Ken Wins An Exciting Race

Gunfleet Sailing Club members enjoyed a fresh force four, gusting five, onshore breeze on Sunday 8 September 2024 when they took part in the race for the Fleet Championships.  With a flood tide under them, the boats drew closer and closer to the line, the helms edging each other forward.  As the start flag fell from the yardarm it was clear that the majority of the fleet had jumped the line, so up went the General Recall flag and five minutes later the whole start sequence was repeated.  This time saw a clear start but Andy Dunnett had stalled his Laser to avoid being the wrong side and, as he got underway, was frustrated to see several competitors fly by.  Tim Dye lead the fleet in his RS Aero, followed by Brian Allen, also in an RS Aero.  As the dinghies reached down the coast to the Eastcliff buoy, Robert Gutteridge held his RS Aero just to leeward of Allen, who found Ken Potts overtaking him in his Laser, windward of both Aeros.  It was only a few minutes before Eastcliff was reached and Dye lead the way round it, followed by Potts, Dunnett, and then Allen.  However, Simon Clarke cut between Allen and the buoy, in his Europe, and continued to hold him at bay.  During the second reach back to the AWS buoy, Potts slipped ahead of Dye and, once round, all the helms hardened-up as they beat out to the Seaward mark; the flood tide helped the sailors to make the buoy in one hit before another reach down to the Lilley Farm buoy.  By now Dye, still trailing behind Potts, had pulled away from Dunnett but fortunes were to change as Dunnett closed the gap on the leg up to Preston Park.  Finally it was a reach back through the line, at which point Potts had the lead, Dye was second, and Dunnett third.  Slightly further back were Yvonne Gough in her Laser, and Finley Taylor in his Topper.  The second lap saw Potts pull further ahead but otherwise the pecking order stayed much the same.  The wind began to back slightly and on the third, and final, lap the beat from AWS to Seaward required some tacking tactics; Dye getting caught by the flood tide, losing valuable time and letting Dunnett slip ahead of him on handicap.  Try as he might he was unable to regain his earlier position, and had to satisfy himself with third place, Dunnett second, and Potts taking the top spot.

Fleet Championships:
1.    Laser – Ken Potts
2.    Laser – Andy Dunnett
3.    RS Aero – Tim Dye