New Year’s Day Open Regatta 2026 – Race Report
17 sailors competed at Rollesby Broad Sailing Club in their New Year’s Day Open Regatta, a traditional fixture in the Norfolk winter sailing calendar. A gusty westerly wind confronted the dinghies, creating some challenging conditions.
In Race 1, Phil and Henrietta Highfield got out of the blocks best in their RS200, and together with Chris Bunn (Solo) and Chris Foster (Wayfarer), these three boats broke clear of the fleet. Bunn took a comfortable win on handicap and Ellie Edwards (Splash) stayed close enough to take second, Foster finished third just 16 seconds behind Edwards on corrected-time.
For Race 2, the marks were adjusted as the wind shifted. Bunn led the way at the windward mark, closely followed by Roger Wilson (Streaker) and Howard Astley-Jones (Vareo). Astley-Jones took line honours but was knocked into second on handicap by Bunn, with Wilson taking third but again all very close on corrected-time.
After some warming up in the club house and a change of course, Race 3 saw Daniel Bull (Laser/ILCA 7) powering ahead up the first beat. By Lap 2 he had been pulled back, and most of the fleet were very close together. Chris Barker (Laser Radial/ILCA 6) took the win in, just seconds ahead of Wilson (Streaker) and closely followed by Edwards (Splash) in third.
Thanks were extended to the Race Officers, Safety Team and Catering who enabled a good day of close, competitive racing for all. Chris Bunn was the overall winner, counting two firsts from the morning races. Bunn was also the only visitor and represented Snowflake Sailing Club. Full Regatta Results are available on this link here, plus more photos of the event online on our Flickr Page.
Report By – Ellie Edwards
