POOLE will play host to a national sailing championship event for the first time.
The Royal Ocean Racing Club’s IRC National Championship in 2024 will not take place from the club’s base in Cowes, but will form part of the historic Poole Regatta.
The 26th edition of the IRC Nationals, one of the major annual regattas for the international rating system operated by the RORC, will take place in Poole Bay from May 25 to 27, 2024.
Held biennially, the International Paint Poole Regatta as usual will be organised by the Combined Yacht Clubs of Poole and Poole Yacht Racing Association, with the title sponsor International Paint.
One of the oldest sailing events in the world the Poole and Bournemouth Regatta, as it was originally known, was first held 1849.
Originally the Poole and Bournemouth Regatta was raced for The Canford Cup, a George IV silver vase made in 1822.
The UK IRC National Championship, meanwhile, was first held in 1999.
Andrew Pearce, International Paint Poole Regatta president, said: “We are delighted that the Royal Ocean Racing Club have announced that they are inviting the International Paint Poole Regatta to host the IRC Nationals as part of their regatta in 2024.
“Moving it out of the Solent to Poole is something we have been talking about for some time as the two regattas fit very comfortably together. With three days and eight races the two regattas are a perfect fit, and Poole being a very short trip out of the Solent should encourage all potential boats that are interested in racing in the event.”
Jeremy Wilton, Royal Ocean Racing Club CEO, added: “It may not seem like a big decision to move the IRC Nationals away from its traditional home of Cowes, but it is a big decision within the Club and within IRC to actually move the event.
“It’s never been done before and as it has the title ‘Nationals’ we felt it was really important to take it to a different part of the UK.
“The prestigious International Paint Poole Regatta is very well-established, so there’s no better synergy for the Regatta, the IRC Nationals and Poole Regatta to come together in 2024. We hope it will be the start of moving it to other great regattas around the UK.”
Visit pooleregatta.co.uk for more information.
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