Falmouth Week Regatta

Regatta Week starts on Saturday 9 August with the Skippers Briefing at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall where the Race Officers for each course will be introduced to you. They will outline their plans for the week, explain their polices for starts and mis-starts. It is the opportunity for you to clarify any queries about the courses and procedures. A reception hosted by Old Pulteney whisky will follow.

After favourable comments from last year, the PY Cruising or White Sail Class will race in Falmouth Bay. We hope that anyone who would ike to try racing comes and joins the party. Boats sail with normal rig and do not use spinnakers. To assist new-comers to racing, a teach in session is being held at the NMMC before the Skippers Briefing to explain start procedures, courses and the elementary rules which apply when rounding buoys. It will not be complicated but promises to be a fun week.

Racing for yachts starts on Sunday 10 August and continues until Friday 15 August giving six days racing for the series prizes. Daily prizes will be presented at the host club for the day.

Last year we tried preset courses which proved extremely successful particularly in the ease in which the courses can be announced on the vhf or displayed on the committee boat using a two letter code. The Race Officers have been busy improving the courses to give a better spread of course length to suit the varying wind speeds. Last year the Race Officers reported that it was the most difficult week that they had ever experienced with the wind shifts that we saw. Let us hope that this year the wind will be a little steadier and the Race Officers loose a little less hair!

The idea of sending some classes from Falmouth Roads into the Bay using the Zone and Gyllingvase marks was very popular and improved the courses significantly.

After racing, the Race Officers try to visit the host club at teatime to catch up with the competitors. They will value feed back on the quality of racing and courses/ They will try to take your views into account when setting courses and in particular type and length of course. All comments good and bad are welcome and help to improve Regatta Week.

Last year we had an extraordinary number of commercial shipping movements due to the new legislation requiring ships to burn low sulphur fuel when going east up the channel. Many came to Falmouth to bunker this fuel. We have a good working relationship with the Harbour Master and Pilots and endeavour to escort all vessels but rely on competitors playing their part in keeping clear. There were a number of unfortunate incidents last year and we will be strengthening the escort procedures for this year. Contravention is automatically a protest - You have been warned!!

Concluding Regatta Week is Champagne Day on Saturday 16 August which takes its name from the Champagne prizes. This has a slightly different format in that yachts which comply with Category 4 sail a coastal race starting at 1100. All the other classes and also IRC and PY yachts which do not comply with Category 4 sail regatta style courses in Falmouth Bay and Carrick Roads in a similar style to the rest of the week.