Clarke Takes The Winning Gun

After weeks of very mixed weather the members of the Gunfleet Sailing Club managed to get out on the high seas last Sunday 29 November to take part in the sixth and penultimate race of the Winter Series.

Intermittent rain showers mixed with squally winds and grey skies did not deter the competitors, nor did the very lumpy seas; although this did cause some problems launching.  Against a freshly ebbing tide the boats beat close to the shore as they headed to the Eastcliff buoy, and then enjoyed a broad reach out to the Seaward mark.  However, even before the start of the race a number of boats had technical trouble and for Simon Mathewson this proved the end of his sailing for the day as he quickly headed back to the beach.  Despite the lively seas and variable winds the two gybe marks proved to cause no trouble to the craft and the helms seemed to be thriving in the conditions.  It was obvious early on that the fight for first place was going to be between Simon Clarke in his Solution and Andy Dunnett in his Laser and at the end of the day it was Clarke that took the winning gun.  However Kelvin Morton, having had a very poor start in his RS600, did well to catch-up with the rest of the fleet and take third place.

Results – Winter Series 6

1. Solution – Simon Clarke
2. Laser – Andy Dunnett
3. RS600 – Kelvin Morton