Reports 2026

A force four north-easterly breeze, blue skies and unadulterated sunshine greeted members of the Gunfleet Sailing Club when they took part in the race for the Ken Dye Cup on Sunday 21 June 2026.  The race required a standard course to be set that when completed, would see the competitors rounding the Outer Distance Mark and retracing their steps back to the start line.  

Gunfleet Sailing Club held one of its 3-in-1 races on Sunday 14 June 2026, this time for the Hertford County Shield, with seventeen dinghies taking to the water; the event seeing three short back to back races with all three placings forming the overall result.

Fresh winds greeted members of the Gunfleet Sailing Club when they took part in the race for the Jubilee Cup with a west/south-westerly force 5, touching 6, showing on the Club’s weather station.

Gunfleet Sailing Club held the race for the Personal PY Trophy on Sunday 31 May 2026 with Adam Kedge taking his Laser to victory.  

Unlike the regular races, which uses the standard nationwide handicap system based on the class of dinghy sailed, the Personal PY event uses the individual place of each sailor over the past race results to calculate a personal handicap.

The sun shone brightly on the members of the Gunfleet Sailing Club when they took part in the race for the Bill Geddes Trophy.  Blue skies, unbroken sunshine, and a force 2 to 3 East/North-Easterly breeze simply beckoned sailors onto the water.

Gunfleet Sailing Club attracted seventeen entries to the first pursuit race of the season, for the Ken Potts Trophy, on Sunday 17 May 2026.  The race, which had a fixed finish time, saw a number of staggered starts with the Topper dinghies the first away.  In a south-westerly wind, blowing force 3 to 4, Finley Taylor lead as they beat down the coast to the St. Michael's buoy with Debbie Chivers hot on his heels.

It was a case of “hang onto your hats” on Sunday 10 May 2026 when the members of Gunfleet Sailing Club took part in the 3-in-1 race for the Wallet Trophy.  An extremely strong North/North-Easterly wind blew down the coast as the helms rigged up on the beach and bravely launched onto a murky North Sea.

Gunfleet Sailing Club had a busy two days of racing over the May Bank Holiday, 3 & 4 May 2026, with the Coronation Trophy event kicking things off.  In a force 3 south/south-westerly breeze the helms hovered around the line, carefully holding the craft back as the flood tide edged them forward.  With almost perfect timing, as the class flag dropped from the yardarm, the tight bunch was unleashed.

The fine weather saw, once again, seventeen dinghies taking to the water on Sunday 26 April for Gunfleet Sailing Club’s final race in its Spring Series which was won, overall, by Ken Potts in his RS Aero.

Gunfleet Sailing Club held the third race in its Spring Series on Sunday 19 April 2026 with seventeen dinghies taking to the water.  With an offshore wind, varying in strength from force 2 to force 4, the helms debated which size rig would be most suitable and a few last minute changes occurred.

Gunfleet Sailing Club members braved some very strong winds last Sunday 12 April 2026 to take part in the second race in the Spring Series with, following a closely fought battle, Tim Dye claiming victory in his RS Aero.

The Easter weekend proved a busy time for members of the Gunfleet Sailing Club.  On the Sunday 5 April it was the first race in the Spring Series, with a stiff south-westerly wind that veered west/south-west during the event and a sea of white caps.  The fleet bunched by the Inner Distance Mark, all with the same aim; as the start gun fired so the helms hardened-up and tacked out to sea, taking full advantage of both the flood tide and the cleaner wind.

Gunfleet Sailing Club burst into life on Saturday 28 March when it held its Fitting-Out Supper to welcome the 2026 sailing season.  Rear Commodore Malcolm Jolly welcomed the guests who sat down to the traditional fish and chips meal.

Gunfleet Sailing Club was buzzing today, Sunday 22 March, as members made the final preparations for the start of the sailing season.  The six seasonal race marks were laid, Seaward buoy cleaned, the winch slider control set up, the new trailer for Rescue Boat 1 adjusted for that perfect fit, and the Clubhouse given a real sparkle; plus some homemade cakes to celebrate the hard work.