Poole and Burnham Weeks Begin with Sun, Gusts, Shifty Winds, and a Bit of Drama

Poole Week 2025 erupted into action beneath a robust sun and a 12-16 knots south-easterly wind, providing competitors with an invigorating challenge right off the bat. The sailors, heading into the harbour, were greeted by wind conditions that remained steadfast at 130 degrees most of the day on the Parkstone platform. However, the wind proved more capricious for fleets starting from Parkstone Yacht Club’s committee boat in the Top Triangle. Here, the sailors faced a mercurial wind - shifty, gusty, and tricky as noted by one Merlin Rocket sailor. It was a diverse scene: RS200s, RS400s and Merlin Rockets battling wind gusts, and numerous skilled competitors, including regular top-finishers Mike and Jane Calvert, passionately vying for supremacy. Poole’s Day 1 also highlighted the edge-of-seat close competition within the XODs, Wayfarers, RS200s, and 400s. There wasn’t a dull moment! The biggest fleet, the XODs, housed seven visiting boats, making the challenge fiercer. By day-end, John Tremlett and his crew from Itchenor led the board with a triumphant 1,2 finish. Tasked with a single race were Parkstone Platform fleets, save for the Dart 18s which raced twice. In this maze of tacks and gybes, sailor Peter Stacey, with Suzie Clayton, led the fleet regardless of his initial concerns over stronger competition. Meanwhile, away in Burnham, an unexpected incident unrelated to the regatta caused a postponement of the Pile House line starts by two hours. Nonetheless, the ILCA/Laser fleet and the young Beastie event participants remained undeterred and put on a riveting show. Competition was intense, especially amongst front-runners Duncan De Boltz and James Hutton-Penman. Overall, as the opening days of Poole and Burnham Weeks unfolded, they served as a vivid reminder of the beauty and unpredictability of sailing - a thrilling blend of skill, strategy, and the elemental force of nature.