RS600 Takes Fleet Championship

Fourteen boats took part in the race at the Gunfleet Sailing Club last Sunday 12 September for the Fleet Championships Trophy.  In a westerly force three the offshore wind provided some interesting gusts, sufficient to keep the helms on their toes.  With the flood tide under them the craft all got a bunched start and made short work of reaching to the Eastcliff buoy which, once rounded, then led to a run out to the Seaward mark.  All five Solutions were taking part and the battle at the head of the fleet was between Paul Davis and Simon Clarke whilst slightly further back the other three were bunched closely together.  In the fast handicap dinghies it was ken Potts and John Tappenden having a tussle in their RS600’s; that is until Tappenden capsized, losing him several minutes.  In the slow handicap fleet it was good to see so many of the Cadets racing in their Toppers and Topazes, Seb Mathewson leading the Toppers and Charlie Venables the Topazes.  With the wind remaining westerly the beat from Seaward to AWS buoy turned out to be more of a fetch; and at the end of the first lap it was Davies in the lead, followed by Clarke and then Potts.  However, some good sailing by Potts in the second lap pushed him up into first place, taking the trophy by a close margin.

Results – Fleet Championships:
1. RS600 – Ken Potts
2. Solution – Paul Davis
3. Solution – Simon Clarke