100th Celebration
Originally published Tuesday, October 21st, 2008
Celebration of the iconic Yare and Bure One Design keelboats centenary climaxed yesterday shortly after lunchtime on Wroxham Broad when the 72 boats present set a record, not only for the number of boats starting a race on Wroxham Broad but also quite possibly for any single keelboat class Racing on inland waters, the event was honoured by the presence of HRH The Princess Royal, President of the Royal Yachting Association, who arrived shortly after the start of the race and remained to witness the finish and present the awards for the race itself and the weekend It was unfortunate that, in one respect, the weather failed to match the occasion. Instead of seeing an intensely-competitive contest, the wind, such as it was, came from a northerly direction but scarcely strong enough to even ripple the water. This was ably countered by arguably the most experienced race management in the Broads, namely Centenary race officer Robert Self, who had officiated at Her Royal Highness' previous visit in 1988; deputy CRO Geoffrey Evans, chairman of the club's race committee, and a strong team of support staff including Sally Self, timekeeper, and recorder Anne Evans, who had also worked on the 1988 event. The race itself was split into two sections starting five minutes apart. The first section saw Guy Coleman and Matthew Thwaites set the pace at the far end of the broad whilst at the clubhouse end Martin Jones and Russ Platt were the leaders. These two made good progress towards the north mark until headed a short distance off their target, while on the other side of the broad Thwaites had made his way through Coleman to take the lead. Jones and Platt, forced to tack onto port to lay the mark, passed ahead of Thwaites, still on starboard. Thwaites then tacked on to port and moved ahead to cover his rivals and round the north mark first and reach down to the wing mark on the west side before bearing away into the long run down to the south. Threading his way between the oncoming fleet of the second start, Thwaites steadily increased his lead leaving little doubt as to the final outcome. Meanwhile the second start had got under way, with Chris Bunn and Ian Tims in pole position. The wind was proving no kinder, and their problem was negotiating their way through the substantial tail end of the first start. Bunn was the most successful, building a considerable lead over Tims, but it was clear that both would require the full programmed four rounds to make any headway. It was their misfortune that the programme precluded the race from reaching its natural end. The contingency plan prepared was implemented, and after the first race had been going for 50 minutes the shorten was signalled, with Thwaites crossing the line a little later 54 minutes after starting. The specific sailing instructions for the race provided that under these circumstances the finishing order would be that in which the fleet had crossed the line on the previous transit, that is, after one complete round in this case. To this end the recorders had meticulously noted the transit time of each and every one of the 72 starters as they crossed the line north or south bound. The result was somewhat tough on the second section, especially Bunn and Tims, who had worked so hard to make progress, but without reward as the top six places all went to the first six in the first start, with Thwaites, crewed by Steve Evans, so far ahead that it is unlikely that he would not have won anyway. By any standards Thwaites' performance was outstanding, and he achieved it despite having broken a rib when he slipped on the jetty on Sunday evening. Second was Martin Jones, crewed by Tony Marcantonio, and third Russ Platt. Prizes for the weekend as well as yesterday's race were presented by the princess, who congratulated all the winners. She recalled how much she had enjoyed the visit and her happy memories of 20 years ago and was particularly impressed by the age range of the successful teams, which she said boded well for the future of the class. A report of the weekend event will appear in the usual sailing column on Thursday. Yare & Bure OD Centenary Race - YBOD (72): 1 (and Centenary Race Trophy) Duke of Burgundy (M Thwaites / S |Evans), 2 Dark Green (M Joines / A Marcantonio) 3 The Old Lady (R & T Platt) 4 Willow Beauty (D & S Jennings) 5 Red Admiral (D & N Talbot) 6 Golden Jubilee (R & A Richardson) ALAN MALLETT 10 June 2008 EDP
