Keelboat weekend at Norfolk Broads Yacht Club

Keelboat weekend at Norfolk Broads YC © Ruth Knight

Norfolk Broads Yacht Club hosted a keelboat weekend for Yeomans & Stars, Broads One Design, and Yare & Bure One Design boats. A great time was had by all, both on and off the water.

Yeoman

Racing started with the Yeoman and Star Fleet on Saturday with good winds gusting over 20 mph. A good course was set with beating up the broad to North, West to No. 1 then running all the way to South mark. Five Yeomans started the first race with Paul and Janet in Brandy Bottle taking the lead from the line. Brandy Bottle maintained the lead until round 4 when Chris and Toby in Folly took the lead.

However, following the spinnaker drop into the water resulting in a spinnaker drogue, Brandy Bottle retook the lead to the finish followed by Folly then Andrew and Caroline in Aquamarine. 2nd race 4 boats started with Brandy Bottle taking the lead from the start. Great racing between Brandy Bottle and Folly resulted in Folly being first to finish quickly followed by Brandy Bottle. After taking advantage of a couple of good lifts Aquamarine closed in on Brandy Bottle to finish 3rd.

The crews all had to work very hard getting the jib sheets in quick enough and far enough with the winds. Congratulations to Caroline crewing Aquamarine on her first strong wind racing and having to take the helm for the spinnaker runs.

Sunday saw a similar breeze to Saturday. The same five boats came to the line for the first race and four for the second. Great course again set the same as Saturday.

Two battles took place firstly between Brandy Bottle and Folly for 1st place which resulted in a 1st and 2nd for each. Secondly between Aquamarine and George and Linda sailing Fire Opal resulting in a 3rd and 4th each.

The final result was equal points for Brandy Bottle and Folly, however the trophy was won by Paul and Janet Barker in Brandy Bottle having won the last race. Folly took 2nd place and Aquamarine came 3rd. Overall great racing over the weekend. Thanks to the race officer and team.

Keelboat weekend at Norfolk Broads YC - photo © Ruth Knight

Broads One Design (BOD)

Fifteen Broads One Designs relished the bright breezy conditions on Wroxham broad for the first keelboat weekend of the season. Racing was competitive and helms had to use all their skills to work the wind shifts and gusts to their advantage. The Race Officer set an excellent course which provided a beat the whole length of the broad.

In the first of four races with places changing until the last mark in the course Chris Aitken in Peregrine beat off the challenge of Joe Warnes in Razorbill and Matthew Frarey in Kestril to take the honours. The second race saw Steve Batson sailing Swallow finish in front of a tightly packed fleet.

Sunday racing produced a similar contest in glorious conditions where points were hard earned with a different winner in each race as in the previous day. Joe Warnes won race three and Matthew Frarey race four. Peter Sabberton in Whimbrel and Ruth Knight in Penguin were consistently challenging but after an excellent weekend of racing Joe Warnes took the Trophy followed by Chris Aitken in second place and Steve Batson third.

Brown Boat Fleet - Keelboat weekend at Norfolk Broads YC - photo © Beth Campbell

Yare & Bure One Design (YBOD)

Eighteen Yare & Bure One Designs contested the Bolingbroke Bowl in glorious sunshine. A brisk breeze, mostly from the north east, with plenty of shifts and gusts made for testing conditions.

In the first race Chris Bunn and Nikki Tansley, sailing a borrowed boat Dingy Skipper, sailed clear to take the win. Meanwhile his usual rival Ian Tims in Scarlet Admiral ran aground at the start and could not recover through the fleet. Vice-Commodore John Reid and Ray Johnson in Alchemist kept his cool to finish second ahead of Adam Barker and Cathryn Brady in Phoenix.

Ian Tims and Chris Bunn had a close scrap in the second race, at one point the downwind manoeuvring almost leaving the broad onto the river. Ian Tims went on to win from Chris Bunn, with David, Nicky and Rebecca Talbot in Red Admiral taking third.

On Sunday, the wind was slightly less difficult to read and Ian Tims, now with his regular crew of Pete Reeve, showed his mastery by posting another win ahead of David Talbot.

In the final race a group of boats pushed Ian Tims hard. This included Marty Thompson, taking over the helm of his boat Dingy Skipper. On the last beat a traditional Norfolk Wherry was on the course, causing a few anxieties. Nick and Liz Gill in Clouded Yellow squeezed home in second behind Ian Tims and just ahead of David Talbot.

Ian Timms and Chris Tuckett win YBOD class at Keelboat weekend at Norfolk Broads YC - photo © Ruth Knight

Yeoman Results:

BOD Results:

YBOD Results:

Star Results: