RS400 fleet attend Poole Week 2025 at Parkstone Yacht Club
by Paul Frey 24 Sep 2025 09:06 BST
24-28 August 2025
Race 1 start - RS400 fleet at Poole Week © David Harding /
www.sailingscenes.com
This Annual event held between 24-28th August at Parkstone Yacht Club attracted 365 sailors in 197 dinghies from 26 different clubs and is the highlight of the regatta calendar for many sailors.
Afternoon racing took place within Poole Harbour simultaneously on two separate courses, some fleets starting and finishing at the Platform in the north channel, and the other fleets from Golden Dolphin, PYC's new Committee Boat to the south of Brownsea Island.
Nine keen 400's started Sunday's race, the first of the eight-race series off the Committee Boat with a trapezoidal course. In 10-15 knots and warm sunshine most crews got a clean start, tacked off onto Port, and then found the Brownsea 'wind bend' on the starboard tack lifting nicely into the windward mark. Dan Scheiber and Christian Birrell in 1398 made best work of this, chased by visitors Jon Heissig and Nicky Griffin in 1502 and Howard Farbrother and Louise Hosken in 1981.
The second race of the day followed a similar trapezoidal format, and this time Jon and Nicky led at the finish, Phil Jackson and Kelly Aaron from PYC were 2nd, and Howard and Louise 3rd.
Monday forecast fresher breezes up to 18 knots, and a Platform start for Race 3. RO Jon Gorringe had a real treat for the visitors and PYC boats alike with a very long 'Round the Islands teaser', involving sailing almost to the harbour entrance then round the back of Brownsea, Green, and Round Islands through the shallow Ish channels, followed by three different Windward/Leeward legs once back at the platform!
Fair to say visitors and the PYC boats were challenged with a dozen or so marks to write down and find the correct side of the platform to pass the finish line at the end of each W/L leg. Phil Jackson sailing 1555 managed to mislead Jon Heissig into sailing the wrong side, and both were scored NSC. Howard retired also having lost his way. Winners were Duncan and Lorna Glen borrowing 1398, who led from start to finish revelling in the blowy conditions, Sean and Helen Murray in 1540 sailed consistently for 2nd, Paul Frey and Emily Keats in 1407 were 3rd, followed by visitors Nikki Royse and Andrew Wigmore in 1560.
Tuesday dawned with a South Westerly 18-25 Knots decimating the home fleet, even before the covers had been taken off, with only the visitors Jon Heissig and Howard Farbrother venturing out to do battle on the Committee Boat start. Races 4&5 on short trapezoidal courses were completed in the building wind. Howard and Louise had a short stop to inspect their centreboard gasket, but both boats returned ashore without damage. Jon and Nicky achieved two firsts and Howard and Louise two seconds.
Wednesday forecast for Race 6, was similar if not windier than the previous day, and started with an hour's postponement due to the constant 25 knots measured off the Platform. Once cleared to launch four RS400's headed out to the platform course as the breeze moderated to 15-22knots. Four rounds of a Windward/Leeward were set with Jon & Nicky leading, chased all the way round by Phil Jackson & Mimi Gorringe in 1555. Phil was in the lead briefly at one stage until Jon and Nicky pulled ahead to take the lead at the finish.
Further down the course, Paul Frey and Sarah Jardine finished 3rd, after an epic battle with Richard Hall and Alicia Andrews in 1505 who overtook when Paul's crew fell overboard and acted as a sea anchor and Richard whilst flat out on the kite reach, and taking a detour to avoid a very near 'head on' with a passenger ferry let Paul and Sarah gybe away to get ahead.
Thursday and Races 7&8 were planned off the Committee Boat with a return to the trapezoidal course format. However, no one had told the wind to perhaps give it a rest. Just around the start time of 2:30pm the wind had picked up to 24 gusting 30 knots. Only three (brave?) 400's set out for a challenging half hour sail in the south westerly chop across to the Golden Dolphin. Jon and Nicky started purposefully, pursued by Howard and Louise then Paul and Jim Garvey.
Halfway up the beat I was remarking to my crew Jim that we weren't racing any more, just surviving! and were then met with Howard and Louise turning round and sailing back towards us. This was the signal for both retirements leaving Jon and Nicky to sail a masterclass in boat handling skills and finish the course, though dropping the kite before gybing; then re-hoisting. For us a few 'wear rounds' were in order, as we reached back submarining our way through the waves.
Race 8 was abandoned; the race committee obviously had had enough pitching and corkscrewing at anchor for the day.
Friday 'fun day' and the last of the regatta scheduled races saw five 400's off the Platform course again. Forecast for the day was 10-14 knots and the odd gust up to 20, and a bit of rain. Jon and Nicky held an 'unassailable' lead with five bullets, and added a sixth, and Howard and Louise were a comfortable 2nd though needed to score a result due to the previous days retirement. Jon led from start to finish on the Windward/Leeward course. Paul and Jim squeaked out a second, followed by Nikki Royse and Andrew Wigmore, then Howard and Louise, and Richard and Alicia.
Congratulations go to Regatta Winners Jon and Nicky, second place to Howard and Louise, with Paul and Emily/Sarah/Jim third. A feature of each day was the abundance of free Cake and Beer on offer straight after coming ashore and the daily spot prizes for 'turning up' from our event sponsors. We held a sociable 400 class dinner which welcomed our visitors and the competitors prize-giving barbecue was a fitting end to a very enjoyable event.
We look forward to welcoming more visitors to share Poole Week next year in 2026. Details on www.pooleweek.org