Gull Dinghy 70th Anniversary Regatta at the Norfolk Broads Yacht Club

A group of Gull sailors gather around the first Gull Dinghy, owned by Roger Proctor and designed by his father, Ian Proctor in 1956 © Jenny Riley

A fleet of ten Gulls travelled to Wroxham to take part in a 70th Anniversary Regatta, hosted by the Norfolk Broads Yacht Club as part of their Dinghy Weekend. Visitors travelled from as far away as Dorset and Nottinghamshire as well as several boats from different clubs on the Broads.

The weather forecast for the weekend was 'unsettled' and the first practice race tested our little boats with heavy gusts and huge windshifts as the strong wind blew over the clubhouse and around the trees. With a few minor gear failures, crew mutiny and near capsizes, just Number 1, Jolly Roger, sailed by Roger Proctor and his original crew from 50 years ago, managed to finish the course. The wind abated slightly for Race 1, which was won by Flip Dugdale in Gulliver (2080) followed closely by Jenny and Polly Riley in Holly Blue (1934).

The third race was probably the closest of the weekend, with Tim Riley in 2383 leading for most of the race followed by Holly Blue. But in the last beat to the finish line, the fleet split and a freeing gust took Richie Dugdale in Giggle Wiggle (1987) into 2nd, Chris Schonhut crewed by Gabe (1588) into 3rd and Jenny and Polly in Holly Blue dropping back to 4th, just narrowly pipping Roger Day in Puddleduck (2948) on the line. The fleet all finished within seconds of each other, accompanied by plenty of cheering and clapping by friends and family on the Clubhouse lawn.

The day finished with a delightful 70th Anniversary Pimms Party in the evening sun, followed by a short resume of Ian Proctors fascinating life story, told by his son Roger. The Gull sailors, including all the children, gathered around the first Gull to be built and raised a glass to the designer. I am sure he would have been proud.

Sunday proved to be a sunnier affair and with a Broad full of dinghies, Wroxham Broad was busy and beautiful. Race 3 saw Flip Dugdale with Alfie romp into the lead, only to be caught up by Richie crewed by Henry at the finish. The rest of the Gulls followed in a group behind.

The final race was late starting due to several general recalls by the 30 strong Firefly fleet, however with a tricky first beat up the length of the Broad, Flip and Alfie in Gulliver again pulled clear with Richie (2080) and Tim, with Matthew crewing in 2383, fighting for second place. At the finish Jenny and Polly sailed an inspired final beat to cross the line right on Tim's transom in 4th.

The weekend was greatly enjoyed by helms and crews ranging from 70 to 2 years old and will be remembered as a most friendly, sociable and historic occasion. The Gull is ideally suited to family racing and their numbers are growing in the Broadland area. We are looking forward to more Gull regattas in the future. Please see the Gull Enthusiasts Facebook page for up to date information.

The event was very generously sponsored by Jeckells Sailmakers, Proctor Design and Robline Ropes.

Overall Results:

1st Gulliver 2080, Flip and Alfie Dugdale
2nd Giggle Wiggle 1987, Richie and Henry Dugdale
3rd Sea Holly 2383, Tim and Matthew Riley
4th Holly Blue 1934, Jenny and Polly Riley
5th Piddleduck 2948, Roger Day
6th Splinter 2600, Roger and Edward Whitefoot
7th 2847, George, Stan and Fred Williams
8th 1588, Chris and Gabe Schonhut
9th Jolly Roger 1, Roger Proctor
10th 67, Mike Bridgewater