Wednesday Evening Personal Handicap Pursuit Race – Report 24/04/2024
The cold fresh wind during the day put members off coming for an evening sail. By the time of the race, however, the evening turned out to be bright, with a pleasant steady N.W. sailing breeze. Six boats took part.
Henrietta Highfield had an early start in the Oppie and had a couple of fast laps while the wind was still fresh but then decided to retire. David Taylor, returning after the winter, was next away in his solo. David was soon overtaken by the next starter, Auriel Gibson in her Wayfarer crewed by Chis Foster. Auriel then held the lead for five laps to win the race.
As the race timed out Mike McNamara with Ian Curtis was 2nd, Dave Taylor 3rd, John Saddington 4th, Jason Elmer with Steve Gibbons in a Wayfarer 5th followed by Phil Alison who can now start a minute earlier next week!
RBSC Eastern Area Solo Open Meeting Report – 20th April 2024
The freezing cold and strong northerly wind conditions may have deterred some from travelling to the RBSC Solo eastern area travellers open meeting on the 20th April but at least it made the decision about what to wear simple. Spring may be here, but full winter thermals and dry suits were the order of the day. There were 12 entries including 6 visitors.
Four races were scheduled but with wind speeds recorded up to 29 knots and gusting regularly in excess of 23-24 knots and mindful that some competitors would be headed to Hickling the following day, the OOD settled on a 3 race format with a single discard. With the wind direction predominantly in the north to north/west it was possible to set a long upwind/downwind course starting from a committee boat half-way down the broad. However, there were frequent shifts to the west, coming over the trees, which inevitably meant that the beat to No 5 mark would have to be a bit one sided.
Race 1 was won by Mathew Frary from NBYC with Chris Bunn from LYC 2nd and another visitor from NBYC, Duncan Ellis, taking 3rd. In Race 2 the positions were reversed with Chris Bunn taking 1st and Mathew taking 2nd and Steve Ede from Ardleigh SC coming 3rd.
Conditions were taking their toll and many of the competitors, having done enough to qualify already , decided not to push their luck and venture out for the 3rd race after lunch but with Mathew and Chris each recording a 1st and 2nd place, the podium positions were still all to play for. Conditions remained challenging and with Mathew leading Chris Bunn up the 2nd beat, rather than deciding to cover Chris, Mathew split left over towards the trees and was hit by a particularly vicious gust which resulted in a capsize and, alas, the end the race for him, gifting Chris the overall win. Steve Ede finished 2nd which secured him 3rd place overall and Roger Wilson finished 3rd securing him 4th place overall and 1st local club boat. The full set of results can be found here Sailwave results for 2024 RBSC Solo Eastern Area Open Meeting at 2024
At the prize giving Chris Bunn thanked the OOD, Clive Girling and his team of assistants and safety boat crews for their excellent race management in tricky conditions and the competitors travelled home tired but very satisfied with an excellent day’s racing.
The popular Wednesday Evening Series starts on 24th April.
The pursuit race starts at 18.30 for a mirror dinghy on standard handicap. Start times for all dinghies will be based on the boat handicap adjusted with a personal handicap which can be changed over the series, depending on results. Everyone has a chance to win a race.
The series is an ideal opportunity for inexperienced sailors to try racing and sail a course. Slower sailors find their handicap adjusts so that they start early and can try to stay ahead of the fleet. For the more experienced racers it is good fun to start later and see if any boats can be passed. The race ends at 19.42 when positions are recorded and we often pack up the boats enjoying the sunset over the Broad.
There will be a race briefing in front of the club house at 10.30 am. The first start with be scheduled to start no sooner than 10.45.
It’s planned to schedule 3 races. 2 races in the morning a 1 race after lunch.
Competitors may be split in two separate fleets, “Multi-Sail” and “Single-Sail”, each with separate starts depending on the number of entries and conditions on the day. Classes with 6 or more entries may be given their own start/prizes by prior arrangement with the race authority if appropriate.
All enquires can be made to sailing@rbsc.org.uk or contact Roger Wilson on 01493 750434
It was feared that with the forecast over the Christmas holiday period being what it was and for some suffering the effects of a late night seeing in the New Year, that some people may have been deterred from turning out but as the car park started to fill and the dinghy park was abuzz with boats being rigged with plenty of friendly banter and shouts of “Happy New Year” any fears were soon dispelled.
The day was bright with blue skies , wall to wall sunshine and a moderate south westerly breeze – possibly too much westerly blowing over the trees to make it a perfect direction and resulting in some wicked wind shifts to master.
With 3 races scheduled, the Sallis family, who once again had kindly volunteered to run the regatta, made the decision to set a conservative 3 Lap first race to “test-the-water” and see how everyone would manage shifting wind conditions. With 28 boats including 6 visitors representing 12 different classes (I bet nobody had heard of the “Unit” class before!) all sharing the same start line this seemed very sensible. With a long start line set across the broad in front of the clubhouse the decision was to either take advantage of the starboard bias and start at the far end of the line closer to the trees or hedge your bets and go for the middle of the line where the wind was more consistent. A long first leg down the length of the broad to No 3 mark meant that tactics would also come into play as to whether to point high, stay on the wind, taking advantage of any lifts to possible lay the mark without needing to tack at the risk of maybe sailing slower and capsizing to windward in the vicious headers as the wind came over the trees, or to go for speed and sail freer, with the possible downside of needing to tack to make the mark.
It was the single handers who seemed to make the best calls in Race 1 with Daniel Bull in his Laser leading the way and a visitor from WOBYC Adam Yoraston in his Streaker 2nd and Chris Barker with his Radial rig on his Laser in 3rd.
With wind continuing to shift further right for Race 2 the start line was once again loaded with boats all keen to pull the trigger and get clear of line as soon as possible, so much so that a general recall was required (much to Phil Highfield’s relief in his Streaker) . Everyone got away cleanly on the second time of asking and with a longer 4 Lap Race now set it was possible for the Wayfarers of Mike McNamara and Dave Houghton with their deft spinnaker handling to pull clear of the fleet and secure 1st and 2nd place respectively. Daniel and Adam, after their stella performance in Race 1 were both buried well down in the pack making everything to play for in Race 3 after lunch.
As the wind became lighter and continued to shift further right in the afternoon a course change was needed to try and get a couple of true upwind beats diagonally across the broad from No 6 to No 4 and No 2 to No 3 . It was Daniel Bull securing 2nd place, making him the overall winner and Adam who came 3rd, securing 2nd place overall who once again found their touch to make the most is this new course and the lighter wind conditions but the story of Race 3 was the spectacular asymmetric spinnaker work of Howard Ashley-Jones in his RS Vareo which gave him the race win and pull him up to 3rd place overall, ahead of Dave Houghton in 4th and Mike McNamara in 5th, both of whom had decided not to venture out in the afternoon.
At the prize giving Jon Sallis presented the New Years Day Regatta Binnacle, surely the Norfolk Broads most sought after trophy , to Daniel Bull in his Laser and thanked all the competitors, particularly the visitors, for turning out to make it such a spectacular way to kick-off the new year.
Full set of results can be found on the website at
Seventeen boats turned out on a rare dry day for the annual Pursuit Race. The initial fresh S.W. wind veered during the morning to eventually become a light Westerly
There were two Fathers competing against their daughters in the fleet. Emily Pike in her Topper was the first to start whilst her Father Daren in his Phantom was the last. Emily held the lead for two laps but was overtaken by some of the faster boats in the sheltered parts of the course on lap three. Daren worked his way up to a mid fleet position overtaking Emily during lap four.
Ellie Edwards started second in her Splash. She held her place until lap four when she was passed by some of the faster boats. Dad Kevin and Sister Pipa started mid fleet in their Enterprise but by lap four they had become the lead boat and went on to take the Bent Vase Trophy as this year’s winners.
The first three boats spent the race in close competition. Ian Ayres in the Solo was close on the Enterprise’s tail and Dan Bull in the laser just behind. The other front runner was Roger Wilson in his Solo who was fourth. Dave Houghton and John Symonds in the Wayfarer had to be satisfied with a fifth place having won this event for the previous three years.
Initial Spread Out Fleet
Leader Close Up
At the end of the race competitors and spectators enjoyed Angie’s mince pies and mulled wine.
Ten boats took part in the next All-commers race. The first beat was “hiked out” sailing but as the veering wing dropped sailing conditions down the Broad become difficult. Getting round the marks on the sheltered side of the broad was the key to the race. Ian Ayres in his solo took an early lead and was a long way ahead when the course was shortened after two laps. Ellie Edwards in the Splash was second and Dan Bull in his Laser third.
Combined Report of Junior and Adult Novice Racing Regattas
Two sailing events were held on the 22nd of July and 23rd of September to promote racing to both juniors and adults in a beginner friendly way. Adults who considered themselves ‘novices’ at racing were encouraged to take part to enable them to build confidence and get some close races with others of similar abilities. Juniors competed to gain extra knowledge and have new experiences, with some starting their first ever proper race. There were three categories to enter based on age and experience criteria, Adults (self-explanatory!), Junior Gold (for sailors’ stage 2 and above) and Junior Silver (for ‘newer’ sailors aiming for stage 1).
Saturday 22nd of July 2023
The previous agreed date was postponed due to very high winds and a new date was set before the BBQ summer social which was planned later that afternoon. Due to this last minute cancellation and an unseasonably cold, wet and windy day, numbers were lower than expected. Despite this the sailors took on the tricky conditions, spurred on by the promise of prizes and of course the amazing BBQ after. Racing was extremely closely fought at the top end between both the junior and adult fleets, with lots of position swapping and nail biting finishes. It was two races to count from two so no slip-ups could be afforded if the competitors were aiming for a medal. The results are as follows below.
Adults:
Rhiannon (Splash) – 3 points
Andy (Splash) – 4 points
Gary (Laser) – 7 points
Jane B and Jane M (Wanderer) – 8 points
Chris and Angus (Heron) – 11 points
Junior Gold:
Henrietta (Optimist) – 2 points
Evie (Optimist) – 4 points
Matthew (Topper) – 9 points
Nicholas (Optimist) – 10 points
Saturday 23rd September
Saturday 23rd of September 2023
With the end of the Friday evening junior celebrations the day before, spirits were high and the turnout was great with 19 boats taking to the water. The wind was a shifty and gusty westerly, with some sailors opting for reefs to manage these conditions and all dressing warmly for the cooler air. The day started off quite windy and cold, but by lunch time the sun made an appearance but took the wind away! Again there was very close racing to be had in all fleets but this time sailors were allowed to discard their worst result from the three races with countback being taken into consideration. The rescue boat crew worked hard, relaying information about shorten courses and giving the newest racers in the junior silver fleet some additional guidance and support to get around their course. Things went down to the wire in the final junior gold race, as first place could have gone to anyone and the positons at the top end were constantly changing. Everyone displayed great tactics and skill to navigate the headers, lifts and patchy wind often inadvertently ending up with two beats! Slower boats seemed to benefit as their ‘good’ handicaps worked out well in the hotly contested races where most boats finished close together. By the end of the last race the wind had dropped to almost nothing and some boats drifted round to the finish. The sailors had well-deserved prizes waiting for them and the results follow below with a more detailed breakdown available in the club house.
Adults:
John (Laser 13) – 2 points
Suzanne (Topper) – 3 points
Andy (Splash) – 5 points
Ed (Laser) – 7 points
Don (Solo) – 8 points
Toni (Pico) – 10 points
Junior Gold:
Henrietta (Optimist) – 2 points
Matthew (Topper) – 3 points
Evie (Optimist) – 5 points
Kerry (Topper) – 7 points
James (Topper) – 11 points
Adam (Pico) – 11 points
Eleanor and Elsa (Wayfarer) – 12 points
Nicholas (Optimist) – 14 points
Una (Optimist) – 17 points
Junior Silver:
Josef (Topper 4.2) – 2 points
Bronwen (Optimist) – 4 points
Jack (Topper 4.2) – 4 points
Ketty (Optimist) – 7 points
A huge thank you is owed to our rescue boat crews, training team and the parents who all volunteered their time to help the event run smoothly. Another big thanks is given to all competitors who came out to support the club at these new events and showed such great determination and racing skills. A special mention also goes out to those juniors whose very first races were had as they all did amazing, taking to the race course in some challenging conditions and all completed at least once race. We look to run more events in the future so keep your eyes out! The team looks forward to seeing more of you out on the water racing on Sundays, doing the Wednesday Evenings Series next summer and the junior blocks in 2024, or just out for a casual sail next season when the weather returns. We hope you have enjoyed this season’s programme and will hopefully see you again sometime!
