Finley Celebrates A Double Victory Over The Bank Holiday

Gunfleet Sailing Club held the second of its Personal Handicap Races on Bank-Holiday Sunday, 25 August, with Cadet Finley Taylor romping home in his Topper.

The race ignored the official national handicaps, normally used by the Club, and replaced them with individual ones based on each member’s performance to date.  With winds blowing a force four to five south-westerly, Tim Dye sailed his RS Aero up the line on starboard tack, seconds before the start, hardening up and cutting across it as the class flag fell from the yardarm.  Meanwhile John and Sarah Heath headed towards the shore on port, in their RS 200, with John Tappenden in his RS Aero just behind.  Half the fleet took advantage of the freshly flooding tide and headed out to sea, so gaining that extra lift whilst, surprisingly, the other half stuck closer to shore.  With the wind on the nose, the beat down the coast to the St. Michael’s buoy proved quite a slog but with the tides help it was Andy Cornforth that rounded the buoy first in his Laser, followed by the Heaths’ RS 200, then Paul Stanton’s Laser and Derroll Pedder’s RS Aero.  The second leg was a run back to the Eastcliff mark and it was whilst sailing by the lee that Cornforth capsized, allowing Stanton through.  The Heaths downwind tacked, having hoisted their asymmetric spinnaker and, once round Eastcliff, accelerated out to the Seaward buoy.  Stanton now lay in second place, followed by Cornforth, Pedder, Dye and then Tappenden, although the latter two then started swapping places on a regular bases.  By the time the fleet reached the offshore mark, Stanton and Cornforth were neck and neck but remaining behind the Heaths.  The wind began to freshen and Simon Kedge, in his GP14, and Charlie Heath in his Topper, both decided to retire.  Battling it out, just behind the leaders, were Dave Ingle in his RS Aero, Adam Kedge in his Laser, and Yvonne Gough, also in a Laser. The competitors gybed and reached into the AWS buoy before heading out to sea.  There then followed another gybe and a further reach up the coast to the Kingscliff buoy before beating back through the line.  Just before the end of the first lap, Paul Jackson retired in his Laser, whilst the rest of the fleet cracked on; the Heats still leading on the water.  The biggest battle, during the second lap, was between the four RS Aeros but, whilst all this was going on, Finley Taylor, despite a capsize, sailed a very clean course and, on handicap, had a clear victory.

Personal PY Race:
1.    Topper – Finley Taylor
2.    RS Aero – Derroll Pedder
3.    Laser – Yvonne Gough

On the Monday, 26 August, once again a force four to five south-westerly wind greeted those taking part in the final race of Gunfleet’s Class Points Series.   First away was the RS Aero fleet and John Tappenden headed towards the shore on port tack on the beat down the coast to the St. Michael’s buoy, Brian Allen hot on his heels.  With the tide having just turned, the boats soon tacked out to sea to gain that extra lift from the first of the flood and it was evident this was going to be a hard-fought battle; places changing quite frequently.  

By now the Laser fleet was away and, after a clean start, it was Ken Potts that lead the way, heading out to sea on starboard tack, but finding Andy Cornforth just behind him, and to windward.  Slightly further down the line, but outpointing the other Lasers, was Andy Dunnett, as they headed to the Eastcliff buoy.  Potts was the first to round this but still found Cornforth alongside him as they reached out to the Seaward mark.  Meanwhile the RS Aeros had rounded St. Michaels, and still positions changed, with Derroll Pedder, Allen and Tappenden all vying for the lead, Dave Ingle being just a little further back.  

Back at the Club, the Toppers had set off but Finley Taylor turned this into a one-horse race.  Out at Seaward, Potts continued to lead, with Cornforth second, then Tim Dye, Paul Stanton and Dunnett.  Behind them Yvonne Gough and Adam Kedge had their own battle going on, with Kedge edging ahead.  For both fleets it was a reach into the AWS buoy, back out to Seaward, up the coast to the Kingscliff mark and a beat back through the line.  During the first lap the wind backed south/south-west and freshened a little; Cornforth had taken the lead in the Lasers, and Tappenden in the RS Aeros.  The second, and final, lap continued to see places changing in both fleets, but at the finish the front runners remained the same.  However, with the conclusion of the series, the overall positions for class points were as follows:

RS Aero:
1.    John Tappenden
2.    Dave Ingle
3.    Brian Allen
Laser:
1.    Tim Dye
2.    Ken Potts
3.    Andy Dunnett
GP14:
1.    Paul Jackson
2.    Simon Kedge
Solo & Europe:
1.    Simon Clarke
2.    Michael Gutteridge
3.    Clare Giles
Comet:
1.    Peter Downer
2.    Chris Maloney
Topper:
1.    Finley Taylor
2.    Belle Hart
3.    Izzie Heath