Frostbites returned to the water last Sunday when seven Norfolks came out for two short but exciting races.

With a bitterly cold easterly blowing Force 3-4 with gusts at the upper end of Force Five, and a dead run upstream there was no dissent when a reef was ordered.

David and Kate Mackley started the first race in pole position and held it throughout, but Ray Johnson and Wendy Bush had to fight hard for second after Kevin Edwards and Rory Kelsey battled through the fleet the hard way after being over, by a long way, at the start to catch, but then lose, them again.

The excitement started at the lower mark, when Johnson inadvertently carried it a few yards towards the Whitlingham Park bank on the first round, complicating things for Geoff Coulthard and Pat Woodcock, who ended up hard aground.

A few minutes later Danny Tyrrell and Ben Campbell enjoyed an invigorating swim at the top mark after a spectacular gybe flattened them thanks to a savage gust which blew up at the crucial moment.

The handicap race proved a clear win for Johnson, with Kate Mackley doing well to move up from sixth at the start to finish second.

John Ellis and John Atkinson came third with all three positions unaffected by handicap adjustments.