Falmouth Working Boats

Falmouth Working Boats were originally just that. They fished the oyster beds in the Carrick Roads.
Some of them are over 100 years old, but there are also more modern boats (sometimes constructed of
fibreglass or ferro-concrete).
A few remnants of the working Working Boats still do so, but you are much more likely to see
them racing. Around 20 compete through the year, and almost all of them can be found at the
World Championships, held in early July.

The Working Boats race in two classes, B and C, where C are the smaller boats.
When only 1 or 2 C class are racing, they will race with B class and be handicapped appropriately.

No two Working Boats are alike, and for racing they are handicapped. B (and to a lesser extent C) class handicaps can change several
times through the season.
There are three or four handicap committee meetings per year.

The handicaps for the Large and Small Working boats (B and C-classes) were issued on
30th July 2018.

When C class sails as part of B class, they use the 'with B' handicaps. Provided there
are 3 or more C class boats competing, they will sail as their own class, otherwise
they sail with B.

The Working Boats have their own Association: the Falmouth Working Boats Association, which recently
(2017) published a booklet The Seventh Falmouth Working Boats Handbook, which, though slightly
incomplete and out of date, provides an interesting and whimsical insight into the culture and
ethos of the Working Boats and their crews.

B/C class captain: Sam Heard

NB

Topsails

When sailing the working boats can be identified by their topsails, which
are unique to each boat. The most up to date chart is
here.