Falmouth’s famous working boats will be missing from all sailing events during Falmouth Week this year. They will also not sail in the popular Falmouth Classics event, a spectacle of sail preceeding the week, and the Falmouth Town Regatta.

Skippers and association members disagree with the organisers of Falmouth Week, who this year have changed the sailing instructions, meaning all classes would have to finish upwind in Carrick Roads – instead of inshore on Sailing Club finish lines. An official from the working boats association said they and the sailing clubs had been “hoodwinked” by the race management committee.

In a statement, secretary Arthur Williams said: “Falmouth Working Boats Association reaffirmed its resolve not to sail Falmouth Week and extended its boycott to include the Falmouth Classics and Falmouth Town Regatta, which come immediately before and after the Henri-Lloyd Falmouth Week and are associated with PoFSA. “It is the FWBA’s sincere wish that next year the sailing clubs will make their wishes more clearly understood by the race management committee and encourage a more flexible approach to meeting the FWBA’s reasonable and feasible requests.

“The working boats regret that their presence will be absent from Falmouth Week this year and hopes that all those that take a keen interest in its races will understand and empathise with its decision. The FWBA wanted everyone in and around the area to see the spectacle of its members’ boats finishing in the club regattas on the clubs’ finishing lines, not a mile or so out in the Carrick Roads.

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Image: acornishriver.co.uk