After the beautiful sunshine of Saturday, which had seen the continuation of Horning Sailing Club’s Sundown series with a brilliant turnout in a variety of boats from dinghies to keelboats all enjoying an evening’s sail, Sunday dawned damp and murky for the Downriver race to Thurne. Welcoming a number of visiting sailors, four River Cruisers and ten Allcomers were not deterred by the conditions, and started from the Waterworks in Horning.

The route to Thurne was quick, sailing mainly out of the trees in a variable breeze, and a reach and run course. First to reach Thurne were the River Cruisers - Peter Goshawk’s Grayling in a little over an hour, who would also win on handicap, with Adrian Lincoln’s Tinkerbell second, and George Brewis’s Amantani third. The return saw Grayling take another win, with Ladybird helmed by Ben Knight second, and Amantani third once more.

In the Allcomers, the fleet was mixed, with everything from a Reedling to Yeomans, Yare & Bures to Rebels, a self-built and designed boat to an RS Elite sailing. The route to Thurne was won by Kevin Edwards sailing Rebel Maid, ahead of Clive Gardner’s Yare & Bure Hairstreak, with James Street helming Yare & Bure Moon Moth third. The return leg was rather more eventful, with several entanglements in trees. The beat back was won by Robert Hancock sailing Reedling Siskin, Allan Dornan’s Yeoman Nimrod second, and Moon Moth third.

Next week sees HSC’s Keelboat weekend take place – Saturday on the river, and Sunday’s sailing on Hoveton Little Broad.