Busy Bank-Holiday Weekend At Gunfleet

Gunfleet Sailing Club had a very busy Bank Holiday weekend, starting on Sunday 27 August with the Personal PY Pursuit Race where each sailor had their own start time based on their performance over a possible twenty-nine races previously held this season.  With the same fixed finish time for everyone, start times actually ranged between forty minutes, with a combination of dinghy class, rig, and experience determining the time to go. It meant a real cat and mouse chase as the faster and more experienced sailors gradually closed the gap on their rivals.  For much of the first part of the race Finley Taylor lead the fleet in his Topper but then Simon Kedge slipped ahead and, sailing single handed, kept his GP14 out in front.  But as time marched on so the rival helms closed the gap on each other; Simon Clarke pushing his Europe ahead of Kedge, Tim Dye hot on his heels in his Laser.  Positions changed as boats picked off each other and Jono Dunnett moved from 14th to 7th to leading the fleet.  But champing at his heels was John Tappenden who had been 15th away from the start but had successfully sailed past thirteen competitors to hopefully get the top spot.  However, after a nail-biting tussle with Dye, the clock beat him in his challenge to overtake Dunnett and he had to be content with being runner-up.

Results:
Personal PY Pursuit Race:
1.    Laser – Jono Dunnett 
2.    RS Aero – John Tappenden
3.    Laser – Tim Dye

Monday saw twenty-five dinghies taking to the water for the Ken Dye Cup Race; a new trophy presented to the Club this year.  Unfortunately, despite blue skies and sunshine, the offshore wind proved both light and fickle, causing several moments of frustration to the competitors.  On a mill-pond sea, it was Jono Dunnett that lead the fleet across the start line in his Laser, but he was surrounded by the Lasers of Dale Steggles, Ken Potts, Joff Strutt and Tim Dye, all vying to pull ahead as they reached down the coast to the St. Michael’s buoy; but it was John Tappenden that rounded it first in his RS Aero, successfully having tacked out to find fresher wind, albeit against a strengthening ebb tide.  The second leg was a reach out to the Seaward mark and by now Dunnett lay in second place, Dye just behind, and then Dave ingle in his RS Aero, but by the time the fleet was offshore Ingle had just slipped ahead of Dye, only to see Dye regain his third position on the beat in to the AWS mark.  Further back Paul Stanton was holding back Robert Mitchell, both sailing Lasers, but were still behind Potts and Strutt. There followed a run back to Seaward before a close hauled leg to the Preston Park buoy, a short beat in to the Kingscliff buoy, and a reach to the Out Distance Mark where the competitors all tacked back onto themselves to return exactly the way they had come.  The idea of retracing the course back to the line proved interesting, and without incident.  Apart from the dominant twelve Lasers, there was a fleet of GP14s that constantly changed positions throughout the race, whist a group of Toppers, Topaz and a Comet made up the slow handicap section.  Tappenden appeared to be unstoppable and found a breeze where others struggled, the winds continuing to stay very light, and after one hour and twenty five minutes he sailed home to victory,    

Results:
Ken Dye Cup:
1.    RS Aero – John Tappenden
2.    Laser – Ken Potts
3.    Laser – Jono Dunnett

In the afternoon the final race in the Class Points Series took place and, yet again, Dunnett dominated the Laser fleet, whilst Ken Potts was second, and Paul Stanton third.  In the Comet class it was Keith Lamdin that claimed victory, Cath Bicknell taking second place and Roy Wyatt third, whilst Finley Taylor was first in the Toppers, and John Tappenden won the Menagerie fleet in his RS Aero.  

Results:
Class Points Overall Winners:
Laser – Jono Dunnett
GP14 – Ian Barker and Vince Crabtree
Solo & Europe – Clare Giles
Comet – Keith Lamdin
Topper – Finley Taylor
Menagerie – John Tappenden