Sunday 11th April

Today sees the resumption of sailing at CHSC after the lifting of Covid 19 restrictions regarding competitive sailing. With safety very much in mind the club has decided to follow as normal a club sailing programme as is possible in the circustances. The first races of the season started with local racing, with all three races taking place back to back to minimise social contact. Race Officer David Hickman choose a straight forward course for the first racing of the season, an excellent idea to ease the competitors into their first outing of the season. The first race was sailed in a variety of conditions ranging from brillant sunshine to heavy snow and hail showers, with the following two races taking place in rather more settled conditions. Paul Parker with Gill Pearson sailing Club One quickly took charge to win all three races in grand style, leaving the second and third position to Felspar crewed by Crispin Lambert and Ben Adams and Shibboleth crewed by David and Margaret Woolston in the first race, Pippin crewed by Phil Parker and Scott Budds second and Shibboleth third in the second race, followed by Felspar crewed this time by Ben Adams helm and Crispin Lambert second with Findus Archates crewed by John Wells and Sandy Watt third. With a total of 8 boats turning out for the first race of the season, a very good start to hopefully a promising season to come.

Sunday 18th April

This week sees the first of the Downriver all comers series races, with race officer Gary Corbett setting the middle course, which given the relatively light winds proved to be the right choice. Eleven boats came to line, an improvemant on the previous weeks total of 8 boats, the increase in competitors driven by the excepional weather no doubt. 6 Yeomans, 4 Wayfarers and one Flying Fifteen With the wind behind them for most of the Downriver leg the dinghies were first to turn by some considerably margin helped also by three of the dinghies being sailed single handed. The return leg proved the more interestng with plenty of tacking to keep the helms alert and crews busy.With the exception of Shibboleth crewed by David and Margaret Woolston and Magpie crewed by David Hickman and Debbi Jaffey who managed to close the gap between the dinghies and Yeomans, the dinghies lead proved unassailably. At the line John Wells crewed by Sandy Watt sailing Findus Archates took the first bell followed closely by Andwun sailed single handed by Ian Barker, with Richard Joy another single hander saiing Obsession crossing third. After handicaps had been applied, Andwum took first place with Shibboleth second and Obsession third.

Sunday 25th April

A brisk cold North East wind greeted this weeks competitors for the second local series races, however the chilly wind failed to deter the clubs hardy sailors with a turnout of thirteen boats coming to the line. The wind direction made it easy for race officer David Woolston to set the course as unusualy the wind covered the entire course with no pockets of lulls at all. With a large field of boats David took the decision to split the start between Yeomans and Allcomers, this proved helpful for both the boats on the water and OODs when timing in. With the brisk wind race one was set at three rounds, which proved a good course with boats covering the course in 35 minutes, David and William Taitt sailing Yeoman Goldfinch took first place, with Club 2 sailed by Paul Parker and Gill Pearson taking second place and Magpie sailed by David Hickman and Debbi Jaffey claiming third place. The lengh of race two was set at two rounds seeing the boats complete the course in 25 minutes, this time first place going to Club 2 with Magpie taking second and One for the Road sailed by Kim Mayfield and Carol Catchpole taking third place. With time in hand due to the wind speed over the last two races the OOD decided to make the final race 3 rounds, which was greeted with great alacrity, again the boats flew round the course in 35 minutes with this time One for the Road taking first place, pushing Club 2 into second place and Obsession sailed single handed by Richard Joy taking third position. With the boats then all put to bed the crews retired to enjoy a drink at the local Tavern outside wrapped up in blankets.

Sunday 2nd May 2021

A mostly sunny day with light North-easterly winds was the order of the day which greeted the 13 boats competing for the clubs local 3 series races this Sunday. With the light winds forecast race officer David Durrant set a straightforward course of two turning marks with two rounds to be completed, which proved to be the right decision given the conditions. With 13 boats competing David opted for a split start with 6 Yeoman keel boats starting first, with the remaining dinghies following at a 5 minute interval. The constantly varying conditions, with the wind strength and direction seemingly coming from all directions at once, and a very low tide, causing several groundings, proved a challenging situation, and gave some widely varying results. In race one first place was taken by Magpie sailed by David Hickman and Debbi Jaffey, followed closely by Goldfinch sailed by David and William Taitt with John Wells and Sandy Watt sailing Findus Archates taking third place. Race 2 saw Shibboleth sailed by David and Margaret Woolston taking first place with Pippin sailed single handed by Phil Parker taking second place from Magpie by a whisker who had to be content with third. The final race 3 again saw a very strung-out field with Club 1 sailed by Paul Parker and Gill Pearson coming thru very strongly to easily take first place from Kim Mayfield and Carol Catchpole sailing One for the Road, with Felspar sailed by Ben Adams and Crispin Lambert although crossing the line well ahead of the fleet having to be content with third place.

Wednesday 5th May

At an EGM held to discuss the further development of the club, in the form of an extension to house new facilities, members gave their approval to commence work on the new project, which will be of great benefit to the club membership. Members present expressed their appreciation of all the work done by committee members in progressing the project in very difficult times.

Sunday 9th May 2021

After Saturday’s downpour, Sunday dawned full of hope for a sunny warm day with good brisk wind for the clubs Local 4 series racing. The forecast of strong winds for Sunday, earlier in the week resulted in a reduced field of competitors, even though the forecast was revised later for lighter winds. In the event even the wind speeds of 13 to 14 mph failed to appear, and racing was conducted in winds of approx 8 to 9 mph coming from the SW 8 boats came to the line for all three races, with race officer Ian Barker setting a simple course with two buoys to negotiate. Ian decided to call for 3 rounds on the first race, but shortened the course due to the light winds. With fleet pushed over to the Brundall side of the river due to wind direction some groundings were experienced due to hidden tree roots and vegetation at the head of a mariner dyke. The first race saw Findus Archates sailed by John Wells and Sandy Watt get away early at the start followed closely by Club 1 sailed by Paul Parker and Gill Pearson to establish a good lead over the rest of the fleet. , at the bell it was Findus Archates with Club 1 second and Magpie sailed by David Hickman and Debbi Jaffey having caught up well third, with the rest of the fleet some way behind. Race 2 saw the race officer because of the light winds reduce the course by one lap to a total of two laps to be completed. With the start requiring lots of tacking to make progress, it was again Findus Archates and Club 1 getting away to a good start although there was considerable congestion at the turning buoy causing the usual good humoured banter. With the reduced course this time the race taking 23 mins for the leading boat to complete the course it was Findus Archates helmed by Sandy Watt and crewed by Dad John Wells taking first position with again Club 1 second and third going to Magpie. Race 3 again 2 rounds, saw some slight change in the leading boats with Club 1 finishing first followed by Findus Archates with John Wells back at the helm, and just managing to hold off Magpie third place went to Shibboleth sailed by David and Margaret Woolston. With the weather sunny and at last warm a lovely mornings sailing was had by all followed by a welcome drink at the Tavern.

Sunday 16th May 2021

Following on from Saturday's damp and chilly day, this Sunday's weather forecast promised little better, with a light SW wind, showers and possible thunderstorms on the menu. First to the start line for this week's racing came four Cruisers for the first of their downriver series races, although the wind speed was light and tide against them the boats made good time and sped down train reach and had vanished out of sight before the all comers started their second race of the all comers downriver series. Nine boats contested this week's race, seven Yeoman, one dinghy and a half decker, the reduced dinghy entry caused by two of the clubs prominent dinghy sailors being on Box Duty and also the threat of heavy thunderstorms. Officer of the Day Gill Pearson set the middle downriver course which proved to be just right given the conditions. With the tide against them and a light wind the boats made slow but steady progress down train reach with better sailing once more open water was reached. At the turn Shibboleth sailed by David and Margaret Woolston just managed to turn first ahead of Magpie sailed by David Hickman and Debbi Jaffey who had closed the considerable lead Shibboleth had built up over the rest of the fleet, who turned the mark some way behind the two leaders. Despite all the efforts of Shibboleths crew Magpie gained the lead just after Buckenham Ferry and held it to the finish to claim first place, with Shibboleth second and Goldfinch sailed by David and William Taitt third. The Cruisers had a good race with leading the way by a considerable margin Swallowtail sailed by John Wells and Sandy Watt found themselves becalmed at Buckenham Ferry allowing the other three Cruisers to not only catch up but overtake her. At the finish all the cruisers crossed the line together, after handicap Morning Calm sailed by Bill Clark took first position with Anna sailed by Diana Branscombe second and Glory sailed by Colin Brown third. The weather overall turned out warm with a light but constant wind and no thunderstorms, a mornings sailing not to be missed, and enjoyed by all.

Sunday 23th May 2021

After a decidedly damp few days Sunday dawned full of hope for dry weather combined with a moderate to strong wind, which was duly delivered in part. With the wind direction in the South West Race Officer Jonathan Bolton laid a long course, together with a third buoy to add further interest to the days racing, Jonathan set the rounds to 2 for the first race, which proved to be correct as the wind was light and quite variable. With 11 boats coming to the line Jonathan opted for a split start with the Keelboats starting first. Although the course presented some dull spots, the boats kept moving throughout the race with all finishing within 30min timeframe. One for the Road sailed by Kim Mayfield and Carol Catchpole took first position followed by Magpie sailed by David Hickman and Debbi Jaffey with Findus Archates sailed by John Wells and Sandy Watt taking third place Race two and with the wind picking up Race Officer Jonathan Bolton sensible increased the rounds to 3, with the stronger wind the start was quite interesting for the keelboats there being seven of them all vying for pole position. With the strong wind the race was completed in very little more time than race one, although the field did string out somewhat with the leading boats gaining some 6/7 minutes lead over those not so fortunate. This race proved positive for the dinghies with them taking the first three positions, with Club 1sailed by Paul Parker and Gill Pearson first, followed 2 minutes later by One for the Road with Phil Parker and Scott Budds sailing Pippin coming in third Race three and the wind still increasing meant the course could be left at 3 rounds giving all an opportunity to enjoy a good sail. This time 9 boats came to the line six Keelboats and three dinghies, still splitting the start, gave far more room to manoeuvre which was welcome. Taking a similar time to complete the race, this time the Keelboats came to the fore with Ben Adams and Crispin Lambert sailing Felspar romping home in 31minutes followed by Goldfinch just beaten into second place after taking 31minutes 2 seconds (how close is that) third place went to the first dinghy home Club 1 with a rather more acceptable margin.

Sunday 30th May 2021

With yet another unseasonably chilly week being the order of the day, summer finally arrived on Saturday, with Sunday following hard on its heels, sunny warm and with a moderate NE wind. However this failed to tempt many competitors out for the clubs 3rd Downriver of the current series, with only 7 boats coming to the line, and fewer still for the cruisers 2nd Downriver race, this race only attracting 2 competitors. Race officer Ben Adams decided on the long course for both the allcomers and cruiser races, an excellent choice given the moderate strength wind. The 6 Yeoman keelboats and 1 Wayfarer dinghy started first all getting away to a good start and making steady progress down train reach, as the boats emerged from the reach having been overhauled by one of the cruisers, Swallowtail sailed by John Wells and Family, with the other cruiser Glory sailed by Colin Brown and Nick Ebbage not far behind, Shibboleth sailed by David and Margaret Woolston luckily getting some good gusts managed to take the lead with Magpie sailed by David Hickman and Debbi Jaffey close behind followed by Goldfinch this week helmed by William Taitt with father David as crew just ahead of the rest of the fleet. After a good battle against the incoming tide and with quite considerable tacking the boats made good time to the turning point, with Shibboleth turning first with Magpie hard behind followed by the rest of the fleet at some distance. After a quite swift return journey assisted by the strong incoming tide, it was Shibboleth still in the lead as the boats entered train reach for the final leg of the race with Magpie edging ever closer, half way down the reach Magpie pounced as Shibboleth failed to read the wind changes, taking the lead to cross the line first followed closely by Shibboleth with Goldfinch taking third place. Swallowtail took first position in the cruiser race having held the lead for the entire race

Sunday 6th June 2021

A very warm and sunny morning greeted this Sunday’s sailors for Local races 6 together unfortunately with zero wind. With their usual optimism those in attendance prepared boats for racing, optimism was rewarded with the wind increasing to an almost perceptible whisper. Race officer Nigel Kippin set a short course which was appropriate given the very light winds, but even so the boats still took almost 30mins to complete the course. The first race got away to a very slow start even when aided by the incoming tide, Shibboleth sailed by David and Margaret Woolston somehow managed to gain a considerable lead over the other 6 boats taking part, which she held on to taking first position with Magpie sailed by David Hickman and Debbi Jaffey second, and third position going to Goldfinch sailed by David and William Taitt. By race 2 the wind had increased a fraction, giving a slightly better race, this race saw the boats more closely bunched with the lead boats being Magpie Shibboleth and Findus Archates sailed by John Wells and Sandy Watt, as the boats turned the final buoy to head for the finish line Magpie slipped ahead followed by Findus Archates crossing the line in that order, however after handicap Magpie took the honours with Shibboleth second and Club 1 sailed by Gill Pearson and Paul Parker third. With final race came a fresh breeze and the threat of storm clouds gathering on the horizon. Race officer Nigel decided with the new found wind to change the course for a longer race and also a changed direction of start. With the changed course and start direction came a changed order of result, with Findus Archates flying round the course in 11.01 minutes to take third place after handicap and Club 1 this time helmed by Paul and crewed by Gill taking first place after taking only 11.19 minutes and Felspar sailed singlehand by Ben Adams second, taking 11.37minutes to compete the course.

Sunday 13th June 2021

Seven very very optimistic sailors arrived at Coldham for the 4th race of the Downriver series, to be greeted with as last week zero wind or just slightly less. The fleet comprised of a Flying Fifteen (rather an optimistic name given the weather conditions) a Wayfarer, One Design and 4 Yeomans. Race officer Mike Roll sensibly decided on the short course given the wind conditions, which were variably changing to variably. With the tide against them the boats got away to not to bad a start. with the Flying Fifteen Findus Archates sailed by Father and Daughter team John Wells and Sandy Watt taking an early lead with Club 1 the Wayfarer sailed by Gill Pearson and Paul Parker close behind them, the rest of the fleet making their way rather more sedately up Train Reach, desperately trying to determine the wind direction. The two leading boats while vying for position managed to increase their lead over the rest of the fleet by a substantial margin, turning the reduced course marking buoy well ahead of the rest of the fleet, with Shibboleth sailed by David and Margaret Woolston just managing to turn ahead of Falspar sailed by Ben Adams and Crispin Lambert turning first of the Yeomans. The return journey even with the tide under them proved problematic with the wind seemingly to come from every direction. At the bell it was Findus Archates crossing the line first with Club 1 second, with an amazing lead of 25 minutes over the next boat home Shibboleth, followed closely by Felspar. After Handicap the winner was Club 1 with Findaus Archates second and Shibboleth Third. With another Downriver next week combined with the first picnic race of the current season lets hope for just a hint of breeze.

Sunday 20th June 2021

With the first of the clubs race programmes picnic races on offer, the weather on offer was far from encouraging, with rain and very light winds greeting the few hopefuls arriving for the event. With two cruisers and five yeoman keelboats coming to the line, race officer Ben Adams decided on a joint start, with the course to be decided as the race progressed. The boats got away to quite a good start with the wind picking up somewhat and the rain clearing. The Cruisers soon asserted themselves taking advantage of their tall masts and large sail area to get through the densely wooded train reach. The five yeoman keel boats were bunched together at the start, with Shibboleth sailed by David and Margaret Woolston managing to establish a lead after getting some advantageous gusts to negotiate train reach. With the tide under them the boats made quite good progress, and race officer Ben Adams made the decision to make Cantley the destination for the downriver leg of the race, which the cruisers reached in 1 hour 10 mins with Morning Calm sailed by Bill Clark and Scott Budds crossing the line first and also winning the first leg on handicap, followed closely by Swallowtail, sailed by John Wells, Sandy Watt and guest Mandy Blezard. Shibboleth was first to take the bell of the yeoman’s followed closely by Goldfinch sailed by William and David Taitt with Kingfisher sailed by Gary Corbett and David Greenacre taking third position. After the traditional break for refreshments at Cantley the race recommenced at 1.20pm for the final leg of the race. This section of the race saw only two yeoman keelboats coming to the line with two boats returning early and a third motoring back. With a very strong tide against them the fleet made its way down the reach to Langley where a large belt of trees waited to test the helms skills, which it did, with the cruisers negotiating the very calm area rather better than the two yeoman keel boats. Shibboleth entered the area first but was soon overtaken by Goldfinch who had positioned better in the river for the tide and head on wind. With the cruisers moving away into better wind conditions soon followed by Goldfinch, leaving Shibboleth wondering what had happened. The race progressed at a rather sedate pace with the cruisers opening up the lead together with Goldfinch all leaving Shibboleth rather behind, as the yeoman’s approached another belt of wind shielding trees Shibboleth found she had caught up somewhat on Goldfinches lead and managed to take the lead, which she held until the finishing bell. The cruisers took the bell well before the yeomans with Swallowtail first to cross the line, but losing the race to Morning Calm on handicap, The cruiser race was won by Bill Clarke sailing Morning Calm after both legs are calculated and Shibboleth won the all comers.

A reminder to all those who may be interested, the Paddleboard and social evenings continue to take place on Wednesday evenings, all members are welcome

Sunday 27th June 2021

A surprising good turnout given rather indifferent weather greeted this week’s Race Officer Judith Robertson for local 7 of the series races, 13 boats in all coming to the line. With the wind forecasting a breezy day all looked good for an enjoyable days sailing and so it proved to be. Judith opted for split starts with seven dinghies starting first, followed by the six keelboats. Race one proved a rather mixed bag with both dinghies and keelboats sharing the top honours, first to take the bell was Paul Parker and Gill Pearson sailing wayfarer Club 1, followed by David Hickman and Debbi Jaffey sailing Magpie, with third place going to another wayfarer One for the Road sailed by Kim Mayfield and Carol Catchpole. Race two saw a reduced field with the Laser and Topper sitting the race out. This time the race was certainly a dinghy affair with all 3 top positions going to dinghies, Club 1 again took first position with this time second position going to One for the Road and Sandy Watt crewed by father John Wells sailing Findus Archates taking third place Race three saw the Laser and Topper returning to make the start total again 13, again as in race one the race produced a mixed bag of results, with making it a full house Club 1 took first position with Findus Archates this time helmed by John Wells taking second place with Goldfinch sailed by father and son team David and William Taitt coming third.

A reminder to all those who may be interested, the Paddleboard and social evenings continue to take place on Wednesday evenings, all members are welcome

Sunday 4th July 2021

With another good sailing day promised by the weather man, tempting a very good turnout of competitors for the final week of local sailing of the half series races for the Brundall Challenge Cup, Tripoli Cup and the John Tye Trophy. This is the completion of a series of the first half of the full 16 week series of local races. With SW wind of 8 to 9 knots promised (but not delivered) and a strong outgoing tide, race officer Ian Shepherd set a two mark course with both to be passed to starboard, this course proved to be excellent given the rather disappointing wind strength. With 13 boats coming to the line Ian decided to split the start with the 7 Keelboats starting first, with the 6 dinghies starting 5 minutes later, the first race conditions favoured the keelboats with the first three positions all going to a keelboat. First over the line was Findus Archates sailed by John Wells and Sandy Watt, but after handicap was applied they took 4th position with Kingfisher sailed by Gary Corbett and David Greenacre taking first, Goldfinch sailed by David and William Taitt second and Shibboleth sailed by David and Margaret Woolston third. With a rather windless dead area before and around the number 1bouy, Ian decided to adjust the course by moving the buoy to a more lively position, which improved the course to a great degree. The second race proved a mixed bag with Paul Parker and Gill Pearson sailing wayfarer Club 1 taking first place and the Yeoman keelboat Goldfinch taking second place, with club Commodore Nigel Kipping and Jeni Barnacle sailing wayfarer Maggie May taking third. For race three Ian called for an addition round making it a three round race, this seemed a good idea as the wind showed signs of strengthening, in the event the reversed happened and the course was shortened by half a round, with the dinghies asserting themselves, Club 1 again taking first place with this time second position going to Findus Archates and Bill Clark sailing his Leader dinghy singehanded taking third.

A reminder to all those who may be interested, the Paddleboard and social evenings continue to take place on Wednesday evenings, all members are welcome

Sunday 11th July

For the first race of the second half of the local series races the wind speed was anything except promising, with very light winds predicted especially for the first part of the mornings racing, and so it turned out with the boats speed over the water for the first race being dictated by the tide rather than the wind. Eight boats drifted to the line for the first race, where race officer Ben Adams had set a short course of two rounds, endeavouring to keep the racing within the areas of the river with some wind. This proved more difficult than expected and after two abandoned starts, which were accompanied by a short examination for the participants in flags and sound signals, the race officer very wisely decided to move the start line to a position opposite the club house, where what wind there was could be put to better use. The first race commenced after a delay of some 45minutes by which time together with the judicious moving of the start line and a slight increase in wind speed the boats made slow but steady progress round the course, with the overall results showing a good mix of keelboats and dinghies in the positions gained, with John Wells crewed by Sandy Watt sailing their Flying Fifteen Findus Archates coming first, Magpie sailed by David Hickman and Debbi Jaffey second and Yarebeat sailed by Mike and Shirley Roll sailing for the first time this year third. With the wind again obliging by increasing albeit only slightly for the second race the boats made good progress round the course with lots of tacking to the first mark against the tide and wind shifts, this time it was Club 1 sailed by Paul Parker and Gill Pearson taking first position, with Findus Archates this time helmed by Sandy Watt and crewed by John Wells taking second and Magpie third. Race three saw further increases in wind speed with the resulting better sailing, First place again was taken by Club 1 with Magpie returning to second place and Yarebeat matching her first race position taking third. Although the day started rather slowly due to the nonexistent wind, after the repositioning of the start line by the race officer and a slight increase in wind speed the day proved excellent.

Next Sunday is Coldham Hall Sailing Clubs regatta

This regatta consists of two races for allcomers in the morning, with a break for lunch, and a further two races for allcomers in the afternoon, there is also a novice race and a ladies race.

A reminder to all those who may be interested, the Paddleboard and social evenings continue to take place on Wednesday evenings, all members are welcome

Sunday 18th July

This Sunday saw the return of the Clubs regatta, which has not been sailed since the outbreak of the Covid pandemic, the day was combined with a celebration of the Clubs 70th anniversary. The day’s weather came in two halves, a lovely sunny warm day for the 70th anniversary, but with little wind for a club regatta. However race officer, Clubs Commodore Nigel Kippin assisted by Vice Commodore Ian Barker and Rear Commodore David Taitt set an excellent course for the conditions prevailing, giving the best sailing over the section of the river where a breeze was to be found. The first race of the day saw Richard Joy sailing his wayfarer Obsession singlehanded take first position with Magpie sailed by David Hickman and Debbi Jaffey second with Paul Parker sailing the clubs Comet third. The second race was won by Magpie with Shibboleth sailed by David and Margaret Woolston second and Obsession third. After some challenging racing given the light winds and strong outgoing tide in the morning a break from the proceedings was taken for all to partake in an excellent lunch, arranged and served by Jeni Barnacle which was enjoyed by all to much acclaim. Racing resumed after lunch with a ladies race attracting four entrants, this was won by Sandy Watt crewed by father John Wells in their Flying Fifteen Findus Archates closely followed by Judith Robertson crewed by Jonathan Bolton sailing Millchic. With a change of direction of the tide and an increase in wind speed the afternoons racing proved much better adding to the competitor’s enjoyment. With the first race of the afternoon being won in grand style by Paul Parker again sailing the club Comet, closely followed by Magpie enjoying a good days sailing, with third Willum Johnston making his presence felt sailing his Laser. The morning cruiser race attracted two entrants Morning Calm sailed by Bill Clark and Amanda Blezard and Anna sailed by Bob and Dianna Branscombe both facing challenging conditions not helped by the overgrown trees in Train Reach shadowing what slight breeze there was, the race was won by Morning Calm. The afternoon cruiser race again only attracting two entrants Morning Calm and this time joined by Glory sailed by Colin Brown, the racing enjoying slightly better conditions with the increase in the wind, the race was won by Glory sailed by Colin Brown. The final race of the Club Regatta series was won by Kingfisher sailed by Gary Corbett and David Greenacre, with second Paul Parker and Findus Archates sailed by John Wells and Sandy Watt third. With all the boats packed away the presentation of winners cups was accompanied by copious amounts of wine to celebrate the 70th anniversary occasion, together with a speech given by the clubs President, Maurice Ward who is also a founder member, Maurice reminded those present how luckily the club was to have such an excellent place to sail on the Norfolk broads, and also how the club goes from strength to strength in its ongoing development. Last but not least, Club Commodore Nigel Kippin rose to present the winners cups, Nigel thanked all those taking part both by sailing and helping to make the day a very memorable event, with a big thank you to Jeni Barnacle for all her hard work in the galley. The Regatta Trophy for the overall winner of the Regatta went to David Hickman crewed by Debbi Jaffey sailing Magpie, David also won the Keelboat Trophy. Paul Parker sailing the clubs Comet won the centreboard trophy and Bill Clark sailing his cruiser Morning Calm won the cruiser trophy. The days proceedings finished on an unexpected high note, when David Hickman presented to the club a painting commissioned by him, and painted by a local artist, a painting of the clubs sailing environment showing boats sailing on the river Yare at Coldham Hall and recorded on the reverse of the painting all former Presidents, Commodores and Life Members of the club, this was received with very warm thanks on behalf of the club by Nigel Kippen the clubs current Commodore.

A reminder to all those who may be interested, the Paddleboard and social evenings will this week take place on Tuesday evening due to a committee meeting on the Wednesday evening

Sunday 25th July

With race 6 of the Downriver series races, plus the interclub Cruiser race between Coldham Hall Sailing Club and the Yare Sailing Club, racing for the Yare Challenge Cup, taking place this Sunday a good turnout was expected from competitors. Unfortunately one glance at the weather forecast, predicting very light winds, plus the chance of heavy downpours, was enough to deter all but the very diehard of members, leading to a much reduced entry for both races. Two cruisers came to the line for the Yare Challenge Cup, Anna sailed by Diane and Bob Branscome and Swallowtail sailed by John Wells and family members Sandy and Ian, getting away to not too bad a start given the light winds only to find the going extremely slow once the trees of the dreaded Train Reach took charge aided and abetted by one of the strongest tides of the season also against the boats. Anna managed to break out of the trees ahead of Swallowtail establishing quite a substantial lead. With race officer Jonathan Mayfield remaining in the start box to time the boats in, it was left to second office Jackie Mayfield to take the decision to shorten the cruiser courses to a turning point opposite the entrance to Rockland Broad second dyke. Still holding the lead Anna turned first, and with tide under her made far better speed on the return journey, but still taking over 2 hours to complete the course, and win the race for Yare Sailing Club. The six keelboats and one wayfarer fared no better against the tide, light wind and trees, starting from behind having lost what wind there was on the start line Magpie sailed by David Hickman and Debbi Jaffey managed to pull ahead before entering Train Reach overhauling Club 2 sailed by Gill Pearson and Paul Parker, who after making a good start had gained the lead initially. With the boats making such slow progress, two boats decide to retire, leaving the other 5 to make their slow painful progress to an even shorter course than that sailed by the cruisers, turning this time at the entrance to Rockland first dyke. By the time the turning point was reached more by luck than judgement Shibboleth had gained the lead by some distance. Again with tide under them the boats made better progress back although the tide was losing its strength by the finish of the race, which was won by Shibboleth with Magpie second and Club 2 third, with the boats as with the cruisers taking well over 2 hours to complete the course. All agreed they would not have missed the day for a king’s ransom.

A reminder to all those who may be interested, the Paddleboard and social evenings Will take place on Wednesday evening

Sunday 1st August

This Sunday dawned cool with a moderate North West wind and the threat of heavy showers for local races 10 of the current series. With the wind promising some lively sailing, race officer Bob Branscombe set the course accordingly with the race marks quite some distance apart, In great hopes of a good days competition the first race started, unfortunately this coincided with quite a drop in the wind speed, which together with a strong outgoing tide made for some difficult sailing to the first mark, tackled better by some helms than others. With the wind increasingly fluky, the first race extended to over 40 mins to complete for most boats, with only the first three boats home managing the course in less, with first being a wayfarer Club 1 sailed by Paul Parker and Gill Pearson second Jackie Mayfield and Carol Catchpole sailing wayfarer One for the Road and third Flying Fifteen Findus Archates sailed by John Wells and Sandy Watt. With the altered wind conditions race officer Bob Branscombe shortened the course by a considerably degree, this proved to be the correct decision, as with the strong tide the boats still faced a challenging course, race two and with the wind dropping further some boats struggled to even make the start line for the starting signal, this race saw club one overcome a very challenging start to again take first place, with this time David Hickman and Debbi Jaffey sailing Yeoman Magpie take second place and Phil Parker crewed by Liz Reynolds sailing wayfarer Pippin take third place. Race three, the final race of the morning saw the wind increase giving much better sailing, with all the boats moving along nicely. First over the line for this race was Yeoman Felspar sailed by Ben Adams and Judith Robertson, closely followed by Magpie with Yeoman Goldfinch sailed by father and son David and William Taitt third.

A reminder to all those who may be interested, the Paddleboard and social evenings Will take place on Wednesday evening This coming Thursday is the Club Social Picnic to be held at the club from 6.00pm (this is a self catering event}

Sunday 8th August

After endless weeks of very light winds, this Sundays weather was forecast to be rather too much wind, at one stage forecasts of wind speeds of 19mph with gusts of near 40mph being made. However on the morning the wind speed predictions had moderated to 16mph but the damage had been done and a much reduced fleet came to the starting line. This week again saw local series racing, with local eleven being contested. Six boats came to the line for race one, which was quite enough given the strong gusts they had to contend with, Even with race officer John Wells opting for three rounds, giving the boats lots of good sailing to enjoy, the first race was quickly concluded, with quite a strung out field. First to take the finishing bell was Goldfinch a Yeoman Keelboat sailed by David and William Taitt covering the course in only 31.48 minutes, followed by Kingfisher another Yeoman Keelboat sailed by Gary Corbett and David Greenacre accompanied by guest crew Susanne Parkinson, with third place going to Felspar also a Yeoman Keel boat sailed by Ben Adams and A Friend. Race two saw five boats come to the line after a capsize by one of the competing wayfarers forced a retirement. This race saw the eventual winner Felspar manage to establish quite a lead over the other boats, who were closely bunch together for the race, with Wayfarer Club One sailed by Paul Parker and Gill Pearson having coped extremely well with the sudden and strong gusts taking second position, third position going to Yeoman Shibboleth sailed by David and Margaret Woolston. With the wind speed increasing somewhat for the final race of the morning, five boats again took the starting gun, this race saw the boats very closely matched for the entire race, with Goldfinch again claiming first place, followed over the line by only 6 seconds Felspar taking second place with third place going to Kingfisher.

Sunday 15th August

The weather this Sunday was just right for a picnic, which fitted in well with the clubs race programme as it also saw the second picnic race of the Downriver race series. With six Yeoman keelboats, one Wayfarer dinghy and six Cruisers coming to the start line, race officer Ian Barker had his work cut out to ensure a smooth start, as being one assistant race officer short, the two duty race officers had to be in two places at once, happily all went very smoothly. With a strong SW wind Ian decided on Cantley as the downriver destination for the race, this proved a good decision, with the Cruisers covering the course in under one hour, and the Yeoman keelboats and Wayfarer also only taking just on the hour. Glory skippered by Colin Brown was first to cross the line taking only 52mins 26secs followed by Morning Calm skippered by Bill Clark taking 53mins 55secs, but the winner after handicap had been applied was Stratus skippered by Jonathan Townley. Wayfarer Club 1 sailed by Gill Pearson and Paul Parker was first to finish of the all comers taking 1hour 24secs followed closely by Magpie sailed by David Hickman and Liz Reynolds neck and neck with Shibboleth sailed by David and Margaret Woolston, after handicap had been applied it was Shibboleth by 1sec who took first place at the half way mark, with Club 1 and Magpie sharing second place in a dead heat. With such a good turnout for the race it was a very social gathering for the picnic at Cantley which was enjoyed by all in the warm and sunny weather. The return section of the race started with the Cruisers going first at 1.00pm with the all comers following at 1.10pm With wind picking up making the start very lively the boats had a very hard beat down the first reach, thereafter with the wind staying strong the fleet again made very good time back to Coldham Hall, the leading Cruisers taking just over the hour to complete the trip with again Glory leading the field taking 1hour 3mins 40secs hard pressed by Swallowtail skippered by John Wells taking 1hour 3mins 43secs.Again after handicap had been applied it was Stratus who took first position, also taking first position for the overall race with Morning Calm skippered by Bill Clark second and Swallowtail third. The all comers not taking much longer than the Cruisers to complete the second leg of the race saw Magpie cross the line first taking only 1hour 7mins 30secs with Shibboleth second and Felspar sailed by Ben Adams and Crispin Lambert third. On a very close call Shibboleth took the overall first place with Magpie second and Felspar third

Sunday 29th August

What a difference this Sunday to the previous Sunday, last Sundays sailors were greeted by no wind and heavy rain leading to the cancellation of the days racing, this Sunday saw good wind and dry weather albeit on the chilly side temperature wise. Last Sunday's race programme (local 12) was brought forward to keep the overall local series running smoothly, race officer Terry Cook set an ambitious course of three well spaced buoys to be raced round three times, this proved to be an excellent decision with the boats completing the course in the breezy conditions between 35 and 50 minutes over the three races. Getting away to an excellent start in race one Magpie sailed by David Hickman and Debbi Jaffey took first place in grand style, completing the race four minutes ahead of the second boat to cross the line Goldfinch sailed by David and William Taitt, followed 4 seconds later by Kingfisher sailed by Gary Corbett and David Greenacre Race two saw a change of position with Club 1 sailed by Paul Parker and Gill Pearson taking first position closely followed by Magpie, both well ahead of the rest of the fleet, Shibboleth sailed by David and Margaret Woolston took third place somewhat behind the leaders. Race three again saw Club 1 taking first position with this time very closely followed for second position by Felspar sailed by Club Race Officer Ben Adams and crew Andrew Cowan, Magpie keeping an excellent race average took third place. This Sunday also saw Downriver Six of the clubs cruiser racing, with four cruisers coming to the start line, with the wind favourably Terry Cook the OOD had set the Downriver Long course which gave the boats a very good mornings sailing. First over the finishing line was Morning Calm sailed by Bill Clark taking 1hour 45minutes 52 seconds followed by Swallowtail sailed by John Wells taking 1:51:10 with Glory sailed by Colin Brown closely behind taking 1:51:31and Stratus sailed by Jonathan Townley taking slightly longer being a slower boat taking 2:05:22. After handicap had been applied Morning Calm took the honours with Stratus second and Swallowtail third, Glory being unable to obtain a position as her handicap is provisional excluding her from a placing in the race.

OPEN REGATTA SATURDAY & SUNDAY 18th, 19th September 2021

Early Saturday morning, a little mist, no hint of wind and a river perfectly flat and gently flowing without a ripple in sight. What is the weekend’s racing going to bring? By 10.00am the club flag was attempting to lift but flopping back down again. We chose to tow our 7 visiting Waveney One Designs down river to clear our local trees in the hope of finding some wind. Sure enough by 11.00am there was a modest breeze and the Waveneys took off into wind heading for Buckenham, turning in no time and returning to Coldham Hall with a strengthening following wind. First back was ‘Speedwell’, helmed by Graham Reeve and crewed by Garie Katlin. There was no stopping us now. The afternoon saw us rattling through 7 more races. The first Allcomers saw the Flying Fifteen ‘Findus Archates’ helmed by John Wells and crewed by Sandy Watt take the honours. On handicap, Sam Dunning in ‘Golden Moon’ won the River Cruiser Class down river event. David & Margaret Woolston won the Yeoman class race, Mike Roll the Wayfarer class and Sam Woodcock & Heather Drysdale the Norfolk class. Sunday’s weather forecast was better, with a light breeze building in from 9.00am and with 17 races on the programme we were in for a real treat. The Waveneys had their third race in the series and in addition chasing the Lofty Marshall Trophy. Line honours went to ‘Naiad’ helmed by Geoff Little and crewed by Gerry. We then had the Yeomans, Wafarers and Norfolks firing off in quick succession with the second of their series races. On lap two we heard a sudden cry, where is the downriver racing buoy. It had been severed from its anchorage and had drifted further down river. With some quick thinking John Wells and Crispin Lambert jumped into the safety boat, retrieved the buoy but no anchorage and held station while the boats made their turn. Disaster was largely averted with most boats noting their positions at this point and the Yeomans having to re-run as some boats had stopped. Never before has this happened and after resetting the course racing resumed. Next came the Mixed Keelboats handicap and then the Mixed Centreboards handicap. The combined winner was a Norfolk One Design sailed by Sam Woodcock and Heather Drysdale and the first Coldham boat was Kevin Priest in his OK. The remainder of the afternoon was occupied by two sequences of Allcomers and class races culminating with series winners. The Allcomers was a very close event between the Flying Fifteen and the OK with Kevin Priest in the OK coming out on top. The Yeomans were racing for the Youngman Bowl with Garry Corbett & David Greenacre in ‘Kingfisher’ ultimately coming out on top. The Wayfarer Challenge Cup went to Paul Parker & Gill Pearson and a very convincing win for Sam Woodcock & Heather Drysdale in their Norfolk One Design to receive the Silver Challenge Cup. The weekend would not be complete without mentioning the remarkable spectacle of one of the Norfolk One Designs, ‘Willa’, helmed by Stephen Ellingham and crewed by Jet the (dog). Jet was stationed firmly up for’ard, as look out and appeared to be keenly following events with a watchful eye throughout all the races. The weekend’s events were finished off with the trophy presentations and in addition, two special presentations for two of our most valued club members who are unfortunately moving away from this area. Firstly to David Czapp our Boson for many years. No job was too much for him and expedited swiftly and without fuss, also co-ordinating many working parties for any major tasks. I am sure the framed aerial photograph of the sailing club, dinghy park and moorings will be a pleasant reminder for David for years to come. Then to Jonathan Bolton. A stalwart at the club, becoming Commodore in 1984 and again in 2017 and a very active, knowledgeable member of our committee. He received a splendid photograph of his traditional broads day boat ‘Storm’, an engraved whisky tumbler and a photograph album depicting many memorable moments of his time with Coldham Hall Sailing Club. They will both be sorely missed and we wish them well for the future

Sunday 3rd October

This Sunday’s weather forecast for high winds and a chilly morning took its toll on entrants for the penultimate race of the season’s local race series, with only keel boats arriving at the line to compete, not helped by prominent wayfarer sailors Paul Parker and Gill Pearson taking their duty as officers of the day, Although the chilly start to the days forecast held good the strong winds failed to materialise, with a light breeze on offer instead, the boats made short work of the course set by officer of the day Paul Parker for the first two races, both won by Shibboleth sailed by David and Margaret Woolston who after getting away to a good start were able to make the most of the clear course ahead, the leader enjoys. Second in race one went to Magpie sailed by David Hickman and Debbie Jaffey, with third place taken by Findus Archates sailed by John Wells and Sandy Watt. Goldfinch sailed by David and William Taitt took second place in race two with Magpie third. With the wind increasing to a good breeze for race three OOD Paul decided to increase the rounds to three, which gave a very good sail for the final race of the day, first to take the bell by a very clear margin was Findus Archates with Magpie second and Kingfisher sailed by Gary Corbett and David Greenacre third. Next Sunday sees the final race of the summer downriver series. Some very welcome news, the road (Carnser) down to the club which has for some years been in a very bad state of repair is being upgraded later this month, thanks are due to David Linder of the Coldham Hall Tavern for his perseverance with all the various parties involved in bring this work to a successful conclusion

Sunday 17th October

The final race of the local series saw ten boats come to the starting line to conclude the local racing for this season, 5 Yeoman keelboats, 1 Flying fifteen 3 Wayfarers and 1 Leader. With a moderate wind OOD Shirley Roll was able to set a three marker course adding interest to the morning's competition. Race one saw Bill Clarke sailing his Leader dinghy single handed get away to a commanding lead, which he maintained to win the race in grand style, with Magpie sailed by David Hickman and Debbi Jaffey second and Shibboleth sailed by David and Margaret Woolston third. After a welcome break in the proceedings for coffee the second race started with an increase in wind speed, making for a more lively event, this time seeing Yeoman Felspar sailed by Ben Adams and Crispin Lambert take the finish bell first with Shibboleth second and Goldfinch sailed by David and William Taitt third. With the wind continuing to increase OOD Shirley Roll increased the race laps to three for the final race of the 2021 season local racing which was won by Felspar managing to claw back the lead after going aground, second place went to Magpie with Richard Joy sailing his Wayfarer Obsession singled handed third. Next week sees Commodores Day, look forward to seeing plenty of members to round off the summer sailing season, with morning's events from the clubs Commodore Nigel Kippin