Zingara pips rival to the Coronation Trophy after final race success

Coronation Trophy at NBYC. Picture: Mike Barnes (Image: Archant)

It was an excellent turn out with 28 entries, and was sailed in almost perfect conditions, the only slight difficulty being the wind direction on the Sunday, which was a light and flukey easterly with some big wind shifts that tested the patience of some helms.

There was an entry of 28 boats, containing some of the largest and fastest racing yachts to be seen anywhere on the Broads, competing for the Coronation Trophy.

This beautiful and historic old trophy in the form of a silver racing yacht, was originally presented back in 1902 to mark the accession to the throne of Edward VII.

It was won in that year by the now all but forgotten racing cruiser Queen Mab, in design terms an immediate forerunner to No.52, the Maidie that survives to this day.

Perhaps appropriately for such an historic trophy, it was won overall this weekend by the oldest competing boat there, the Zingara (No.30) now in her 125th year and sailed by Richie Dugdale and Flip Foulds.

It was a very close-run affair as Zingara tied for first place overall with No.314 Whisper sailed by Bill Bacon and Chris Pank, with both boats on equal points and each with an identical string of results. However, the deadlock was broken, and the trophy ultimately awarded to Zingara on the basis of her having won the last race.

Although not prominent in the results, the event saw a very welcome return to Wroxham of No.219 Farthing helmed by the present cruiser class captain, Melanie Farrar and family.

The cruiser class dinner on Saturday night was attended by approximately 100 people, underlining the popularity of cruiser class racing on Wroxham, in the 80th anniversary year of the formation of the Norfolk Broads Yacht Club.

With barely three weeks before the start of Wroxham Week, there are two further major events in the two preceding weekends, with a Yare and Bure class weekend and a second cruiser weekend yet to come.