Fowey Royal Sailing Regatta has been delighting visitors and residents since the early 1800s and is the highlight of the sailing year in Fowey.
Fowey Sailing Committee has planned a great mix of sailing during the week long event which will take place in 2022 from August 14 - 19 in the stunning waters around St. Austell Bay and the river Fowey. Activities afloat will be complimented by lots of events and entertainment ashore in the scenic historic port town of Fowey, Cornwall.
The impressive Falmouth Working Boats will get the regatta week started in spectacular style, when they arrive in Fowey on Monday 15 August. These gaff-rigged oyster dredgers have survived as a class because of the oyster fishing in the river Fal over hundreds of years, as the oysters must be dredged under sail or oar. Not all the fleet are active in the winter as the fishing industry has declined, but with well known Cornish fishing families still owning boats the tradition of working in the winter and racing in the summer continues. With their massive sail areas and brightly coloured topsails they are a stunning sight for spectators when finishing their daily races inside Fowey harbour in front of the Royal Fowey Yacht Club. They leave the harbour and head back to Falmouth on Friday 19 August.
Also unique to Fowey are the Troy class keelboats, a local 'one-design' class of Fowey, first conceived in 1929. The boats are made of sawn timber, measure 18ft long (22ft including bowsprit) and have a lead keel weighing 1500lbs. Class rules require traditional wooden varnished spars and that the boats be built by a local boat builder and kept within a 10 mile distance of the River Fowey. The Troy fleet will be out in force for the regatta, including T12 Barbara who was re-launched in 2021 following a total rebuild by Marcus Lewis, of a boat that was recovered as a wreck from the Outer Hebrides, winning him 'Best Restored Sailing Vessel under 40ft' in the Classic Boat Awards 2022.
The dinghies will start their morning races outside the harbour and complete courses in the bay directly outside Fowey harbour entrance. In the afternoon they start and finish from a committee boat positioned inside the harbour, racing on Tuesday to Friday. On Saturday the annual children's race will be held in the harbour.
Entry is free for under 25 helms.
For more information please contact Fowey Sailing Committee at committee@foweysailing.org. Details of all Fowey sailing events can be found at www.foweysailing.org Follow Fowey Sailing Committee social media on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @foweysailing.
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