Gordon is crowned Jewell of Yeomans
Horning Sailing Club's downriver to Thurne race in full flow.
Horning's second downriver to Thurne benefited from the milder weather as 20 craft, seven Yeomans, six Cruisers, two YBODs and five Dinghies duly set forth.
The Yeomans provided the closest competition going down, with light and shifting breezes, and only one second, or a matter of inches, separated Geoff Stubbs from Toby Fields after two hours' sailing.
The sea breeze made the run back easier, and this time Gordon Jewell won the Yeomans. Robert Harris (Rushmere) won the Cruisers going down, and A Bond (Elfin) the return, while Kevin Saunders won in both directions in the YBOD and James Galloway was fastest dinghy.
Only the lack of rain prevented NBYC's double headed Wayfarer and Star Open from becoming something of a damp squib as no Wayfarers and only three Stars came to line. They at least enjoyed a pleasant weekend's sail if not particularly testing. Danny Tyrrell took the first race but thereafter had to yield precedence to Nick Eastwood who duly won the event.
Northern Rivers emerged from hibernation for two races each day on Barton in winds light to the point of (almost) non-existence at times Peter Coleman and Maggie Lomax took an early lead in their Pegasus 800 to take the first race comfortably, but Nigel Wordingham and Roger Pritchett thereafter asserted themselves to take the second race from Coleman, and the third, on Sunday morning.
The final race went to a former hire yacht sailed by John Tibbenham and Andy Tufnail, and this sufficed to give them third overall behind Wordingham and Coleman.
Frostbites had a fast trip down to Postwick Grove in ideal weather barring the light wind, but at least even Ray Johnson stayed upright.
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Sam Woodcock and Clare Ellis, after trailing much of the race, came through to win, but the return, beating up against the tide, was another story.
Woodcock led for much of the time, but, past the flyover, sailed into a dead patch and could only wallow in envy as Robert George and Kate Mackley slipped past into the distance to win in just over an hour. Woodcock came in four minutes later, the rest suffered more, taking a further 10 to 15 minutes to complete the course.
