TheQ

Opps

Yeoman start, as a yeoman sailor myself I can recognise the boats just by the colour of the spinnakers, Roger obviously had a good start.. Yeoman like strong winds , if any managed to finish I'll be surprised.

Afternoon I think.. The WiFi was really flakey outside the building at Hickling SC, so I couldn't do the hourly posts I intended, so I recorded them in MS office on this tablet.. Over 1000 words typed, then this morning as I was about to copy and post I hit the wrong button.. lost the lot.. Ok click undo... What happened.. an advert from MS please get MS 365.. no undo..lost the lot permanently.. impressed I am not. I will be loading an alternative when my brain is functioning again. So here's the high lights as edited by a befuddled brain that's has 1.5 hours sleep in the last 34... 08:00 ish note all times are ish. Arrive Hickling SC, carefully drive through lines of dinghies to as close as I can get to unload Landrover, that took over half an hour. Then get out one of their rescue boats loaned to us, a new one very good it was too. 09:00 go depth finding with paddle to find nearest point to club with 4ft 6inches depth minimum. Plonk buoy in. Told I could swing floating pontoons out if I wanted.. unfortunately they're been tied hard on when the water level was higher, it took nearly an hour of tugging prising etc the undo the knots just for one section. Gave up with the rest. Sat back to wait for the guardship And waited... and waited.... and waited... then got message They're aground.. so went to the rescue. found them near entrance to Hickling broad, they had a fouled prop, and drifted of outside the deep water channel. Eventually towed them to the SC. Martham boats sent their men, but couldn't sort it their they'll collect it tomorrow. 14:00 ish first boat, a punt which had not done the short legs, two other boats followed shortly after . not much happend until 17:00, then the first boats that had not done the short legs but had been to stokesby. main mass of boats from 19:00 to midnight, then numbers faded until last boat at 03:45. had to wait until 06:00 ish till permission granted to pack up. 07:00 left site. Dropped off crew at Martham as their car was there. Horning just in time to see "A rater" finish, never seen that before, they're normally long since tucked up in bed. Unloaded landrover, breakfast!!! When I left, of the 116 entries, 20, did not start, 5 had finished 3 were tacking up the street, and there were 47 retirements..

Guess where i Am

I've been under several times with an Elysian 27. older narrower style of boat. The more modern wider boats are part of the problems

Yep it's gonna be a slow one, the forecast I use was showing a northerly yesterday, a southerly this morning now it's showing a northerly again anything can happen..

Oh I don't know, at least 112 boats will get under on Saturday and Sunday... if they can get there with the light winds forecast..

Ok your final warning of the impending race, The current forecast is a light 6mph southerly wind.. So it's going to be a slow one..

An email from the club informs me that there is a one way system onto the club island. On to the Island via the Pontoon/floating bridge, Off the Island via the up and over green steel bridge. Only those too infirm to use the steel bridge are to use the Pontoon to leave the island. Also please any non competitors DO NOT go onto the Island before the boats depart up river before the start, IE not before 10:50.. Oh the forecast has totally changed round,, They're now forecasting a southerly for most of the race.. Still light winds.. In other words i think they're guessing. just get out there and sail and see what happens..

Here's a wobbly, Martham boats have every motorboat out, so we can't have one as guardship at Hickling... So... They're lending us America instead!!! I think America is a former competitor. As for the race, a North Westerly to start is forecast, that's a dead run down Horning street, which should get the competitors out of Horning even if the wind is light. Come 15:00 it's supposed to go very light and between then and the next day there's not a wind direction not forecast. Getting your choice of course and especially tide will be more important just to get round.

Why? All current regulations will be obeyed, all the sailors are on separate boats in their own bubbles. Many are choosing to sail in smaller groups on board or with different crew because of this. It'll be a lot safer than the hoards of grokles down on the beaches or in GY or Hoveton.

This long weekend has mostly been taken up with receiving relatives. However before and after they were here boat work was carried out. Last weekend the boat was lowered on to a sealant covered keel. Much squeezed out sealant was removed then. Also a lift bracket was roughly made. This weekend the lifting bracket was tried, modified, tried again and is now successful. It needs tidying up . After that time was spent removing more squeezed out sealant, giving the area a sanding and then smoothing the join with filler. I'd spotted the step ladder had lent against the boat, not good, so I need to fit the fendering. This is about an inch and a half wide white rubber, after fixing on, a blue half moon insert is pushed in. So the hull was given quick light sanding then a top coat of paint ready for fendering in a fortnight. Fortnight? Yep next weekend will be spent counting the 3 Rivers Race competitors go by on Hickling Broad.

Why would they want to change the name of Wroxham, in Broadland district to Roy's? Except for the petrol station Roy's is entirely in the village of Hoveton, In North Norfolk district.

Oh, all The Horning sailing clubs 3 Rivers Race webcams now appear to be online for the race. https://www.horning-sailing.club/webcams/ At Horning Sailing club up and down river. Potter Heigham bridge by permission of Herbert Woods Boat yard. Acle Bridge by permission of Acle Bridge Inn, Martham by permission of Martham Boats, And Hickling Broad By permission of Hickling Sailing Club, if I get it right you should be able to see the boats going round the buoy this year.

It's bump time again 5 days to go..

No they are not designed to break apart, they are designed to be securely attached. Mind you, go on the net, you'll see lots of people driving away and snapping off petrol filling nozzles, and they're only loosely connected.. Yes there are circuit breakers in the post and there should be on the boat. Electrically there is unlikely to be damage. Physically there could well be.

5 days to go and the forecast has changed to an easterly 10mph at start time. That would be interesting with a lot of tacking through Horning at the start. With tide against wind it would increase the apparent windspeed as well.

A week and a day to the 60th 3 Rivers Race, So How about a video of ... That Bridge...

In Wroxham By the Faircraft car park the pavement has been closed, pedestrians are diverted across the road at the normal lights, so there is a second set at the up hill end of the car park so they can regain he carpark side of the road... Purpose is unknown so far.. Just up hill from that is a collapsed drain cover, very recent, protected by 1 cone nicked from the above. It's not just dropped a bit, it's gone into the depths. Expect absolute chaos when they do the repairs which I guess will be very urgent.

Just looking at the long range forecast for the race, southerly 18-30mph for the starting period.. That could be interesting, a fast reach to the start line, then tacking down the street just after the start, long tack along the left hand bank, short across then repeat, and it'll be a long old set of tacks to the lower Bure buoy.. Slowly dropping over night to 16mph by last finishers time and a south westerly.. Still a lot of time for that to change yet though.

another Video from the 3 rivers race at Ludham, with the odd day boat getting in the mix.. 12 days till you can have the fun... Three Rivers Race near Ludham Bridge

It's bump time ... The race gets closer.... 12 days to go...

not all.

A straight race between two boats, for some reason carried out on a wide river which is in flood, so you need half a gale to sail against it. Yes probably more dangerous if someone went in. But technically no where near as difficult as the 3RR.

First you are racing against the course, not racing a particular boat. If a boat is fast coming up from behind , don't try and slow them and get into a tacking match. Just find a convenient place to let them through, while not stopping yourself, tacking matches just slow both of you down. Remember you've got half a ton or more of lead or iron hanging out below, you have to sail it round in a curve on tacks.. If you crash tack like a dinghy you'll stop dead. It's a displacement boat, against the tide keep to the banks if you can, with the tide keep to the middle ish unless sheltered by the wind. Have a practice mast lower before the race, everyone needs to know where to be and what to do, an enormous amount of time is lost at bridges. If the lower Bure buoy is at it's usual place then it's low tide is around 15:30, Your start I'm Guessing is going to be around 12? that gives 3.5 hours to get there in a boat that is not the fastest around. Unless it's strong winds, you're going to have to sail straight to the Lower Bure buoy, then up to Hickling and do the short legs on the way home. The advantage of that is the Ant and dyke to South Walsham will be less crowded, the disadvantage is it's going to be silly times in the morning.. If you've done OK in normal south westerly winds I'll expect to see you around 21:30 to 00:00 at Hickling buoy.. Good luck.