THE Great Yarmouth and Gorleston SC Beach Regatta was held over the weekend. This year’s event also included a RS500 Open meeting which is part of the Gul RS Grand Prix series.

Saturday provided some testing conditions for the race management team as the wind came from virtually all points of the compass, requiring the re-laying of marks between races.

Fortunately the wind was relatively constant during the racing so competitors enjoyed three good races.

For the first two races the wind was relatively light, only reaching around F3. Just as race three started the wind picked up to around F4, gusting F5, and the sea became quite choppy.

The Beach Regatta attracted a total of 18 competitors. There was a different winner in each race, the Phantoms of Nick Favell and Laurence Milton both winning one each and leading after day one. Dick Roe and Kate Dulieu in a 59er won the other race and were in third, just two points behind.

The RS500 Open meeting attracted crews from the south coast and west London as well as two boats from Hickling Broad.

Again, each race saw a different winner. Father and son team Peter and James Curtis from Island Barn Reservoir SC winning the first race. Tim Wilkins and Heather Martin from Hickling won the second and Phil Highfield and Tamsin Butcher from the home club the third.

After the day’s sailing just one point separated these three crews.

Sunday started in bright sunshine and a good southerly breeze. As the day progressed the wind increased, gusting F5/F6 and sea conditions become more testing with some big waves.

In a contrast from Saturday’s conditions, in the Beach Regatta event, the first race was won by Jack Ollington in a Dart 16, who was just five seconds ahead of Dick Roe in his 59er. Richard Fryer and Carols Smalls in a RS400 won race two.

With the sea conditions getting more challenging the race team sensibly decided to abandon the last race and sent the weary competitors back ashore.

Overall, Nick Favell held onto his lead by just one point, Dick Roe and Kate Dulieu were second, and just one point behind them was Laurence Milton.

In the RS500’s, Tim Wilkins and Heather Martin demonstrated why they are the current RS500 world and national champions, winning both races and overall honours.

Two good races for Phil Highfield and Tamsin Butcher earned them second overall with David Houghton and John Symonds in third.

GYGSC- Beach Regatta

1 Phantom (Nick Favell/GYGSC) 5 points, 2 59er (Dick Roe and Kate Dulieu/GYGSC) 6, 3 Phantom (Laurence Milton/RBSC) 7, 4 Solo (Pete Matthews/WOBYC) 10, 5 RS400 (Richard Brown and Pete Vickers/GYGSC) 12.

GYGSC RS500 Open

1 Tim Wilkins and Heather Martin/HBSC 5, 2 Phil Highfield and Tamsin Butcher/GYGSC 8, 3 David Houghton and John Symonds/GYGSC 10, 4 Peter and James Curtis/IBRSC, 11, 5 Peter and Karen Matthews/Lancing SC 22.