The committee of the combined yacht clubs of Poole has announced that the next the International Paint Poole Regatta will be held from 25 – 27 May 2024.
The regatta will also host the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s GBR IRC National Championships, in a historic first move away from the club’s Solent home. Poole Regatta has previously included high profile races as part of the wider regatta, hosting the only rounds outside the Solent for the Fast 40+ series in 2018 and, this year, the Cape 31s. The 2022 IRC Southern Area Championship also took place as part of Poole Regatta. As such, the regatta is ideally suited to run the 26th RORC GBR IRC National Championship whilst sticking to its roots to include closely matched racing and individual starts for a wide variety of keel boat classes.
Poole Regatta president Andrew Pearce said: “We are delighted to have International Paint renew their title sponsorship again for what is now over 20 years continuous support. It is particularly exciting with the news that we will be hosting the RORC GBR IRC Nationals across the weekend as well. The two regattas fit very comfortably together. With Poole being such a short trip away from the Solent it should encourage all boats to race, both the traditional fleets based in the Solent as well as bolster the attendance of boats from further west.”
The International Paint Poole Regatta in its current form was reintroduced in 2000 to celebrate the millennium. 2016 saw the historic Canford Cup, which predates the America’s Cup ‘Auld Mug’ by two years, re-appear from a private collection and, with the help of the yachting community of Poole, was purchased by Poole Museum to be presented to the overall Poole Regatta winner. Who will be presented with it in 2024?
