54th Navigators & General Three Rivers Race at Horning Sailing Club
by Holly Hancock 2 Jun 2014 23:03 BST
31 May - 1 June 2014
The 54th Navigators & General Three Rivers Race, hosted by Horning Sailing Club on the Norfolk Broads, took place over the weekend of 31st May & 1st June 2014, attracting 107 entrants from near and far to compete in the event. The boats started the 24-hour endurance race from Horning on Saturday morning. It was then up to competitors to choose their route, whether to do the Ludham and South Walsham legs first, or to head to Acle or Potter Heigham, taking into account tides and wind conditions.
With extremely light winds forecast, many competitors were prepared to face a long night ahead. Strong tides beyond Acle Bridge resulted in Race Officer George Whitefoot placing the turning buoy just short of the Bridge, yet despite the shortened course, as the little wind that there was dropped prior to the daylight fading, the mist rolled in and every boat was out after dark, the first boat making it back at 12.40am. Osprey, one of the Thames 'A' Raters making a return to the race, skippered by Paul Browning, also took the honour of Overall Winner, the first time either the boat or helm had won. Some two hours later the second boat home, Norfolk Punt Comet helmed by Richard Whitefoot, took second place overall.
The favoured route emerged as having been to complete both the Ludham Bridge and South Walsham legs before heading to Acle, then Potter Heigham and up to Hickling, but there were some exceptions, most notably the lead two boats, who took different routes. Another boat which made a welcome return to the race was Slipstream, helmed by Christopher Tuckett, one of only a few in existence today. With one bridge eliminated and calm conditions at the other, the mast lowerings were relatively uneventful, the first boat to reach Potter Heigham Bridge being Phil & Tamsin Highfield, sailing their RS500 dinghy for the charity Waveney Sailability.
There were just a handful of boats home prior to 8am, the conditions suiting the lighter craft with taller rigs, including all four Raters, a few Cruisers and Punts. Many others struggled to make it back against the tide in the glass-like waters, with the breeze only picking up during the morning leading to just 45 finishers – and, despite making it back to Horning after hours of perseverance, several boats were unfortunate enough to finish just minutes out of time of the 24-hour time limit. Some were more fortunate, such as Aaron Male sailing his Yeoman, taking the Ivybank Jug for first Yeoman, being one of only two Yeoman who made the finish in time, and Jim Windley sailing Rhapsody who held on to his title for first Wayfarer, and the only one of the eight starters in that class to finish, both within minutes of the time deadline.
First Rebel home was Rebel Queen helmed by John Davies, crewed by Curtis Drew and BBC Radio Norfolk's Wally Webb who was competing in the race for the first time. Whilst the Cruiser making the fastest passage was Zingara helmed by Richie Dugdale, the Trophy for the fastest cruiser on handicap went to Mike Partridge sailing Amantani. First Yare & Bure One Design and first half-decker finishing in 11th place was Clive Gardner in Hairstreak. Although faster craft dominated the first six positions, the conditions also resulted in a change from the usual, with slower cruisers, including two production cruisers taking places in the top ten.
Overall Results: (top ten)
1) Osprey (Thames A Rater) - P Browning
2) Comet (Norfolk Punt) – R Whitefoot
3) Wings (Thames A Rater) – A Mickleson
4) Lady Jane (Thames A Rater) – N Fribbens
5) Kingfisher (Thames A Rater) – M Collenn
6) Emperor Goose (Norfolk Punt) – J Parker
7) Gemima (Production Cruiser) – D Cole
8) Amantani (River Cruiser) – M Partridge
9) Papillon (Production Cruiser) – A Campbell
10) Vacuna (River Cruiser) S Bryan
Full race results and a trophy list will shortly be available on HSC's website, www.horningsc.co.uk
More photographs can be seen on Colin Galloway's website