Curtiss-Wright Impala Nationals 2025 report

The early signs weren’t promising for the Curtiss-Wright Impala Nationals, hosted this year by Parkstone Yacht Club. A rare alignment of forecast models told a brutal story of gales and rain for the three day event.

For the ten boats entered this posed something of a dilemma for the delivery trip, and a number of Solent boats turned back on Thursday after sustaining damage in the Needles Channel in 40 knot gusts.

Nonetheless, Friday dawned to welcome the six remaining boats with a breezy day in bright sunshine – fantastic sailing conditions that promised to test crews and boats to the limit.

The race team, led by Bryan Drake and Andrew Pearce headed out into Poole Bay, where they managed to run two races in a stiff 25-30 knot breeze that must have made life on board the anchored committee boat fairly miserable.

The gathered Impalas had a variety of sail plans, but Polly held on to a full main and eked out two wins – with a trip to the very helpful Crusader Sails after racing to patch up an increasingly large tear. Local boat Nyala took two 2nds, with Mercenary, having travelled from Thornbury YC on the River Severn, with two thirds. Rainbow, in fourth, were the only boat brave enough to fly a spinnaker on Friday, which gained them some impressive top speeds, followed by an equally impressive broach.

Some free drinks courtesy of sponsors Curtiss-Wright helped ease the aches and pains on Friday night, and Saturday dawned with the promise of a few knots less wind. The race committee headed into Studland Bay for racing on Saturday, which gave the fleet some flat water despite a breeze that built into the high twenties again by the afternoon. Saturday’s racing finished with a round the cans race, with a long run into Poole Bay that gave the fleet some exciting surfing under spinnaker, with Polly at least recording a new top speed. Polly took home three more wins, ahead of Nyala and Mercenary who traded 2nd and 3rd between them.

Sunday’s forecast was for a front with truly biblical rain and wind to arrive early afternoon, but the race team expertly slotted in a couple of windward-leeward races before the conditions deteriorated. Nyala, Mercenary and Rainbow pushed Polly hard in these final races, with frequent lead changes throughout the races, but Polly’s crew drew on their decades of windy Winter Series experience to claw back the lead and she eked ahead to finish the regatta with a perfect score. Nyala finished second and Mercenary three point behind in third. The first drops of rain began to fall as crews tidied the boats up back in Parkstone – many of them choosing to leave the boats in Poole for a while to await a better weather window to return home.

At the prize-giving in a welcoming and dry clubhouse, thanks were given to Stewart Bowen for co-ordinating the event, along with Bryan Drake, Andrew Pearce and team for some expert race management in truly testing conditions. Curtiss-Wright and Dart Sails provided drinks and prizes, and local photographer David Harding showed his fantastic photos of the racing on a big screen.

Despite the weather taking its toll on the size of the fleet, crews were buzzing after a brilliant weekend of racing in what is a very friendly fleet. With some new owners and fleets re-building in the Solent, Falmouth, Poole, Scarborough and Strangford Lough, the Impala is a great way to get close one-design racing on a reasonable budget – and the boats are a joy to sail. Come and join us!

Overall Results: