Bunn takes Bolingbroke Bowl as bad weather affects racing

Norfolk Broads Yacht Club hosted the first 'White Boat' open event of the regatta season, racing for the Bolingbroke Bowl.

Action from NYBC Picture: Trish Moore - Credit: Archant

The first race on Saturday was postponed due to very treacherous conditions, with strong winds gusting in excess of 35mph, and although conditions had moderated sufficiently to hold one race late in the afternoon, it was with all boats double reefed and using storm jibs.

Six boats came to the line in what were still very challenging conditions. Chris Bunn in No.142 Fox took the lead, and he continued to consolidate it with well-deserved line honours over Patrick Richardson in Vanessa and Matthew Thwaites in Duke of Burgundy, vying for second place and finishing in that order.

Conditions on Sunday were altogether more pleasant, and the programme was adjusted to now include an additional race to make up for the lost race from the previous day, so the overall event remained four races with three to count. Twenty boats came to the line in a lighter but ever shifting wind and predictably the carnage of strong winds the day before was replaced with the predictable general recall as boats jostled for position on the line, so that the officer of the day resorted to the imposition of the penalty flag to get the fleet got away. The front of the fleet was again dominated by Bunn, Richardson and Thwaites but it was James Dugdale in No.118 Ghost who made the most of the shifts and took the line honours in the second race.

The last two races saw the line extended by using the starting platform at the northern extremity of the Broad, which enabled a longer beat to be set in what became a quite fickle wind. In the third race Stuart Rix in Cinnamon Twist eventually pulled away and was side by side with Bunn at the last mark, but it was Rix who found the right shifts with Bunn second and Dugdale third. In the final race, Martin Thomas in Dingy Skipper was an early leader and although he lost the lead during the race, he kept well to leeward of the leading pack on the last run down the broad, and arrived at the last mark of the course in first place, and took the line honours ahead of Thwaites in second place with Rix and Bunn fifth and sixth.

The Bolingbroke Bowl was won by Bunn, followed by Dugdale, Thwaites and Rix in that order.