing? Over the course of a six-day regatta, it's always likely that one day, or possibly two, will be lost to the weather. Thankfully, sailors are generally sociable creatures and, by their very nature, pretty resourceful too. Finding ways to pass the time when it's not possible to go afloat rarely presents a challenge.

If the sailing has to be cancelled, it's normally due to too much wind or too little. On the Thursday of this year's Poole Week, it was too little, plus the satellite image of a band of lightning in the English Channel seemingly heading straight towards Poole. It also happened to be raining, not that that really matters. You can sail in the rain. Sailing in no wind is harder, and setting sail into the path of a big patch of lightning might be seen by some as unwise. One boat did venture out for a sail anyway, once the rain had eased and the wind gusted briefly to all of six knots. It wasn't a Flying Fifteen, because they were all at their golf tournament.

A day off gives everyone a chance to take stock and, for those who are serious about winning, to consider their chances of lifting the Britannia Cup. This impressive piece of silverware, bearing many illustrious names, has a long history and a royal pedigree (King George V won it in 1924). It's awarded to the top boat of the week, the calculation using a formula that takes into account factors including the boat's total points score - significantly, without discards - and the number of entrants in the class. Various names were mentioned at the daily prize-giving as possibly being in the running, including John Tremlett in the ultra-competitive, 22-strong XOD fleet. Richard Whitworth, leading the even-bigger Flying Fifteen fleet (29 entries) might be in with a shout, as might Roger O'Gorman in the ILCA 6s. And then there are those who, like Steve and Ally Tyler (fast handicap), have simply dominated their fleet to the extent that their discards include a 1st and they have already won with a day to spare.

For most competitors, however, it really is about the taking part - enjoying the racing, learning how to get the boat going better and, among other things, being in with a chance of winning one of the many randomly-awarded and very desirable prizes. These include the goody bags from Rooster that are handed out every evening. At Poole Week it's not only the race-winners who win the prizes. People who score notable results get a mention (and a prize), such as Graham Latham and Sara Briscoe in the Flying Fifteens. Starting the week with results well into the 20s, they improved with every race to score a 5th and a 4th on Wednesday.

Daily prizes - from the goody bags to caps, T-shirts and lots of beer - are still awarded on days when there's no sailing, but in Poole Week you've always had to be there to receive it. No show, no prize. It'a a good idea to stick around in the club house after racing, just in case.

One feature of Poole Week this year has been the increased use of the wider harbour for the courses. As several people have pointed out, this isn't just a regatta - it's Poole Week. You can sail windward/leeward or triangle/sausage courses on any stretch of water that's big enough, but in Poole you have a vast expanse of water, stunning scenery, and islands to sail around, so why not take full advantage of all that? As the three XODs from Itchenor proved during Tuesday's race around the islands when they filled the top three places, local knowledge doesn't seem to count for much.

So, after an enforced day ashore on Thursday, what does final Friday have in store for Poole Week 2023? In terms of results, it will decide who wins what and, importantly, who gets their name on the Britannia Cup.

It promises to be a day with a moderate south-westerly breeze, and that should please pretty well everyone. That part of the day will be all (or, at least, mostly) about the sailing. After that, it's prizes and party time.

Provisional results on www.pooleweek.org

Photos on www.SailingScenes.com

Related Articles

ILCA 6 Women's and ILCA 7 Men's Worlds day 4
Wind yet to arrive, fog prevails Heavy fog returned from the south, choking off what little wind remained. At 11:17 a.m., AP over H was hoisted. The fleet was towed back to shore once again, for yet another stretch of waiting. Posted today at 2:21 pm
Naples to host 2027 America's Cup
The fight for the Auld Mug will take place under the watchful shadow of Mt Vesuvius The Government of Italy, in conjunction with Team New Zealand and the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, are pleased to announce Italy as the Host Country and Naples as the Host City for the Louis Vuitton 38th America's Cup to be held in 2027. Posted today at 8:17 am
Coutts gives some advice to ageing pro teams
Coutts sounds a warning to the 12 teams to refresh their talent and upskill younger sailors Speaking with Stevie Morrison at the SailGP Technologies facility in Southampton, UK, Coutts sounds a warning to the 12 teams to refresh their talent, upskill younger sailors, and bring them into the SailGP teams. Posted today at 12:28 am
Dragon Worlds at Vilamoura day 3
Consistency and competition Day 3 of the Dragon World Championship by Tivoli Hotels & Resorts brought another day of top-level competition in Vilamoura, as the international fleet completed two races as scheduled. Posted on 14 May
Formula Kite Europeans in Urla day 1
Smaller kites shrink the riders and mix the fleet Brave riders grabbed their opportunities on day one of the 2025 Formula Kite European Championships, in Urla, Turkiye. Posted on 14 May
Register now for Ullman Sails Long Beach Race Week
LBRW is open to multiple classes and in 2025 the event is proud to host the Catalina 37 Nationals Exciting racecourses with flat water offerings inside of the Long Beach breakwater, and big waves and big breeze on the outside are just a few of the factors that make the Long Beach Race Week regatta one of the most enjoyable on the west coast. Posted on 14 May
Banger Racing, Back Racing and No Racing
Racing on the cheap, a return to racing for young Aussies, and ILCA struggles We start with racing on the cheap at the Colander Cup, then focus on a return to racing for the Aussies at the Youth Worlds, moving on to a complete lack of racing at the ILCA Worlds, and then looking at how SailGP should be back out on the water. Posted on 14 May
44Cup Porto Cervo starts tomorrow
This event sees the high performance one design owner-driver fleet back up to 11 in number RC44 racing returns to Europe tomorrow with the start of the 44Cup Porto Cervo, hosted by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda. Posted on 14 May
New study in Vendée Globe could be a game changer
Research is being carried out by a bio-engineering specialist into human performance What effect does racing alone around the world on a high performance IMOCA yacht have on the human body and mind? Posted on 14 May
ILCA 6 Women's and ILCA 7 Men's Worlds day 3
The wind stays away and the day is cancelled once more For the third consecutive day, the ILCA World Championship race course remained stalled under a windless sky. A dense fog clung to the Olympic Sailing Center, muting the horizon and chilling the air to a damp 17 degrees C. Posted on 14 May
Doyle_SailWorld_728X90px_GP BOTTOMMackay Boats 728x90 BOTTOMRS Sailing 2021 - FOOTER