Norfolk dinghies made a welcome return to Wroxham Broad when 11 contested the Yare SC Trophy and Spoons, plus two other trophies.

They included four from Beccles and Frostbites, one from Coldham and Frostbites, one from Frostbites, while the other five all held dual membership of Frostbites and Norfolk Broads Yacht Club.

With a northerly, or thereabouts, of Force 2, there was a good beat available throughout the weekend, and the seven starters on Saturday saw class captain David Yapp and Stephanie Homburg set off in the lead for the first round.

However, the wind was playing some fiendish tricks, and black holes to delight astronomers were abundant. All fell into them, barring John Carrington and Geoff Coulthard, who somehow avoided cosmic oblivion to storm into an unassailable lead to win, and take the Clementi Smith Trophy for the race, by a sizeable margin, while Yapp had to be content with third behind Martin Broom. The crew race for the Contract Personnel Trophy, sailed later, was won by Eileen Urquhart, crewed by Jan Hubbard.

Sunday saw a further four boats join the fleet, and was a triumph for the oldest contestants, Martin and Jennifer Broom, who romped home with three convincing wins to take the Trophy, first won by Martin 51 years ago.

In the many place changes in Broom's wake, Paul and Elise Carrington, clocked up a second and third, sandwiching a lower place in the lunchtime race when, rounding the upwind wing mark for the second time, Paul delighted all around with an exquisitely executed backward dive into the broad, coming up smiling and quickly reboarding. His reward was the Yare SC Spoons, awarded to the highest-placed competitor who has not previously won the Trophy. Kevin and Elena Edwards finished third, two points clear of John Carrington.

Still with dinghies, nine Bitterns went to Barton for their annual visit.

The first race saw Paul and Pat Tegerdine lead to the first mark, briefly succumb to Bruce Thompson, sailing solo, then recover to win, with David Trower and Daniel Bate third.

Thereafter it was John Atkinson and Leona Levine who took charge, winning the second from Wendy Bush and Diana Wilson, with Trower again third, after leading all the way round. They followed up with a third race win, in which Tegerdine initially led until passed by Bush, but, as the fleet approached the downwind mark the wind died, and then filled in bringing the fleet together, joined by the host club's YBODs.

From the ensuing chaos, Atkinson emerged with Bill and Viv Sowells clear of the rest, Atkinson holding it to the finish but the Sowells being passed first by Trower and then by Tegerdine, who went on to pip Trower at the last mark. Atkinson collected the Transom Trophy with Tegerdine second and Trower third overall.

At the other end of the scale, 20 Cruisers went to Thurne for EACC's Open event. Saturday's light winds suited Richie Dugdale and his team, sailing Zingara, as they won from Tim Frary's team, aboard Moonshadow, with P Ronay's Vixen third. Sunday proved different as the pursuit race went to Geoff Angell's Pippa, followed by Colin Chettleburgh's Breeze, which went on to win the third race and the weekend ahead of Dugdale and Frary.

• Frostbites and NBYC members were saddened to learn of the death of Edna Parfitt, at the age of 93. Edna was for many years an enthusiastic crew for her late husband, Jack, both in Enterprises and Norfolks, for some 20 years after 1960. She was also a supportive consort to Jack when he served as Commodore of Frostbites in 1973-1974, and NBYC in 1979. as well as many years when Jack was president of Frostbites. The funeral was held yesterday.

• This weekend features the YBOD Open at Wroxham, the Cantley Open for Cruisers, organised by Yare SC, and a Punt Open on Barton. RNSYC's Open event for Cruisers and Dinghies is on Saturday. Horning host an Open Downriver to Acle on Sunday.