Great Conditions For Second Winter Series Race

In a pleasant force four southerly wind fourteen boats came to the start line for the second race in the Gunfleet Sailing Club’s Winter Series last Sunday 30 October.  The first leg saw the fleet close hauled as they took the flood tide to the St. Michael’s buoy, before taking a broad reach back up the coast to the Eastcliff mark.  As has become tradition, Ken Potts led the competitors in his RS600 with Simon Clarke heading the Solution fleet and Andy Dunnett pulling ahead of his five fellow Laser sailors.  There then followed a closer reach out to the Seaward buoy and a run into the Kingscliff mark.  Unfortunately it was at this point that Tom Fadden capsized his Laser but, undeterred, soon had the boat upright and was chasing after the rest of his class.  John Tappenden, sailing a Vortex, had gear failure and was forced to retire back to the shore whilst Aaron Baker and Robert Gutteridge capsized their Topaz and also retired.  For the rest of the competitors, once close to the shore it was then a beat out to sea, a run back to the Kingscliff buoy and then a fetch to the line.  At the end of the first lap Potts was in the lead with Clarke second and Kelvin Morton, in an RS600, third; followed very closely by Cadet Sebastien Mathewson in his Byte.  During the second lap Dunnett overtook Mathewson and slipped into fourth place but was unable to make an impression on the top three positions.

Results: Winter Series 2
1. RS600 – Ken Potts
2. Solution – Simon Clarke
3. RS600 – Kelvin Morton