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.