Falmouth Week was huge success say organisers (From Boating Cornwall)

Falmouth Week was huge success say organisers

8:55am Tuesday 18th August 2009 in

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Falmouth Week 2009 has proved a huge success and those responsible now hope to build on that success in readiness for next year.

Steve Nicholls, Chairman of PoFSA, said: “It had always been my intention to provide a fun and competitive regatta week, and I believe that this year has been a great success. Entries were good, on a par with recent years, with nearly 400 yachts and dinghies across the three fleets.

The racing went well, and the introduction of both conventional and windward / leeward courses in Falmouth Bay was much appreciated by competitors.

The inclusion of gig racing and nautical themed evening events at Custom House Quay provided a bonus and more interest for non-sailing supporters. I would especially like to thank the huge number of people who gave so much time and effort to race management, safety cover, information points, apres sailing events and the superb shoreside programme. Even the weather looked kindly on us! This has been a great Henri Lloyd Falmouth Week."

Ashore, Mike Rangecroft of Falmouth Festivals said: “We were delighted with the whole operation this year and with Events Square entertainment during Falmouth Week.

“The same ingredients seemed to be as successful as ever and Falmouth Week as a whole was a very pleasurable experience all round.”

Over 30 yachts took part in the Falmouth Town Regatta Champagne Race, sponsored by Golder Associates. With a moderate 12 – 15 knot westerly wind, and low sea, this year’s race proved to be the most successful for years. The move to Wednesday, from its previous Saturday slot enabled many more visitors to take part than in the last few years.

Starting above the narrows in Carrick Roads, the competitors beat to a buoy near the Trefusis shore before a shy run took them out of the harbour, where they turned fully down wind and ran to the Admiralty Range buoys off Dodman Point. A beat into Veryan Bay, followed by a reach to the south out to the 40 metre contour, left them with a further beat all the way back to the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club finishing line. After a couple of years where all boats finished outside the harbour it was a spectacular sight to see the category 4 yachts sailing past the town to the finish.

Splitting IRC and PY classes into two divisions each gave the smaller boats a fairer opportunity of winning the coveted cases of Champagne. Line honours went to NJOS (T Octon) by 43 seconds, but it was not enough to prevent Tony Statham in JACOBI taking the overall prize in IRC Div 1 and the BP Trophy, on corrected time.

Winners in the other three classes were: IRC Div 2 – Scorpion (Geoff Davies): PY Div 1 – General Chaos (I. Jakeways): PY Div 2 – Moonshine (K Maclean). Whilst the Champagne Fleets were on their way to and from the Dodman, seventeen other classes were battling it out in Carrick Roads, and Falmouth Bay, with the Bay Fleets finishing in front of the public on the west side of Pendennis Point, and the Carrick Fleet finishing in full view of the town off Kiln Quay.

The long awaited return of the Working Boats to Falmouth Week provided the icing on the cake.

All Falmouth Week results can be seen by clicking onto the link below.

Prizes were presented at the Watersports Centre by the Mayor of Falmouth, Councillor Geoff Evans.