This year saw my 20th trip to take part in the Fowey Royal Regatta, I was joined this year by Tim Wherly, again, and Dave Cattermole for his first visit. We travelled down overnight on Friday 12th August.

Our trip nearly ended early, when someone overtook us on the M5 at 80 mph plus, towing a caravan, and then overturned it, wrecking the van completely, and taking out a car which caught fire.

Luckily we managed to avoid the carnage and carried on, but it served as a reminder of the perils of towing at speed. We arrived safe at 7 am and rigged and launched onto the river Fowey at Mixtow Pill.

On Sunday we started in the opening race of the week, the passage race from Fowey to Flushing, finishing 6th after 4 hours, a beat all the way, one tack to Black Rock, and then making our way up Carrick Roads, and then up to Flushing past the hundreds of moorings.
We then spent the night in Pendennis Marina, as guests of Tim’s sister and husband on their Beneteau 41, after a meal ashore.

Monday saw the passage race back to Fowey, via Helford, with the kite up all the way to the finish in Fowey Harbour after 5 plus hours, we finished 2nd, 3rd overall in the combined there and back, and first visiting boat.

Tuesday was a no go, due to breaking swell in the harbour entrance, so we took a trip up river to Gollant instead, passing the clay docks on the way.

Wednesday saw a 3 hour race in St Austell Bay, we finished 7th, as we had weed on the keel which we only shifted under motor astern after the finish.

On Thursday we celebrated Dave’s 65th birthday by finishing first on the water, 2nd on handicap after another 3 hours in the bay.
We then watched the Red Arrows from the boat in the evening, we told Dave we’d arranged them specially for his birthday, he seemed reluctant to believe us.

Friday dawned all to soon, we managed 3rd after a wonderful 3 hour race in brilliant sunshine.

All that was left was to pack up in the rain, and then a 9 hour drive back in stop start traffic, we can’t wait till next year when we’ll be doing it all over again.

Lawrence Key