Peter and Judy Fontes showing how it it done at the 2007 Southerns
The National Albacore Dinghy
At 15 feet in length and 240 pounds hull weight, the Albacore is a great first boat for those who are just learning to sail and a very competitive racer for more advanced sailors. The Albacore is a fast and lively while being relatively easy to learn to sail and race. Swept spreaders supporting a tapered mast with a powerful vang and adjustable sail controls allow a crew to depower in high winds - enabling both light and heavy crews to race head to head A very versatile boat, it is often sailed by husband/wife and parent child combinations. Some of the all women teams are the most competitive in the class. Those looking for a simple to learn, yet high performance sailing dinghy can join the ranks of Albacore sailors who come from all walks of life and range in age from teenagers to masters pushing 80 years of experience.
The Albacore is a boat that is both simple to get into at first, and one which will challenge your tuning and tactical skills for the rest of your life
Albacores at Parkstone
The Albacore is an ideal boat for sailing in Poole Harbour - not too extreme or to staid, it gives great opportunity to learn and develop competitive skills whilst being big enough for family cruising. New plastic boats are being produced but older boats are still competitive (one of boats is over 40 years old but still achieved a top 10 place at the International Championships).
There is a long tradition of Albacore sailing at Parkstone Yacht Club. One of our senior members is a past National Champion and we have an International Champion still sailing at the club. The standard of sailing is high with fleet members attending Open Meetings all over the country. We race on Wednesdays, Fridays and occassional Saturdays through out the season. We organise social events such as a beach barbeque and restaurant visits.
 Richard Grey on a charge at PYC |
