Probably the quickest two-day open meeting in the world !

Overy Staithe Sailing club would like to welcome visitors to compete for the ‘Mason Trophy’ over the weekend of the 10th and 11th June.

Overy is a picturesque tidal estuary on the north Norfolk coast where we are able to race in the harbour an hour and a half either side of high tide. We can sail at sea, if conditions allow, but we need sufficient water in the channel to get out of the harbour. The meeting is planned to take place on two consecutive tides with the first race on Saturday planned to start at 7pm in the evening. Racing is scheduled for a 7.30 start the following day. If you are quick at packing up you can easily complete the event and still be on the road home by 11.30 on the Sunday morning.

If you are coming just for the sailing we suggest you arrive no later than 16.30 so that we can get afloat at 18.15. However a wander down the sea wall or even a real ‘pitch inspection’ may assist you in getting an idea where the well marked obstructions are.

If the weather allows then we plan to sail at least two of the four races at sea using standard triangle /sausage courses. If not then we will use the normal sailing club marks in the harbour supplemented by inflatable buoys to get the event completed. We are sharing the meeting with the Europe class.

Overy Staithe is a popular place with ornithologists, ramblers and others with interests that have names that are far too complicated to spell. However the local council have, thankfully for those of us who love the place, decided that they do not wish the village to become commercialised. There is limited parking, a pub, a toilet behind the boathouse, there may be an Ice cream van if the weather is nice, even a coffee machine has appeared. Wives and girlfriends will find the nearby village of Burnham Market (AKA Chelsea on sea) much to their liking. When you arrive in the village find the pub and turn down towards the water. You will see the ‘Hard’ to the right as you approach the left hand bend in the harbour road. If possible seek out another OK sailor and get assistance with where best to park, rig your boat and information on the lie of the land.

Accommodation is scarce and expensive in the nearby vicinity so the club is extremely grateful to Andy Turner for kindly giving me permission to advise you that tents may be pitched in his garden and limited floor space can be had. Andy’s house is most likely to be the venue for a BBQ and a few drinks after the evening sail and the prize giving after sailing on Sunday.

So……….Please consider joining us for the quickest and probably one of the most relaxed and friendly events of the year. Please do not lodge any protests as we have never had one and wouldn’t know what to do in any case.

If you would like further help or assistance then please feel free to contact Andy Turner at [email protected] (01328 730905) or Rodney Tidd at [email protected] (07933731253)