Norfolk & Suffolk Boating Association Champion-of-Champions Inter-Club Racing for Ramuz Trophy

Start during the Broads Area Champion Club Ramuz Trophy © Brian Wilkins

Broads Area Champion Club Ramuz Trophy and Prizes © Ben Falat

This annual end of season Inter Clubs event for The Broads Area took place on Saturday 21st September, at Wroxham Broad, by kind permission of Norfolk Broads Yacht Club.

Each affiliate organisation of the Norfolk & Suffolk Boating Association (NSBA) was invited to submit one pairing of helm & crew as representative "Club Champions". The twist this time was a move away from either local keelboat classes or heavier dinghies into Fireflys as loaned by University of East Anglia (UEA); this was a deliberate strategy to encourage perhaps younger participants than the 'same old' band of year-on-year representatives. Indeed that is what variously transpired amongst the 11 entries with a team of youngsters, three of teenagers and some clubs struggling to enter anyone at all probably due to their membership age profiles.

The basis of competition was to form two leagues, upper & lower, using 6 and 5 Firefly Dinghies, without discard and counting all results; following an initial random allocation (slightly seeded !), teams moved up or down with repêchage so that at the end of four rounds a Semi-Final and Final could determine winners. Expectations proved difficult with some new helms but from established previous top-performing clubs, some well-known helms but would they perform in the small Fireflys, and some with Firefly experience but little elite-echelon history.

Frostbites (a recent winner), led the first flight throughout with a 3-way chase between Oulton Broad (often showing good pedigree), Lady Yacht Club (current holder of the trophy) and Sailability (Instructors) developing into an intense last beat battle. Teams dropping to the lower league were Sailability, Snowflakes and Punt Club.

Clear leader by a huge margin in the second flight and a highly favoured pairing was UEA (team racing experience in Fireflys, hence well seeded), however late on they picked up a patch of weed and unable to clear it dropped to fourth into a demotion spot. Leaders were Norfolk Broads (venue hosts) followed by the Beccles pairing (experienced in Fireflys) staking intention when after a nondescript first beat they pulled through several places on the offwind to challenge seriously for the lead. Rollesby (always useful in Solo or Streaker classes) topped out the upper league with UEA and the youth team from Horning moving down.

Proof of how close racing actually was, was provided by clear podium contenders Oulton Broad who following a second in Round 1, won the top flight in Round 2, then came last in Round 3; though they again came second in the Semi-final, they had to add an extra relegation point for this place.

Never relegated out of the upper league were Norfolk Broads (1,3,1,1), Beccles (2,2,2,2) and Lady YC (3,4,3,4). Teams suffering only one relegation with subsequent successful repêchage included Frostbites (1,5,1,3), Oulton Broad (2,1,6,2) and Rollesby (3,6,2,5).

Broads Area Champion Club Ramuz Trophy - Runners-up from Beccles Amateur Sailing Club, Sam Johnson (l) & Freya Welham (r) - photo © Brian Wilkins

Broads Area Champion Club Ramuz Trophy - Winners from Norfolk Broads Yacht Club, Chris Pank (r) & Ali Clapburn (l) - photo © Brian Wilkins

This becomes the third time spanning some 30 years, that Chris Pank in representing his clubs has won this very prestigious event: 1995 in Norfolk Punts for Royal Norfolk & Suffolk YC, 2018 in Norfolk Dinghies and now 2024 in Fireflys both for Norfolk Broads YC.

Prizes were awarded to the podium (Norfolk Broads, Beccles & Frostbites), to winners of the Semi-final (Sailability), with keepers in thanks to the host club (Norfolk Broads) and to suppliers of the craft (UEA).

Overall Results:

* lower league place points +1