Athene Cup at the Norfolk Punt Club

by Neville Khambatta 17 Oct 08:50 BST 11 October 2025

The Athene Cup is a river race for Norfolk Punts on the Norfolk Broads and for many years it marks the end of the Norfolk Punt Club's racing for the year. There were 15 starters with the oldest helm was 83 and the youngest 12.

The two hour race started at Thurne Mouth and saw the fleet being sent up three legs of the rivers in turn and this year an increasingly strong flood tide and an unseasonably light and flukey breeze from the North and West meant that the crews had to work hard to avoid going backwards at times!

A fifteen strong fleet sailed up the river Bure to the first mark and then back against the tide to Thurne Mouth (it was here that boats were observed stationary and in one or two cases actually being set back by the tide!) Then it was up the River Thurne to the next mark after which the fleet had the tide against them all the way down the river to the last mark before literally racing back with the tide under them to the finish. This final leg back to the finish line with the tide proved no less taxing than any of the others.

As ever with racing at The Punt Club the incentive to race and to finish is the tea and cakes and while the wind and tide had proved challenging the cakes presented no problem to both racers and spectators alike. A right and proper Punt Club way to end the seasons racing.

Congratulations to Richard Parker and Robert Snelling for winning both trophies.

Overall Results:

Athene Cup (Handicap)
1 Razorbill (73) Richard Parker & Robert Snelling
2 Snowgoose (96) Charlie Stewart & Tom Chandler
3 Cavender (32) Mark Elson & Humphrey Bedford-Payne

The Blackbird Trophy (First boat over the water)
1 Razorbill (73) Richard Parker & Robert Snelling
2 Snowgoose (96) Charlie Stewart & Tom Chandler
3. Wildgoose II (103) Jane Pye & Karen Armitage

Boat Name	Helm	Crew	Sail No	Handicap	Finish	Elapsed	Corrected	Blackbird Trophy	Athene Cup
Razorbill	Richard Parker	Robert Snelling	73	879	14.23.28	6808	7745	1	1
Snowgoose	Charlie Stewart	Tom Chandler	96	884	14.28.06	7086	8015	2	2
Wildgoose 11	Jane Pye	Karen Armitage	103	884	14.32.06	7326	8287	3	4
Redwing	Rupert Redington	Steve Mackay	98	884	14.32.46	7366	8332	4	5
Peregrine	Noel Bradshaw	Tom Russell	86	847	14.34.40	7480	8831	5	10
Cavender	Mark Elson	Humphrey Bedford‑Payne	32	926	14.367	7567	8171	6	3
Pipit	Jack Drew	Max Dixey	58	884	14.36.52	7612	8610	7	7
Wild Goose	John Parker	Jimmy Stewart	53	884	14.37.28	7648	8651	8	8
Rainbow Trout	Terry Vincent	Harry Leverage	75	884	14.38.22	7702	8712	9	9
Goosander	Henry Drew	Finn Elson & Alastair Drew	89	925	14.40.18	7818	8451	10	6
Shovellor	Wilum Johnston	Seth Futter	61	884	14.41.17	7877	8910	11	11
Rushlight	Felix Dixey	Louisa Dixey	27	976	14.58.44	10724	8924	12	12
Shuck	Chris Balls	Paul Durrent	28	996	15.11.48	9708	9746	13	13
White Eagle	Jack Holland	Gavin Smith	95	847	15.19.15	10155	11989	14	14
Wahoo	Andrew Friend	Robert Friend	106	879	RTD			RTD	RTD