LETTING THE HIRERS RACE

Broadland regattas are one of the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads’ finest spectacles, yet for most hirers they are strictly spectator events observed from the sidelines. However, the tables are turned once a year when hirers are invited to enjoy a week’s convivial racing on Barton Broad. The four-day event was instigated by Gordon Bowers of Bowers Craft, under the auspices of the Blakes letting agency in October 1977, to satisfy hirers’ demand for racing and to help extend the season by filling up an otherwise quiet period in the run up to the autumn half-term week. Describing the early Blakes Barton Regattas, Dave Homan, who has competed every year since 1979, recalled:

“Blakes originally promoted the regatta week simply as a chance for some cheap sailing and didn’t make anything of the racing on Barton Broad. Thus, I hired one of the Lady yachts from Herbert Woods with some friends and ‘discovered’ the regatta when we, from Wayford Bridge to act as the ‘clubhouse.’ In those days, we competed for prize money and paid a fee to enter the races. Gordon would start each race with a shotgun and I remember more than once the lead shot raining down on us as we approached the start line, which added to the excitement!”