58th Yachtmaster Insurance Three Rivers Race - Preview
by Holly Hancock 31 May 2018 20:16 BST
2-3 June 2018
Three Rivers Race action © Holly Hancock
Horning Sailing Club is gearing up to host the 58th Yachtmaster Insurance Three Rivers Race, to be held this weekend. Competitors from near and far travel to the Broads to participate in the 24-hour endurance race, which takes competitors on a 50-mile test of seamanship around the Broads.
Sailing through the night, the course takes them down the Rivers Bure, Ant and Thurne through Potter Heigham Bridge to Hickling Broad, and also through Acle Bridge to Stokesby or beyond, dependent on weather conditions. Addition legs take competitors to Ludham Bridge and South Walsham. The order of completion of the course is up to competitors.
Amongst the 89 competitors this year are nine Norfolk Punts, eight Yare & Bure One Designs and four Thames A-Raters with their towering rigs. Amongst the 40+ river cruisers taking part, these range from the impressively quick and imposing cruisers in the fast cruiser start - such as new-builds Stellar and Skylark - through to Zingara at over 100 years old, to the much smaller, slower craft, including a number of production cruisers and hire craft, which are likely to complete the course far more slowly.
The fleet will be split into 13 starts, guaranteeing a spectacular event not to be missed, with boats of all shapes and sizes leaving every five minutes for over an hour. The first start is at 11am on Saturday at Horning Sailing Club, with plenty of opportunities to see boats on the course around the Broads – good vantage points always include the bridges, as competitors lower and raise their masts, especially at the medieval Potter Heigham Bridge and Acle Bridge.
More information can be found on the Three Rivers Race website, www.3rr.uk