Please select your home edition
Edition
Trinidad and Tobago - Sail Service Stay

30th Broadland Youth Regatta at Horning Sailing Club

by Holly Hancock 1 Sep 21:28 PDT 31 August 2024

In its 30th year of this Broadland event, the Norfolk & Suffolk Boating Association's (NSBA) Broadland Youth Regatta was hosted at Horning Sailing Club (HSC) on the Norfolk Broads on Saturday 31st August 2024.

Held at HSC's base in Horning for the very first time in its history, it attracted 99 young sailors in 88 boats from 8 Broadland clubs, ranging from those in their first few weeks of sailing to those far more experienced, and all aged under 19 years.

HSC is based on a small island on the bend of the River Bure in Horning, and with the number of boats arriving it was going to be a logistical challenge, but it was quite a sight to see every inch of the Island surrounded by dinghies - from Optimists to RS Fevas, Toppers to Lasers and more. Managing racing also took a different format, with the fleets split to participate on both the River and Hoveton Little Broad, which was popular with the young sailors who all experienced both and enjoyed the variety of sailing.

With the forecast for winds to increase during the day, the afternoon was expected to be the most challenging, but it turned out to be the morning, with huge gusts passing through - at one point taking out most of the fleet on the Broad. The more experienced sailors raced on the Broad, mainly in Lasers, RS Fevas, Splashes and faster dinghies, who enjoyed planing up and down, with capsizes a-plenty, forcing several retirements.

Meanwhile, the 33-strong fleet of Toppers and slow handicap fleet of Optimists, RS Teras, a Gull and Mirror dinghy sailed on the river whilst it was quieter from day boats, similarly seeing many capsizes and retirements - both courses keeping the volunteer rescue boats extremely busy, before swapping venues for the afternoon series.

As the day went on, some young sailors counted upwards of 20 capsizes and for all who took part there was a great sense of achievement. Amongst the challenges there were also some comical moments, particularly during the last Laser race, where a boat capsized right on the finish line and inadvertently took the final turning buoy with them, meaning that the Race Officer had to think both creatively and fast to direct the sailors where to turn before it was promptly put back in place!

Amongst the individual results, The Allcomers B Fleet was won by HSC's Hamish Harmer sailing his Splash, with Beccles Amateur Sailing Club (BASC)'s Sam Johnson and Freya Welham second in a Firefly. Third was HSC's Anya Gittins also sailing her Splash. The Allcomers C fleet saw Waveney & Oulton Broad Yacht Club (WOBYC) dominate the results, taking the top 6 places in the fleet - won by Will Keys-Batson, with Isaac Thomas second and Hugh Walker third, all sailing Optimists.

In the Lasers, there was sibling rivalry between Ellie and Tom Thwaites - Ellie sailing for Snowflake Sailing Club (SFSC), and Tom for Norfolk Broads Yacht Club (NBYC). Both with two first places, on countback it was Ellie who won the fleet, with Tom second despite coming back from a spectacular capsize at the start of the third race to win that race, and Henry Weymss of SFSC third.

Due to the high number of entrants, the Toppers sailed in two flights, and overall were won by Jenson Jakob with three wins sailing for SFSC, with Nate Sparrow of WOBYC second and Isobelle Johnson of BASC third.

After four races, taking the highly sought after Centenary Salver for first-placed team, were WOBYC, with SFSC and HSC equal on points - on countback, second place went to SFSC, with host Club HSC third.

The Lady Mayhew Trophy for 'Endeavour, applying the greatest effort in a spirit of sport, determination and fun', was awarded to Chevvy Bulldeath of HSC, sailing his first Regatta in a Topper. The Whelpton Cup for the most successful double-handed boat went to Sam Johnson and Freya Welham of BASC sailing their Firefly.

Overall, it was a challenging but rewarding day for the young sailors, who had the opportunity to try something different, push themselves and have fun - all in the spirit of the event.

Thanks go to all the many volunteers who helped out over the day and many thanks also to our generous sponsors for supporting the event: Norfolk Yacht Agency (NYA), the University of East Anglia (UEA), Jeckells and Son Ltd, BeWILDerwood, Herbert Woods, Onboard, UEA Sailing/Sportspark and Heat Different.

Find full fleet results here and Team results here.

Related Articles

Introducing the new Absolute 70 FLY
With an array of innovative features, attention to detail, space optimization and immersive lighting The 70 FLY debuts with an array of innovative features and embodies Absolute's signature attention to detail, space optimization, and immersive lighting. Posted today at 5:03 am
A new Freedom debuts
Freedom 345 is making its debut in Fort Lauderdale Grady-White's NEW Freedom 345 is making its debut in Fort Lauderdale. Posted on 31 Oct
48 hours in silence - even on a diesel boat
Introducing the Responsible Power package: all the benefits of hybrid without going hybrid Greenline Yachts is making strides in making their diesel-powered yachts more sustainable by eliminating the need for a generator. Posted on 31 Oct
Introducing the new Absolute Navetta 62
The 62ft Navetta embodies innovative, contemporary features that set new standard in luxury yachting The Navetta 62 is a stunning yacht that embodies the innovative spirit and contemporary elegance of Absolute Yachts. Posted on 31 Oct
Yamarin set to unveil new flagship powerboat
Proud to announce the launch of its largest powerboat yet Yamarin, the premium Finnish boat brand synonymous with elegance, quality, and exceptional handling, is proud to announce the launch of its largest powerboat yet. Posted on 31 Oct
Boston Whaler debuts the all-new 330 Vantage
At the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show Boston Whaler introduced its all-new 330 Vantage (“330”) today, which completes the evolution of the dual-console Vantage family lineup. Debuting at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show Posted on 31 Oct
World Cat debuts new 400DC-X Island
Successor to the 400DC-X launched World Cat has launched the new 400DC-X Island, the successor to the 400DC-X, at the 2024 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. Posted on 31 Oct
Quick USA introduces Sanguineti, Nemo and Xenta
Bringing Made in Italy quality and cutting-edge technology to the US boating market From technologically advanced integrated solutions to top quality deck fixtures, fittings and core components, the Italian headquartered Quick Group is one of the world's leading players in marine equipment for the yacht and superyacht sectors Posted on 30 Oct
SunDeck 3200 heralds new dawn for Hurricane Boats
The latest high point of Hurricane Boats' designs Hurricane Boats, legendary innovator in versatile deck boat designs, ushers in the next chapter in its storied history with the launch of its latest model for 2025 - the SunDeck 3200. Posted on 30 Oct
The BB44 Main Deck - Functional excellence
At Boston Boatworks, we're building the next generation of excellence The BB44 combines the amazing ride of a BB advanced-composite Zurn Yacht Design hull with an elegant home-on-the water living space created by Winch Design. Posted on 28 Oct
Maritimo 2023 S-Series FOOTERTrinidad and Tobago - Sail Service Stay