Norfolk Punt Club final Sunday racing of 2021

Norfolk Punt Club final Sunday of 2021 © Robin Myerscough

Norfolk Punt Club final Sunday of 2021 © Robin Myerscough

A light to moderate warm southerly breeze and hazy sunshine greeted a very good turnout of White Boats, Yeomans, Punts and other classes for the last Sunday race programme of 2021.

The morning race followed the regular format of sailing a short course with the positions calculated based on average lap times. Dick Roe and Kate Dulieu in their beautifully rebuilt Punt Goldeneye got off to a flying start on port tack and kept close to Eliza and Rosa Bolton in Wild Goose earning themselves 1st place overall with Simon and Fil Daniels and Peter and Sian Robbins not far behind in their White Boats, Silver Blue and Small White.

Discovering that the last formal race day of the year should also include the Julia Carter Cup to be held as a pursuit race, Race Officers Matthew and Dawn Scott obliged the enthusiastic sailors with a precise list of staggered start times for all classes based on their racing handicap. The slowest boat (Oppy 'Sprout') sailed by Henry Drew was first to set off around the course a full 20 mins before the main group of chasing White Boats and Yeomans. Henry hung determinedly to his lead position for about 40 mins of the full 50 mins of his race before being overtaken on the final leg by first a Topper then Laser Radial sailed by Nicholas and Daniel Conway respectively. Then approaching the finish point, Mark Elson sailing his Punt Snark and crewed by son Finn and Ali Drew, having overtaken the whole of the rest of the fleet, managed to storm past these three previous leaders in the last 200 m and take first place with Daniel Conway holding on to 2nd place and Simon and Fil Daniels taking 3rd.

The next race followed the regular format of White Boat class racing followed by the Combined Allcomers. To keep things interesting, a new course meant tacking up through the East Gap around the Island.

In the White Boats, Simon and Fil Daniels and Rosa Bolton in Silver Blue and Mark and Lenka Luckhurst pulled ahead with what seemed a commanding lead by the first lap. However with the wind behind the chasing boats on the run down to the last mark, their lead evaporated and in the end Simon and Fil just hung on to win with Paul, Carol and Catherine Watson finding a way through to take 2nd and Peter and Sian in 3rd. The combined Allcomers saw a close tussle between the Yeomans but Mark and Finn, this time with Eliza also on trapeze, took first overall in Snark. Ali and Charlotte Drew were 2nd, close behind in their Yeoman and Daniel Conway again sailed well to take 3rd.

Time for tea and Emily Greves and Jo Conway stepped up to the challenge with a great assortment of cakes and refreshments and conversation flowed easily across the picnic tables as everyone enjoyed the last day of a very successful 2021 season. The final race after tea was a close fought race on the water with Lenka and Mark's delight in coming in first over the water in Camberwell Beauty being tempered by the discovery that Daniel Conway had just beaten them into 2nd on handicap and winning the last race in his Laser radial, Busy Lizzie.

Race Results:

11:30 Combined Allcomers (10)
1st Goldeneye (D Roe)
2nd Silver Blue (S Daniels)
3rd Small White (P Robbins)

13:30 Julia Carter Cup Pursuit Race (15)
1st Snark (M Elson)
2nd Busy Lizzie (D Conway)
3rd Silver Blue (S Daniels)

14:30 YBODs (6)
1st Silver Blue (S Daniels)
2nd Honeycomb (P Watson)
3rd Small White (P Robbins)

14:35 Combined Allcomers (7)
1st Snark (M Elson)
2nd Turnstone (A Drew)
3rd Busy Lizzie (D Conway)

16:00 (4)
1st Busy Lizzie (D Conway)
2nd (L Luckhurst)
3rd (A Drew)