The historic Aldeburgh Lapwing fleet took centre stage at Aldeburgh Yacht Club for its annual championships, on 1st/2nd August, with eleven boats contesting four races in near-perfect conditions. Warm sunshine and a light sea breeze made for an excellent weekend both on the water and for spectators ashore.
Designed by Francis Morgan-Giles in 1947, the clinker-built Aldeburgh Lapwing remains a thriving local class. Around 20 boats are still in active use, and a small number are renovated each year. Their survival owes much to skilled local boatyards and to committed owners who tackle the many running repairs demanded by boats approaching 80 years of age.
That heritage was strongly represented in this year's fleet: three of the ten competing boats remain with the families that originally commissioned them, having been passed down through two or three generations. The hot spell did present an early challenge, however, as several dried-out hulls began the weekend leaking—although most tightened up as the racing progressed.
Race officer Nick Barker set a compact course directly in front of the clubhouse, giving spectators a superb view of frequent position changes and tightly contested mark roundings. Each race ran for about an hour over eight or ten short legs, keeping crews busy and rewarding sharp boat-handling.
Ian Robson delivered the standout performance of the championships, winning all four races in Hummingbird (No. 71). Behind him, the contest remained wide open, with second and third places still undecided going into the final race.
Rob and Tanya Ritchie secured second place in the decider aboard Tufted, earning second overall. Sarah Davies and Charlotte De Milne in Tringa edged out Steve Liddell to claim third place. It was a memorable weekend of competitive sailing, friendly rivalry and celebration of a class that remains as relevant—and enjoyable—today.
Overall Results:
Pos Boat Sail No Helm Crew R1 R2 R3 R4 Pts
1st Humming bird 71 Ian Robson ‑1 1 1 1 3
2nd Tufted 37 Robert Ritchie Tanya/Toby Ritchie 3 2 ‑5 2 7
3rd Tringa 57 Sarah Davies Charlotte De Mille 2 ‑5 3 4 9
4th Whaup 51 Steve Liddell 4 3 4 ‑5 11
5th Cormorant 59 Chris Ritchie (RET) 4 6 3 13
6th Kookaboro 45 Robert Mulcahy 5 8 2 (RET) 15
7th Lapwing 1 Harriet Thame Siobhan Horner 6 6 7 (RET) 19
8th Quail 75 James Alexander Andrew Norrie 7 7 9 (DNC) 23
9th Knot 40 Bruce MacInnes Kitty Hughes 8 9 ‑10 7 24
10th Bittern 11 Anthony Hinton Allegra Hinton DNS (DNC) 8 6 25
11th Mallard 63 Emma Piper (DNC) DNC 11 8 31
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