Falmouth Regatta Week is one of the highlights of the Working Boat year with this year 19 28 footers and six 24 footers competing, writes Phil Slater.

Falmouth Working boats are threequarter decked gaff cutters, displacing on average eight tons and carrying 1000 sq ft of sail. Many are over 100 years old and were built for oyster dredging in the Fal. They dominate the harbour with their coloured topsails, and the racing is watched avidly by locals because it is easy to follow from the harbourside. Each boat is different and performs differently in different wind strengths. Handicaps are applied based on a boat's past performance.

This year the wind was from the north every day, giving excellent beats up the Roads. The strength and gusty nature of the wind resulted in difficult conditions particularly for lighter smaller boats. Going to windward the boats were feathered along "on a knife's edge" with crew constantly bailing. Unfortunately two regattas were abandoned.

At all levels in the fleet close racing was enjoyed between boats of similar performance, renewed each day in the similar conditions.

In the 24 footers Deliverance, Lottie and Dolly were sparring all week, while out front Bruce Trevartha in Krystal and Simon Berriman in Zilpha were closely matched, the overall victory going finally to Zilpha.

In the 28s, out front, John Andrews in Demelza and Phil Slater in Rebecca enjoyed very close racing. Rebecca had line honours on four days, but JA had three firsts on handicap. The outcome was decided on the last day when Demelza had serious gear failure just before the start.

A feature of the week was the great performance put in by Kellan Radford and the warriors sailing Zulu. She was bought as a motor fishing boat and converted back to sail by Kellan. She still has a large engine aboard and tows a sizeable three bladed prop. With her borrowed sails she was the slowest boat in the fleet and has a handicap to suit.

The conditions this week have suited her, and with the help of Elsa Chance as tactician she has finished in the top half of the fleet consistently, won Helford regatta on the first day and ended up fourth over all.

Zulu war cries have been ringing over the water mixed with the cheering of finishing boats.

Stella, Winnie and Mabel have had close hard racing, and Florence and Victory (this year's working boat world champion) had some close-fought battles, though both were overpowered by the high winds.

We all had a bit of a grin at the battle between Patrick Selman in his 'ansom new boat Moon, with Robin Snelson in Agnes, the boat that Patrick built 25 years ago. Robin won though the racing was very close!

Restronguet regatta race was over a zig-zag course covering the length of Carrick Roads on the only light day of the week. As a spectacle and a novelty, the Carrick fleet was joined on this course by the cruisers coming in from the bay.

There was considerable congestion with boats of all shapes and sizes coming into marks at once, in bunches, I gather of up to 30 boats! Commonsense and seamanship was required. The congestion was aggravated by a sea breeze front moving back down the harbour in the late afternoon, causing massive bunching in the transition zone. In the past regatta sailing was just like this, but the quality of racing was poor, and if the wind were higher then safety would have been at risk.

In all, another superb Falmouth Week. Many thanks to the race officer, his team and the Falmouth Week organisers, POFSA.

As a class we have one day's rest, then we race to Fowey for Fowey Week. Can our livers take it?