Autumn Regatta 2026 – Race Report – Rollesby Broad Sailing Club

A light and shifty south-westerly breeze met 25 dinghies at Rollesby on Sunday 4th of October for our Autumn Regatta. Despite the event’s name, conditions felt decidedly summery, with warm temperatures and bright sunshine sparkling across the Broad. With the wind shifting down the length of the course, competitors faced a tactical test throughout the day. Two visiting boats from Snowflakes S.C. joined the racing, and four junior sailors enjoyed some competitive class action in their Toppers.

View of the whole race course and both fleets – Rhiannon Alger

By the start of Race 1, the breeze had finally filled in and the multi-sail fleet got proceedings underway. Visitors Will Pank and Thomas Wildman (Enterprise) were quickest off the line and never looked back, taking victory both on the water and on corrected-time. Fellow visitors Seth Futter and Ekin Aksehirli (Firefly) stayed firmly in contention throughout, securing second place on handicap. Bob Sparrow and Steve Gibbons led the Wayfarer challenge, holding off their class rivals to claim third overall.

In the single-sail fleet, the Solos provided some of the closest racing of the day, with several lead changes around the course. John Saddington eventually found an extra gear to break clear and take a comfortable victory. Kevin Postlethwaite headed the chasing pack to secure second, while Ellie Edwards (Splash) stayed close enough to take third place on handicap.

Start of Race 2 for the Single-Sail Fleet … Port was the favoured end!

As the breeze settled and a course change better suited the conditions, Howard Astley-Jones (RSVareo) capitalised with his spinnaker to take a convincing win. Chris Codling and Chris Foster (Wayfarer) also made the most of the downwind legs, edging clear of Pank and Wildman to claim second place.

In the single-sail fleet, John Saddington once again delivered a light-wind masterclass, taking a second consecutive victory and with it the overall trophy. Roger Wilson (Streaker) pushed him hard, finishing just six seconds behind on corrected-time, while Ian Ayres (Solo) completed the podium in third.

The Multi-Sail Fleet with some making use of their spinnakers on the long downwind leg.

After lunch and another course change, the breeze turned decidedly “Rollesby” for Race 3, with shifts, patches of pressure and sudden lulls ensuring that plenty remained at stake in the multi-sail fleet. The fickle conditions suited Pank and Wildman, who claimed their second victory of the day and secured them the fleet trophy. Astley-Jones (RS Vareo) was knocked into second place on handicap, while Futter and Aksehirli kept in touch for third.

Although he had already done enough to secure the overall title, John Saddington was not about to ease off for the final race in the single-sail fleet. Saddington and Ayres fought out a tightly contested Solo battle, with only seconds separating the pair for the entire race but Saddington just edged ahead to claim victory. Roger Wilson (Streaker) held off the rest of the fleet to take a comfortable third place, while young sailor Nicholas finished as top junior, having beaten his fellow Topper sailors in all three races. Wilson and Ayres finished tied on points for the remaining podium spots, but Ayres took second overall on count-back.