It's a Laser Blast at Gunfleet

Gunfleet Sailing Club played host to the Laser Challenge on Saturday 28 June with 20 boats taking part, competitors coming from Brightlingsea, Harwich, Shotley, Ardleigh and Hertford County.

A fresh force four south westerly wind and bright sunshine made for lively but very pleasant conditions, and the sight of some close racing along the Holland seafront certainly attracted the onlookers.

The first race started with a long beat down to the St. Michael’s buoy and this helped to split the fleet up at an early stage. First to round this mark was Matt Hart of Shotley Sailing Club, the winner of last year’s event, and from this point on he lead the fleet around the course. Sped on by the ebbing tide the reach out to the Seaward mark didn’t take long and the gybe that followed was well executed by everyone. At the end of the first lap Gunfleet’s Ken Potts was lying in second place but during the following lap he was overtaken by Jarvis Simpson from Colchester, Didge from Harwich Town Sailing Club, and Gary Pilgrim of Ardleigh Sailing Club. Clear winner though was Hart.

In the second race Richard Pearson from Brightlingsea Sailing Club jumped the start line and lost several minutes returning to correct his mistake. Hart again took the lead but Didge kept the pressure on him for much of the first lap. Also doing particularly well at this point was Gunfleet member Matthew Gough. By now the wind had freshened and the long beat became quite gruelling for several of the competitors. There were a number of capsizes, with the run from AWS to the Kingscliff buoy catching a number of competitors out, and this resulted in several retirements.

The third and final race saw a smaller course but with three laps instead of two. It was of little surprise to see Hart ahead again but several Gunfleet boats were close on his heels along with Richard Herbert of Brightlingsea Sailing Club, but no one could catch him.

Results:

Laser Challenge Overall:
1. Matt Hart – Shotley Sailing Club
2. Ken Potts – Gunfleet Sailing Club
3. Jarvis Simpson – Colchester

The previous Wednesday evening strong south westerly winds yet again provided the backdrop for the Gunfleet’s fourth race in its Summer Series. John Heath had a flying start in his Laser with Simon Clarke close behind in his Solution, however a sudden wind shift caught Clarke out and he was swept back by the tide as he tried to power-up his mainsail. Derroll Pedder was forced to retire at an early stage with gear failure on his recently acquired Q’ba. Whilst the beat to St. Michael’s buoy was uneventful, the run back to the Eastcliff mark saw one or two capsizes. Mark Venables struggled at times in his Solution whilst the RS’s found the short run not to their liking.

Results:

Summer Series 4:
1. Laser – John Tappenden
2. Laser – John Heath
3. Solution – Simon Clarke