Reports 2021

Gunfleet Sailing Club held a race with a difference last Sunday 22 August 2021 when the final results were all based on personal handicaps, calculated on each competitor’s past performances throughout the 2021 season.  

Gunfleet Sailing Club, last Sunday 15 August, held The Chase, a pursuit race where the slowest handicapped dinghy starts first, followed, at strictly set intervals, by those with faster handicaps until the fastest craft sets off with a whole fleet to catch.

Gunfleet Sailing Club held the seventh and final race in its Summer Series last Wednesday 11 August.  Amidst the blue skies and last of the evening sunshine, a fresh force 3 to 4 southerly wind blew, providing almost perfect conditions for the competitors taking part.  Andy Dunnett immediately lead the fleet in his Laser, followed closely by Martin Chivers, also in a Laser, and as the boats headed close hauled to the Eastcliff windward mark Dunnett lead all the way.

On Wednesday evening 4 August Gunfleet Sailing Club held the sixth race in its Summer Series with thirteen dinghies taking part.  The competitors edged their way up to the start line, all attempting to be the lead boat without prematurely crossing the line but this resulted in a group being just a few seconds too eager and up went the general recall flag.

The Gunfleet Sailing Club 2021 Regatta was heralded a great success by all those taking part last Sunday 25 July, with visiting sailors from Brightlingsea Sailing Club, Hertford County Yacht Club, and neighbouring Clacton Sailing Club joining Gunfleet members for an exciting day’s racing; 26 craft taking part. 

Gunfleet Sailing Club held its Ladies Day on Sunday 18 July, culminating in the afternoon with the race for the Austin Ladies Trophy which was won by Clare Giles in her Europe.

Gunfleet Sailing Club held its long distance race for the Jim Suckling Trophy last Sunday 11 July which, after a closely fought sail, was won by Ken Potts in his Laser.

After last week’s appalling weather stopped the Gunfleet Sailing Club from completing its race for the Tee Dee Challenge Cup the plan was to rerun it on Sunday 4 July in more suitable conditions.  As the competitors arrived for the second attempt the wind freshened and the rain fell, and for a while it looked doubtful that anyone would get on the water; however, it wasn’t long before the rain stopped, the strong winds abated, and the sun broke through.

Gunfleet Sailing Club’s race for its oldest trophy – the Tee Dee Challenge Cup was held in very unsettled conditions last Sunday 27 June 2021.  Under heavy dark cloud, and in a north/north-easterly gusting wind the competitors soon found it quite a handful once afloat.  First casualty was Brian Allen when his kicking strap broke and he subsequently capsized; any hope of an “afloat” repair was clearly out and he was forced to return to shore.

Mixed weather greeted members of the Gunfleet Sailing Club on Sunday 20 June when they took part in the race for the Bill Geddes Trophy, with John Tappenden taking the winning gun in his RS Aero after three laps of exciting tussles.  

Twelve dinghies took to water at Gunfleet Sailing Club on Sunday 13 June when the single-handed race for the Toppo Trophy was staged, with the Cadet Single Helm Cup going to the first Under 18 year old home.  The event was one of the Club’s three in one races with all three results counting towards the final positions.

Gunfleet Sailing Club held its race for the Jubilee Cup last Sunday 6 June in very light airs, a flat sea, and unbroken sunshine, with John Tappenden winning the trophy, in his RS Aero, by just five seconds.

Gunfleet Sailing Club held its race for the London Trophy last Sunday 30 May in, what turned out to be, quite lively conditions, resulting in a clear win for Ken Potts in his Laser.

Gunfleet Sailing Club held its first pursuit race on Sunday 16 May, for the Ken Potts Challenge Trophy, with the winner being no less than the donor of the Trophy, Ken Potts in his Laser.  

Gunfleet Sailing Club held another of its three in one events on Sunday 9 May, this time for the Wallet Trophy, with three back to back races, all of which count towards each competitor’s overall position.  Conditions proved interesting as whilst the wind direction remained a fairly constant south-easterly direction its strength varied from a light force 2, up to a force 4, back to a force 2 before settling at a 3.