The Yare Challenge was sailed last Sunday between Coldham Hall and Yare Sailing Clubs attracting eight cruisers for the event.

Notably, Kevin Priest sailed his newly acquired Grayling, launched on Saturday at the Swallowtail Yard.

The main Trophy was the Bessie Bell Centenary Trophy but, although the old girl participated, it didn't prove her day as Colin Brown (CHSC) sailed Brigand to victory and also the interclub contest award.

Meanwhile Priest did well in his new boat's first race to finish fourth.

At the other end of the scale seven Bitterns massed on Barton for their Transom Trophy, sailed over three races with no discard. In the strong south-westerly John Atkinson and Leona Levine started the first race in commanding style, marred only when a rogue gust caught them unawares and flipped them on the first run letting through the others, led by Paul and Pat Tegerdine with John and Caroline Ellis second ahead of Rodney and Christine Lake.

There was no repeat by Atkinson and Levine in the second and third races. They won the second comfortably while the Tegerdines eventually fought their way to second ahead of the Lakes.

The third race proved harder as Atkinson had to see off strong challenges, particularly from Leona's co- Vice Commodore of Frostbites Bruce Thompson sailing solo, who almost succeeded in taking the winning gun but lost out on the final mark.

As all three races counted the Tegerdines' first and second put them ahead to win, with Atkinson second and the Ellises third.

The NBYC double billing was a bit of a non-event. None of the Stars appeared, while the turnout of four Norfolks for what was regarded as the principal event, other than the Championships, was the sort of record the class and club didn't want.

Three wins on Sunday by ray Johnson and Wendy Bush secured the Trophy and the Spoons, while Geoff Coulthard and Chris Hanson took the Clementi Smith Trophy for winning Saturday's race and, Chris helming, the Crew's Trophy. David Yapp and Jan Hubbard, the most consistent with four seconds, had to be content with the glory.

Two alumni of the NBYC Sailing School last century, Mark Dicker and Jamie Campbell, distinguished themselves by finishing sixth overall out of 51 in the Dragon Class Edinburgh Cup races sailed last week at Weymouth, winning the final race in a north-westerly starting at six knots and building to 16.