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North West Norfolk Week
Report from
(nearly) the back of the fleet
Paul Turner,
Trent Valley – N3157 Microclipper
Friday 27th July
– set out from Breaston with Roseanne Carberry (who had bravely
volunteered to crew for me for the whole week) with a weather report
that initially forecast a rubbish week (including fog on Thursday at
Kings Lynn!) which had miraculously improved to light showers followed
by a fabulously sunny week! Start delayed by 90 minutes by the usual
Friday pm traffic jams around M1 J52. Good journey over to Burnham
Market (usual house) and went to checkout Burnham Overy Staithe for a
walk in the fresh air. The “Hero” was fully booked so we set out for the
“Jolly Sailors” at Brancaster and spotted Gerry Ledger and the Up River
crew on their way there by foot; a very pleasant evening was had by all.
Saturday 28th July
Hunstanton 2 races back to back 15.00hrs
- The day dawned bright and sunny, no wind and not a cloud in the sky.
The racing was not until the afternoon so able to enjoy a leisurely
morning. Off to Sunny Hunny and the usual start of the week catching up
with who was there and who had gone to the Burton instead. Fifteen N12s
being the usual suspects from Up River, North Hykeham etc. The briefing
was again a little surreal with details of what was happening in TWO
years time (being the 60th anniversary year) and confirmation
that the tornado had been cancelled this year! The late morning air was
shattered by over 100 bikers descending (in a very orderly and well
behaved manner) onto the open space next to the sailing club.
By early
afternoon there was a good breeze, so we put up the old N3157 sails for
Roseanne’s first experience of sea sailing. We saw the rest of the fleet
at the start of both races but the loss of the jib sheets in the first
race and a broken jib halyard tensioner in the second meant that was the
only time we saw them! Despite this we had a fab sail but getting back
onto the beach was tricky. Because of the swell and limited space
between the groynes, we were supposed to wait our turn to be called in
by the rescue boat but various Enterbox and Laser helms displayed bad
manners and queue jumped.
Steve & Joanne
Sallis N3436 won the first race and Ian Gore and Frankie Turley N3441
won the second, giving Ian first overall. It was good to see Andy
Bayliss and Vicki Woods had finally seen the light and moved into 12s
having bought N3445.
Got back to HQ
and walked to the village to suss out the eating houses; the “Jockey” at
the far end of the village had been recommended by several – and proved
to be very good.
Sunday 30th July Hunstanton
2 races back to back 15.30hrs
- Again the day dawned bright with a light breeze so we decided to try
out Kevan Bloor’s experimental fully battened main. I had had the health
warnings about tricky gibing, inability to slow down/spill wind
especially for starting and enhanced capsizing risk – all proved
unfounded (thankfully!). It was interesting how many people commented
that there was something unusual about the main (including the unsubtle
Alverbank advertising), but most hadn’t spotted the long battens!
As he was landing
Gerald Copsey had a mishap in the breaking waves despite the best
efforts of the beach team and broke his transom – more work for Gerry
Ledger and Gerald was reduced to Enterprise racing for the rest of the
week. Again, more bad manners from the Enterbox and Laser sailors.
You do get VFM at
Hunstanton – goodly long races with well set courses. Steve Sallis won
overall today, with Andy Bayliss also up at the front.
Monday 30th July Sunny
Hunny again 09.00hrs - The
race was postponed but we had a decent single race with a last leg epic
gibing battle with Marcus Ingram N3292 only to be pipped at the post.
Five races and last in each; it could only get better?
Monday 30th July Burnham
Overy Staithe 19.00hrs -
Off to BOS for the Jenny Lee race (only for N12s). We were joined by
Vince & Fiona Phillips in their vintage 7 plank Whisper N2531, and we
did rather better in the light conditions – would have even better if my
navigation had been a little more accurate – we were put right by the
very sporting Pie Boys (Bernard Clark and Stewart Miatt sailing N3447)!
Managed 5th overall; the finish was as the sun was setting
and the breeze died. Incidentally, I forgot that the car park at BOS
floods at high tide; Alex Gore kindly reminded us, offered to move the
car – and then forgot! Fortunately her father and father-in-law had
overheard our conversation and thankfully moved the car to dry ground.
Ian and Frankie
won after a close fight with Patrick Elcombe and Carol Shore N3442. Ian
thought it was only one lap (“It’s only ever one lap at BOS!”) letting
Patrick past, but only briefly.
We enjoyed the
splendid hospitality of Peter Beck and his wife who put on a special
reception at their home for us. Got to meet the legendary John Holltum.
Tuesday 31st July Wells
07.00hrs - Another sunny
and windless dawn with a very early start to get to Wells for an early
start. We were towed out to the start which was in a gentle breeze, but
it was very lumpy out at the seaward marks and we shipped a lot of
water! The pre-race tuning meant that we actually beat 3 boats.
News started to
filter through about the Burton and we were delighted to hear of Jo
Richard’s success in Bouncer – hope for the old yots/boys! Traditional
bacon and egg bapps and bar open at 9am. Some brave souls sailed back
through the marshes – apparently Gerry Ledger had planned his route by
using Google Earth!
Wednesday 1st August
Blakeney 7.40hrs – sunny
with a very cold breeze, but a delayed start at Blakeney saw probably
the best day’s racing of the whole week. We were actually up with some
of the faster boats by now and saw Steve Le Grys N3432 and Steve Sallis
have a bit of a kafuffle resulting in the latter’s capsize – didn’t seem
to slow him down much as he whizzed past us ten minutes later! We missed
another mark and had to go back but we weren’t last – again. The debate
was on with Marcus N3292 as to who was going to be last overall! By now
the list of modifications and repairs required for Microclipper was
getting quite long!
Fab BBQ in the
afternoon/evening chez Gerry/Ian/Alex/Lesley/Frankie – many thanks from
all your guests! There was some consternation as Ian had to whiz Alex
off to hospital, but thankfully she (and the lump!) were back with us on
Thursday.
Thursday 2nd August King’s
Lynn 08.00hrs and 15.00hrs
– yet another bright and sunny morning, but it was off to Kings Lynn! It
was great to be rigging boats to go sailing whilst all around people in
suits were going to work! Last year Ian Gore nearly lapped us, but this
year we saw him finish – not last, again (7th)! Good breeze,
simple course, but we couldn’t face the Queens Plate (which is an all
class handicap race sailing out with the current at low tide to the Wash
and hoping to sail back on the incoming) in the afternoon and went home
early. A good decision as it turned out as I hear that the wind died,
the race was shortened and the boats were towed back. Peter Miatt and
Lesley Iles N3448 actually sailed the QP and won!
And the all day
breakfast at the Club was as good as ever! Up River went off for their
traditional McDonalds and most of us dropped off our boats at Snettisham
on the way back.
Friday 3rd August
Snettisham Beach 08.10hhrs
– saw us at sunny Snett with a variable breeze. The race officer clearly
had problems setting the course, the changeable wind direction and the
wayward buoy dropping of a rescue boat meant a general recall,
abandonment, postponement and re-run for the first race which started on
a reach! Tales of lack of wind at Brixham filtered through. We actually
managed another 7th!
Saturday
4th August Snettisham
2 races back to back 09.00hrs – There was lots of wind! Ian’s crew
Frankie had gone home (off on a family holiday at 3.00am on Saturday
morning) and so Gerald stepped in for the toughest two races he’s done
in long while. Ian and Gerald won the first race while Steve Sallis wore
out his crew by making her do lots of swimming. In the second race,
Steve had a fresh new crew but sadly had not noticed that the course was
triangles (and not Olympic) giving the race to Ian and Gerald. Where did we
come? We were time expired in first race, having shipped lots of water,
and who knows where in the second, but it was fab morning’s yotting!. We
damaged the centreboard case as we landed and so Microclipper was off to
Gerry for repairs (and removal of bilge and centre keels).
We had to rush
back home for the Trent Valley Summer Ball – re-run as the lawn was
flooded on the original date – so we missed the last day at Snettisham.
I believe that Andy and Vicky won.
A few final
thoughts. It was a shame that we didn’t get any racing at Brancaster
this year. And we actually beat two/three boats (compared to only one in
the two previous years)!
Conclusion
–
NWNW is a great week, well organised,
great fun and really worth doing. And it’s a fab holiday week too! Be
there for 2008 – the dates are 26th July to 2nd
August 2008. Do not be put off by the early starts – all the racing in
2008 will be afternoon starts until Snettisham on the Friday – but
(regrettably) no Brancaster again until 2009.
Results
The table does
not include the three extra yots who did not sail the whole week.
Results column 1 is for the Robin Steavenson Trophy for the harbour
meetings, column 2 is for the whole week.
PS My thanks to
Rosanne, Gerry, Alex and Ian for their input and corrections to the
original drafts of this article.
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