Banner – Rollesby Broad Sailing Club

The summer season is underway, bringing in warmer weather and still plenty of opportunities for both club organised racing and/or social sailing.

Congratulations to our Adults who successfully completed their Level 1 Course at the beginning of May, we hope to see you out enjoying the sailing again soon. Remember that as we are on the ‘summer’ programme, you are allowed to sail any day of the week on Rollesby Broad! However, please ensure there is adequate safety cover for your sailing activities – you can organise this via the WhatsApp Members Community.

Open Regatta Sunday 7th of June 2026 – Visitors Welcome!

Club Racing & Open Regatta:

Whit Regatta and New Series will be starting next weekend as the Spring Series wraps up this Sunday. We are hosting an Open Regatta on Sunday the 7th of June, if you have any sailing friends from other clubs please invite them along!
The Wednesday Evening Series still has many weeks to go and this is a good opportunity for more novice racers to gain experience. Its typically a more calm environment compared to a Sunday morning, both in terms of the usually lighter evening winds and a less congested start line. It is a ‘Pursuit Race’ where a boats start time is based both on your boats ‘PY’ and your ‘personal handicap’ – a unique Rollesby Experience!
Race 3 on a Sunday afternoon is also a good time to practice the more traditional racing where all boats start together. After lunch, most competitive sailors are heading home after two long races which means there are usually less boats on the course for the third race.

Training & Events:

Junior Block 2 on Friday Evenings – The second block of Junior Training will be starting back up again next week. If your young person has taken to sailing and wants to continue to improve, it might be time to consider purchasing them their own boat plus encouraging/supporting their participation in Club Racing. More information about upcoming training dates here: https://www.rbsc.org.uk/rya-training/
Flickr Album – General RBSC Training pictures and videos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/rollesbybroadsc/albums/72177720333396576/with/55240798788/.
Travelling and Regattas – During the summer months, there are lots of other events happening both locally and a little further afield. However not to worry as we have some more planned for July and August! Our friends at Gorleston are hosting their Open Day and Beach Regatta this month, see links here for more details: http://gygsc.org.uk/gygsc-open-day-13th-june/ & http://gygsc.org.uk/77th-beach-regatta/. Other local venues are running events too, this document has a list if you fancy on doing some travelling: http://www.thegreenbook.org.uk/home/GB2026/calendar%20of%20open%20meetings.pdf

IMG-20260515-WA0003 — Rollesby Flickr Website

We are still hoping to keep our Facebook, Instagram and Flickr active but we can’t keep the pages updated if we don’t get content! Therefore, if you are on Race Duty or are just spectating, providing you have time and it doesn’t interfere with your required activities, you could try to do some action photography or race footage. If you get some good ones, please send your photos/videos to either the WhatsApp Group or direct message Ellie Edwards.

Sixteen competitors faced a day of unpredictable, often testing conditions at the Eastern Area Solo Open hosted by Rollesby Broad Sailing Club on Saturday 18th of April.

With six visiting sailors joining the ten‑strong home fleet, the racing quickly proved both close and tactical. Local knowledge helped in moments, but it was the visitors who consistently occupied the sharp end of the results. Positions changed constantly throughout the day, and several tie‑breaks were ultimately needed to separate the overall standings

Race 1 began in a shifty westerly, and an early pile‑up at the windward mark allowed a handful of boats to escape. Jasper Barnham seized the opportunity, breaking clear and leading unchallenged to the finish. Godfrey Clark steadily closed the gap on the final lap but settled for second, with Chris Bunn taking third.

After a course change, Race 2 got underway in very light airs. Despite the wind being all over the place, Clark again emerged as an early leader, being able to extend this into a comfortable win. Daniel Bull, normally seen in his ILCA at Rollesby, handled his borrowed wooden Solo impressively, holding off Bunn for much of the race. However experience told in the final stages, and Bunn slipped past at the last mark to secure second.

Race 3 saw a developing sea breeze prompt a major course adjustment and the sailors set off after lunch down to the far end of the broad for a committee-boat start. Clark continued his strong form, taking his second win of the day. Barnham followed closely in second, while John Saddington used his knowledge of Rollesby’s quirks to claim third.

Start of Race 3 at the Committee-Boat End

Race 4 almost finished without any wind shenanigans until the final lap when the wind dropped further and swung more easterly. Barnham again claimed another race win after successfully holding off Bryan Morum, with Martin Brooking in third. With results extremely tight, competitors gathered eagerly as the Race Team calculated the final standings.

The overall winner was Jasper Barnham, representing Snettisham Beach. Godfrey Clark from Fishers Green was second overall. Chris Bunn completed the top three in third overall, representing Lady Yacht Club. The visitors rounded out the top six and first Rollesby Solo was Robert Hawkings, who finished seventh overall.

Full Event Results available on the club website – linked here. Event media can be found on the club’s Flickr, Facebook and Instagram.

Report By – Ellie Edwards

Category: Banner

Eastern Area Solo Open 2026 – Race Report