Great Yarmouth & Gorleston Sailing Club Beach Regatta

Great Yarmouth & Gorleston Sailing Club Beach Regatta © Ed Anderson

Great Yarmouth & Gorleston Sailing Club Beach Regatta © Lorna Howard

The Annual Beach Regatta at Great Yarmouth & Gorleston SC was held on the 22 & 23 June and attracted 14 different classes ranging from a Europe to a Spitfire.

Sailing started with the 'warm up' Thursday evening event. With light winds which faded during the final race the biggest discussion point of the evening was the huge rainbow which emerged during the light shower during the second race!

Richard Brown sailing a Solution claimed overall honours securing two wins with Dave Houghton & Clive Girling second in a RS400 and Keith Sykes third in a Laser.

Conditions could hardly have been better for competitors as they arrived on Saturday for the Weekend Regatta. Cloudless skies and a warm SE'erly F3. It was nice to see many visitors from several local clubs attending who were to prove more than a match for the locals! At the start of race one the wind had dropped a little and there was the last of the flood tide flowing to assist the upwind legs. The start line was keenly fought with one boat being called back. The fleet spilt with those opting to go right appearing to benefit most. Unsurprisingly it was David Brief sailing the fastest boat on the water, a Shadow-X leading at the windward mark and going on to finish well ahead of the next boat, Chris Haslam in a RS600. However Phil & Dennis Manning, sailing a Wayfarer were finding some good upwind pace to win on corrected time by over a minute and a half. The OK's of Ben Falat and Rodney Tidd enjoyed the first of three close battles with Falat staying ahead throughout the race to take second.

The wind had increased slightly and the tide now at slack water at the start of race two. The RS600 of Haslam led from start to finish crossing the line some way ahead of the next boat. However he was relegated to second spot by the Wayfarer of Team Manning who once again won by a clear margin. The battle at the OK corral this time was won by Tidd who maintained a comfortable lead over Falat to claim third spot.

Great Yarmouth & Gorleston Sailing Club Beach Regatta - photo © Ed Anderson

For race three the wind had increased a little more and the tide now ebbing with most of the fleet opting to stay inshore on the beat. Haslam once again led the fleet closely followed by Dave Houghton & John Symonds in a RS400 and Steve Gray in a D-One. These three built up a good lead on the fleet to finish well ahead. The OK's continued their battle with Tidd just a few seconds ahead until the final run when Falat managed to squeeze pass, crossing the line just seconds ahead, but relegated to second place by the consistent Team Manning, this time winning by over two minutes on corrected time.

Sundays forecasted wind was a little late arriving as at the start of race four it was only a F2 from the NE. The key factor was to find a clear channel on the long tack along the coast. With a strong ebb tide most of the fleet opted to stay inshore as long as possible before heading out into the stronger tide and the windward mark. The early leaders did this too soon resulting in a long tack offshore to the mark. Richard Brown & Robyn Ollington (RS400) timed it to perfection and rounded the mark with a small lead over the next pack of four boats led by Phil Highfield (RS700). Brown & Ollington held the lead for the first two laps only losing a place to the faster Spitfire sailed by Joe Crabbe on the final lap. Behind, Team Manning continued their good form taking the race by nearly four minutes on corrected time with Brown & Ollington second.

The wind picked up a little for race five shifting to the East which resulted in a quick course change for the race team. Crabbe (Spitfire) led the fleet round the windward mark closely followed by Haslam (RS600). Behind was a tightly packed group of three boats headed by Houghton & Symonds (RS400). Further back Commodore Phil Harlow with guest crew Keith Sykes (RS400) were having a close battle with Phil Allison (Contender). Just a few seconds separated these two for the first to laps although Harlow & Sykes managed to open a gap on the final lap. Line honours went to Crabbe (Spitfire) by quite a margin although it was Team Manning who once again took the win on corrected time with Haslam (RS600) second.

Great Yarmouth & Gorleston Sailing Club Beach Regatta - photo © Ed Anderson

The wind was a F3 for the final race. Crabbe (Spitfire) did a horizon job on the fleet completing four laps whereas some only did two. Highfield (RS700) and Haslam (RS600) headed the chasing pack with Highfield pulling ahead on the second lap. The RS400's of Ollington & Brown and Houghton & Symonds enjoyed probably the closest racing of the weekend with just a few seconds between them as they rounded the windward and leeward marks on every lap. With positions changing on every leg it could have gone either way but Brown & Ollington's superior upwind speed proved the deciding factor and they crossed the line just ahead. Team Manning were not resting on their laurels and once again won on corrected time by three minutes with Haslam (RS600) second and Crabbe (Spitfire) a creditable third considering the light conditions not ideal for the catamarans.

Great Yarmouth & Gorleston Sailing Club Beach Regatta - photo © Ed Anderson

No surprise to the overall winners of the event, Phil & Dennis Manning showing great all round boat speed and mastery of the conditions. Chris Haslam (RS600) recorded a consistent set of podium positions to claim second.

Overall Results: