Please select your home edition
Edition
MySail 2025

Salcombe Gin Spring Regatta at Parkstone Yacht Club

by (Salcombe Gin) Spring Yacht Regatta 1 May 09:17 PDT 26-27 April 2025
Salcombe Gin Spring Regatta at Parkstone © PYC

The run up to the weekend of the Salcombe Gin Spring Regatta, organised by Parkstone Yacht Club, was not looking promising, with very light winds forecast. The fleet of 14 yachts across three classes were greeted with zero wind in Poole Harbour on Saturday morning. By the time the fleet was out in Poole Bay, however, there was a 6 knot NE breeze, and the R.O. Andrew Pearce and his excellent team quickly got racing got under way.

Class 1 managed one lap of the windward/leeward course without incident before the wind died on the second lap and only the highest-rated yacht, Wild Haggis (Mumm 30), managed to finish. The R.O. shorted the other classes at the end of the first lap and all yachts were able to finish in the dying breeze. In Class 2, the First 34.7, Zorra 4, took line honours, but it was the lowest rated yacht, Stralende (Nordic Folkboat), which took the corrected time win from Zorra 4 and QT (Ecume de Mer).

The fleet waited patiently for more wind to arrive for Race 2, but it was not to be, and the R.O. sensibly abandoned any further racing for the day at 13:00.

Thick fog greeted the crews as they rigged their yachts on Sunday morning. The R.O., Andrew Pearce, initially kept yachts in harbour until this lifted and by the time all were out in Poole Bay, visibility was improving. However, there was again very little wind. At 11:00, a slight wind line could be seen south of Old Harry Rocks and the R.O. moved the committee boat towards this and set for a start.

Racing got under way in a solid 10 knots from 160 degrees. In Class 1 (IRC), it was the Mumm 30, Wild Haggis, which again led around the course, with the JPK 1010, Joy, in close contact. Third at the finish was Red Fox, Archambault 31. On corrected time, it was Haven KJ Enigma (MG 346) 1st, Red Fox 2nd and Nyala (Impala) in 3rd.

In Class 2 (VPRS), QT took the win from Stralende, with the Evolution 26 Temptation in third.

For Race 3, the wind had built to around 12 knots and another short course was set. In Class 1, Wild Haggis again led around the course, with Haven KJ Enigma and the JPK 1010, Joy, keeping in contact. Corrected time moved Haven KJ Enigma into 1st, Red Fox was 2nd and Nyala in 3rd. In Class 2, the top two were reversed, with Stralende in 1st, QT in 2nd and Temptation again getting 3rd.

With the wind now up to around 14 knots from 175 degrees, the sun beating down and temperatures in the high teens, Poole Bay provided Champagne conditions for the final race.

In Class 1, it was Joy, the JPK 1010, which led from the gun to the finish to take a well-deserved win. Second was Haven KJ Enigma, with Red Fox in 3rd. In Class 2, it was again Stralende which took the win, from Temptation in 2nd and the MG 27, Mojito, in 3rd.

With four races sailed, the discard kicked in.

This was a really excellent, well-run regatta, with some particularly enjoyable racing, most notably on Sunday. Special thanks go to the regatta sponsor, Salcombe Gin, who generously provided prizes and welcome drinks for the prize-giving. And of course to the R.O., Andrew Pearce and his team, which included six on the Golden Dolphin committee boat, two in the mark-laying RIB and Roger Bennett, the Commodore of Parkstone Yacht Club, who kindly volunteered to produce results from the sailing office while crews enjoyed racing out in Poole Bay.

The next Parkstone Yacht Club yacht regatta will be in the autumn.

Class 1 (IRC) Results:

1st Haven KJ Enigma - 4
2nd Red Fox - 9
3rd Joy - 11

Class 2 (VPRS) Results:

1st Stralende - 3
2nd QT - 6
3rd Temptation - 8

Class 3 (YTC non-spinnaker) Results:

1st Phantom

Related Articles

Merlin Rockets at Parkstone
Craftinsure Silver Tiller & Allspars South-West Series weekend 19 boats enjoyed some truly epic sailing at Parkstone Yacht Club, for the combined one day Craftinsure Silver Tiller, two day Allspars South West series and PYC Easter regatta weekend. Posted on 21 Apr
Poole Regatta to Host IRC Europeans in 2026
4 days of competitive racing in a spectacular environment The enviable track record Poole has built for hosting unmissable regattas continues in 2026 with the inclusion of the prestigious IRC European Championship as an integral element of racing, alongside multiple class starts. Posted on 1 Apr
Allspars sponsor Merlin Rocket South West Series
The series kicks off this weekend with a two-day opening event at Salcombe Yacht Club The Merlin Rocket Owners' Association is delighted to announce Allspars as the title sponsor for the 2025 South West Series. Posted on 19 Mar
2025 Impala 28 Nationals to be held Parkstone YC
The class are expecting a strong entry for the event at this beautiful venue The Impala 28 class is excited to announce that Parkstone Yacht Club will be hosting the 2025 Impala Nationals over the weekend of 13-14 September 2025. Posted on 31 Oct 2024
Sailing Chandlery RS200 EaSEA Tour 2024 Overall
Congratulations to Paris Thomas and Marta Uncio! Congratulations to our 2024 Sailing Chandlery EaSEA Champions Paris Thomas and Marta Uncio! The second year of the East and South East Area Tour was another great success, a full year of racing with close competition and a great turnout of boats. Posted on 22 Oct 2024
Parkstone Optimist Open
A weekend of winds at either extreme It was time for the annual Parkstone Optimist Open Meeting 2024, which took place two weekends ago. It was a weekend of winds at either extreme with day 1 of drifting to day 2 of thrilling races that kept both sailors and spectators on their toes. Posted on 13 Oct 2024
Quay West Chandlers Autumn Yacht Regatta
Racing under IRC and VPRS at Parkstone Yacht Club Over the weekend 5th and 6th October 2024, Parkstone Yacht Club hosted its now regular open Autumn yacht racing regatta with a 5-race series, over the two days for yachts racing under IRC and VPRS within Poole Bay. Posted on 9 Oct 2024
Parkstone Youth Week
Lifelong friendships through sailing At Youth Week, we believe that "Lifelong Friendships Through Sailing" lies at the core of everything we do. With this guiding principle, our team began planning Youth Week back in January, thanks to the return of Quilter Cheviot as our Title Sponsor. Posted on 30 Sep 2024
Merlin Rocket Women's Championship
A great event with training, a talk by Sarah Ayton, then competitive racing The Women's Champs is special as so many ladies from other classes come and join, Merlin crews team up and ex Merlin sailors come back to the class. Sailing is a sport for everyone but I think there are still barriers to a lot of ladies. Posted on 16 Sep 2024
Women Sailors - the Merlin Rocket Class Needs You
Second Women's Championships at Parkstone Yacht Club on 14-15 September The Merlin Rocket Class is renowned for its technical development and the high standard of its sailors, and now it is developing in other ways; the Merlin Rocket Class Association is running its second Women's Championships at Parkstone Yacht Club. Posted on 6 Sep 2024
PredictWind - GPS 728x90 BOTTOMSwitch One DesignVaikobi 2024 December