Poole Week Revitalised For 2025

Poole Week 2025 © PYC

New race teams and new courses for the summer's big event

How do you make a great sailing week even better, without losing the elements that have always made it a great sailing week?

In the case of Poole Week, the answer is to make better use of its greatest natural asset: Poole Harbour.

Racing during the week has always included windward/leeward and round-the-cans courses starting from the committee boat for fleets such as the ILCAs, RS200s/400s and Flying Fifteens. Most of the classes, including the XODs, Darts, Wayfarers, Shrimpers and Dolphins, have also sailed a number of longer, 'round-the-harbour' courses.

While short sharp races are what many dinghy classes are used to, it would seem a waste of Poole Harbour to confine the sailing to a small patch of water. So this year will see a new mix of the short and the long, with all fleets starting some of their races from Parkstone Yacht Club's platform and being sent to explore the green and tranquil areas around and between the various islands that make Poole Harbour such a unique place to sail.

Weather permitting, it's also planned to send some of the fleets out into Poole Bay on one day (or possibly two for the Darts and Shrimpers).

These enhancements to Poole Week are being driven by the event's chairman, Peter Loretto, and two new race officers: top Merlin Rocket sailor Jon Gorringe will be looking after the Parkstone Platform fleets, while Parkstone Yacht Club's Rear Commodore Sailing, Christina Moncur, will be in charge of the Committee Boat in the harbour's Top Triangle.

Not to be out-done by the on-the-water management, the teams in charge of the catering and social events are also pulling out all the stops to make sure the shore-side activities - always such an important element in Poole Week - go with a swing.

Poole Week runs from Sunday 24th to Friday 29th August. To find out more and to take advantage of the discounted early-bird entry before 31st May, visit www.PooleWeek.org