Are You On The Broads 28th 29th May 2022?

[TheQ]

If so, here's a gentle warning, there will be in excess of 100 Sailing Boats departing Horning 11:00 12:30 of Saturday 28th sailing round the broads on the following course, in any choice of routes, they have 24 hours to return to the club having passed all check points.

Problems for Non competitors on the rivers: and some advice,

The Start Line:

At the Swan Inn Corner, groups of about 10 boats at a time will start at 5 minute intervals, the following group will be circling 100 yards up river from the Swan waiting their turn. So you will be faced with 20 boats doing circles till they move on.

So If you are coming up river towards Wroxham, keep right, keep slow, go forward when you have a gap in traffic let them Sail around you, don't go into the middle of the river or you will have boats all around you, you and they would have nowhere to go..

If you are coming down river Keep right keep slow, when a group starts, follow them through, when you get a gap on your side of the river go through slowly if they are at a near stand still due to lack of wind.

The River Ant,

Let me advise you, I would NOT take my motorboat up the Ant Between 13:00 and 15:00 on the 28th May, it WILL BE Chaos, the majority of the boats will sail up there to the turning point about 100 yards below the bridge. That is not to say you can't, I just wouldn't.

If you must, keep right, Keep slow, let them sail around you, they are much more manoeuverable than you are, The tide will be flowing out, this may mean you have to go into reverse just to hold in one place going down river.

Potter Heigham and Acle Bridges, Please be careful, some competitors will go to the bank to lower their mast, a few will float about in the middle of the river drifting towards the bridge, while lowering their mast, then paddle furiously to go through..

Generally,

If you come across one boat always pass behind them if they are tacking across the river, if they are going along, they normally point to where they want you to go. I point at the motorboat and them point to where I want it to go..

If there are a large group of boats coming towards you, slow down keep right, let them go around you,

If you want to pass them, keep it slow, keep right unless they are all on your side of the river not tacking across, if they are not tacking across, then you may move left and pass (slowly) ..

 

Places to view the Race,

The Swan and Horning Village Greens, few moorings

The Ferry and New Inn pubs,

Cockshoot Broad BA moorings, not many spaces there though

St Benets Straight, lots of moorings, 

South Walsham Dyke Moorings

The end of the Thurne Lion Dyke.

Potter Heigham Bridge very popular, the first boats will arrive around 15:00 but the majority not till around 18-19:00 in normal winds.

Acle Bridge, also popular plenty of moorings but the Bridgecraft side is pay for moorings...

Once we are down to the last week and we know what are the forecast winds, I'll try to give a rough update on teh likely timings of the main fleets of boats..

I will up date this with more information when required, any questions please ask..

Enjoy your trip out on the Broads!!

[TheQ]

25 days to go so a bump up for this...

[andyg]

We finish our holiday on the 27th, I've never seen the race I might stay on an extra night to watch the start etc. 

[twowrights]

We're there from 24th-31st, we're heading south on the 25th! 

[TheQ]

cowards 

[ranworthbreeze]

Sorry Q I am onboard Ranworth Breeze from the 31st May.

Regards

Alan

[Ray]

It's a wonderful event.... do the yards advise hirers I wonder? A great thing to see if you're on holiday but maybe a bit nerve wracking for first timers at the helm!

[andyg]

18 minutes ago, Ray said:

It's a wonderful event.... do the yards advise hirers I wonder? A great thing to see if you're on holiday but maybe a bit nerve wracking for first timers at the helm!

Apparently no worse then crossing Breydon 😉

[Ray]

I love crossing Breydon, especially if there's some actual waves 😂 

A hundred tacking yachts on The Ant.... not so much 😁

[andyg]

4 minutes ago, Ray said:

I love crossing Breydon, especially if there's some actual waves 😂 

A hundred tacking yachts on The Ant.... not so much 😁

Lol I'm with you on that.

[TheQ]

14 hours ago, Ray said:

It's a wonderful event.... do the yards advise hirers I wonder? A great thing to see if you're on holiday but maybe a bit nerve wracking for first timers at the helm!

I believe All the Yards are informed by the sailing club, whether they tell their hirers is up to them.

I believe the most affected yard Richardson's, manager  Clive Richardson (CRicko of this site) has been a regular competitor, I've been in the same race as him more than once.. 

Oh there he, is standing in the middle with Horning Sailing club behind him (Paul Richardson sitting on the boat and Robert Richardson standing.) I'm guessing at a previous Horning Boat show..

[Meantime]

15 hours ago, Ray said:

I love crossing Breydon, especially if there's some actual waves 😂 

A hundred tacking yachts on The Ant.... not so much 😁

I would rather cross Breydon Water a thousand times than go up the Ant once when the 3RR is on!!!! In fact you might even have more chance of persuading me to go into the Lion's den than go up the Ant during the 3RR.

Now this might be a tad controversial, but since it is only once a year, I would even support the BA closing the Ant below Ludham Bridge, to motor boats, for a period of 6 hrs from say 1pm to 7pm. They can and do close other parts of the navigation from time to time on the grounds of safety during maintenance etc. 

I do and will be again spectating at the 3RR and one of my favourite places is Ludham Bridge and for many half the spectator sport is watching the motor boats panic and struggle to navigate past the sail boats, but I have also seen too many scrapes and people possibly put of boating for life. Only last year a moored up boat lost a window and sustained damage to its window frame as the mercy of a bow sprit.

I know it is a public navigation and there is a right to navigate and perhaps the counter argument would be to place the Ant mark just in the mouth of the Ant to make things easier, but there is a lot of history to the 3RR and it's only once a year, so I think serious consideration should be given to restricting access to motor boats for one 6 hour period per year.

[grendel]

i believe Clive now runs Horning Pleasure craft, while his brother runs Richardsons

[TheQ]

That just means Clive is closer to the start line...

[batrabill]

On 25/04/2022 at 08:14, TheQ said:

to the turning point about 100 yards below the bridge.

Q

Is that a fact? Not the transit line 30 yards from the bridge like last time?

[Vaughan]

7 hours ago, Meantime said:

I know it is a public navigation and there is a right to navigate and perhaps the counter argument would be to place the Ant mark just in the mouth of the Ant to make things easier, but there is a lot of history to the 3RR and it's only once a year, so I think serious consideration should be given to restricting access to motor boats for one 6 hour period per year.

Personally I doubt that either HSC or the competitors would wish to see that happen, to such a traditional river event.  They would probably see it as the thin end of the wedge.  Next, we would see the Thurne closed for Thurne mouth open regatta, or the Yare closed for the YNR.

Next thing we know, the Ant will be closed for a fishing match or God forbid, a paddle board race. We have already seen the Waveney effectively shut down by a swimming race.

[Meantime]

1 hour ago, Vaughan said:

Personally I doubt that either HSC or the competitors would wish to see that happen, to such a traditional river event.  They would probably see it as the thin end of the wedge.  Next, we would see the Thurne closed for Thurne mouth open regatta, or the Yare closed for the YNR.

Both those rivers are far wider than the Ant and in the case of the Yare way less busy. For those who value their boat the Ant is effectively closed during the 3RR anyway.

[TheQ]

16 hours ago, batrabill said:

Q

Is that a fact? Not the transit line 30 yards from the bridge like last time?

It depends on who's moored up where, they can't turn at a point if there's boats in the way. They try for a bit further down where the widest bit is , I've just measured on google maps the piece they prefer to use, and its 259.29ft approximately 86 yards from the bridge 

this is a shot during the race last year.. a bit difficult finding a spot for the turning point.

 

[Vaughan]

I have raced in the 3RR but rather a long time ago, with Tom Percival in the River Cruiser "Swallow".  The main point of the race is the order in which you decide to take the various legs, in order to make best use of the tides and the expected weather conditions.  In this way it is totally unique to Broads, as far as I know.

Without the leg up the Ant, the whole race would require a different planning and strategy.

[TheQ]

12 hours ago, Meantime said:

Both those rivers are far wider than the Ant and in the case of the Yare way less busy. For those who value their boat the Ant is effectively closed during the 3RR anyway.

Many holiday makers do take their hire boats through during the race, as you can see with the above photo, and this video. Outside of the rush couple of hours normally 12:00-14:00, there are few sailing boats so it's very quiet for 22 of the 24 hours of the race.

 

[TheQ]

Just now, Vaughan said:

I have raced in the 3RR but rather a long time ago, with Tom Percival in the River Cruiser "Swallow".  The main point of the race is the order in which you decide to take the various legs, in order to make best use of the tides and the expected weather conditions.  In this way it is totally unique to Broads, as far as I know.

Without the leg up the Ant, the whole race would require a different planning and strategy.

it would also be the " Two rivers race" 

The original proposal for the 3RR was to go down through GY and up the Yare!!

[Meantime]

1 hour ago, TheQ said:

Many holiday makers do take their hire boats through during the race, as you can see with the above photo, and this video. Outside of the rush couple of hours normally 12:00-14:00, there are few sailing boats so it's very quiet for 22 of the 24 hours of the race.

Whilst that maybe true, surely this is enough to put any one of for life!!!

[Meantime]

I wonder if the people on board the Orange Gem ever came back!!!!

With moored boats as well, it is just too tight.

 

 

[Meantime]

You'll have a calm peaceful relaxing holiday they said!!!!!

[Meantime]

Just remember stay close to the bank and they'll go around you!!!!