THE POINT AND PENPOLL REGATTA 2024 IS ON SATURDAY 22 AND SUNDAY 23 JUNE 2024 AT POINT QUAY IN RESTRONGUET CREEK. TRADITION AND HISTORY RUN STRONG IN THIS REGATTA’S BLOOD SO MAKE SURE YOU CATCH THE ACTION…
They don’t come much more historic than this. The Point and Penpoll Regatta has been going for at least 129 years, if not more like 170. It certainly adopted the name Point and Penpoll in 1893, celebrating its centenary in 1993, but there’s plenty of evidence out there for earlier annual regattas taking place on the creek in this pretty corner of Cornwall. It’s certainly one of the oldest regattas in Cornwall.
It’s the 129th Point and Penpoll Regatta in 2024. All the fun takes place on Saturday 22 June 2024 with a special ecumenical service on dry land on Sunday 23 June 2024 too. It all happens on the Saturday in the water and on dry land in and around Point Quay, which juts out on to Restronguet Creek, a beautiful stretch that forks off from the River Fal just north of the famous Carrick Roads and further up from the mouth of the estuary that’s next to Falmouth and St Mawes.
The pretty villages of Point and Penpol (yes, the village itself has only one ‘l’) are right next to the quay and this idyllic Cornish area really isn’t too far away from Carnon Downs, Ponsanooth, Penryn or even Redruth and Truro.
It must be noted that the main day of Saturday 22 June 2024 is only provisional for now. The day may yet change. But when it (or another date) is made official, we will let you know. But traditionally, on the Saturday, it usually kicks off at 1.45pm with children’s races and activities on Point Green. Then there’s a fab crabbing competition on Point Quay from 3pm. The entry fee for this is traditionally £1.
The sailing races, including yacht, dinghy, sailing and working boat classes, out on the water traditionally take place from 3.45pm on the Saturday and run until just before 5pm. There may also be entertainment on dry land in the evening. Between 7pm and 9pm on the Saturday at the 2023 regatta, The Lemonaires, a fab Cornish a cappella singing group, entertained the crowds. And the ‘legendary WI teas’ that are served up in a refreshment marquee are, well, ‘legendary’.
On the Sunday, there’s traditionally an ecumenical service on Point Quay from 10.30am. In 2023, the organisers stated that there was no rowing or stand-up paddleboarding on the Saturday but they added that they ‘hoped these will be back next year’. That means the 2024 regatta then, so fingers crossed that SUPs and rowers will take to the water too.
All in all, this small-yet-mighty regatta (where they say some vessels get so close ‘you can almost touch them’) that boasts so much history and colour is well worth going to and enjoying, if not for those legendary teas. We’ll see you there at the Point and Penpoll Regatta 2024… in that refreshment marquee. For those teas…