Reports 2024
Lively conditions faced the competitors at Gunfleet Sailing Club on Sunday 1 September 2024 when they took part in the race for the Toppo Single Handed Trophy.
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.
Gunfleet Sailing Club held its long distance race for the Jim Suckling Shield, held under quite trying conditions, which resulted in victory for John Tappenden in his RS Aero.
The fabulous weather on Sunday 11 August saw twenty-three boats take to the water when Gunfleet Sailing Club held one of its special 3-in-1 races; three short races, using the same course, back to back with no discards and all results counting to the overall positions.
Gunfleet Sailing Club members took part in the race for the John Venables Trophy on Sunday 4 August but were slightly frustrated by the light winds; Ken Potts claiming the trophy after a close tussle.
The Gunfleet Sailing Club members concluded their Wednesday evening Summer Series of races on 31 July 2024 in splendid weather – blue skies, blue seas, and a force four, gusting five, north-easterly wind.
Gunfleet Sailing Club members basked in the sunshine last Sunday 28 July as they took part in the rather unusual “Reverse Race”, when a course is set, and when completed requires the competitors to circumnavigate the Outer Distance Mark and return the way they came in order to finish.
The penultimate race in the Gunfleet Sailing Club’s evening Summer Series was held in somewhat overcast conditions and a stiff onshore breeze.
Gunfleet Sailing Club held its annual Regatta, sponsored by Orsted Energy and Odiin Recruitment, over the weekend of 20 & 21 July with twenty-eight boats taking part in an offshore wind and a mixture of sunshine and clouds.
Gunfleet Sailing Club members made the most of the fine weather last Wednesday evening, 17 July, when they eagerly rigged-up for the fifth race in the Summer Series. A force 3 - 4 onshore wind greeted the competitors as they headed out to the start line, and with a flood tide holding them back against their first leg up the coast, it was hoped that nobody would “jump the line”. Unfortunately, with the necessary reaching start, both Derroll Pedder and Brian Allen were just a little too eager, in their RS Aeros, and crossed the line a second too early.
Gunfleet Sailing Club members found it hard to believe it was July when they took part in the 3-in-1 multi-race for the Tee Dee Challenge Trophy on Sunday 7 July 2024; a force 5 to 6 south/south-westerly wind, heavy cloud, and below average seasonal temperature greeting them.
Gunfleet’s third race in its Summer Series was held last Wednesday evening, 3 July, in a chilly west/south-westerly blustery wind and very “unlike summer” conditions; needless to say it attracted a keen group of sailors, eager to take part.
Gunfleet Sailing Club held its Personal PY Race on Sunday 30 June which gives every entrant a handicap number, based on a formula using previous results during the year. Eighteen dinghies took part and the race officer set a course that started downwind, and down-tide. It was all credit to the helms that everyone stayed the right side of the line, although John and Sarah Heath had the asymmetric kite flying on their RS200 and were required to head up wind in the last few seconds of countdown to prevent crossing early.
The second of the evening Summer Series of races was held last Wednesday 26 June in weather reflecting the series title. The blue skies and bright sunshine, despite the lateness of the day, provided a perfect backdrop, but unfortunately for the competitors, the easterly wind was just a little too light.
The superb weather brought eighteen boats onto the water for the Gunfleet Sailing Club Chase on Sunday 23 June 2024. This is a unique race where, using the official national handicaps, each class of boat has its own start time, and at pre-announced finish time, all craft should be level with each other; therefore, at that moment in time, whoever is leading has won.