Uninviting Conditions For Second Race In Summer Series

Last Wednesday evening 5 June Gunfleet Sailing Club held the second race in its Summer Series and with grey overcast skies, strong north easterly winds and large lumpy sea conditions it was difficult to decide whether the race was going to be tricky or just darn-right unpleasant.  The first leg was a beat up the coast to the Kingscliff buoy and as the craft rounded the mark John Tappenden lost his balance and capsized in his Blaze.  More unfortunate was Aaron Baker in his Laser when he capsized and turtled the boat, and in trying to right his craft snapped the mast.  However, the Club’s Rescue Boat was soon on the scene and the casualty towed in.  Meanwhile Cadets Robert Gutteridge and Will Marsh found conditions a bit too lively for them in their Toppers and they retired back to the shore.  The second leg of the course took the competitors on a run to the AWS buoy and this was followed by a reach out to the Seaward mark.  A number of capsizes occurred with Kelvin Morton being particularly unfortunate in his RS600.  Having braved the offshore gybe mark it was a broad reach to the Eastcliff buoy, a second run to the St. Michael’s mark and then a beat against the flood tide back to the line.  On this last leg most competitors stuck close to the shore but one or two decided less tacks would be better and so headed out to sea and the full impact of the adverse tide.  At the end of the first lap Simon Clarke and Emily Cossens were leading the way in their Scorpion, having been the only ones not to have capsized, but Tappenden slipped ahead during the second lap, taking top spot by eleven seconds.