Jono Flies To Victory

Fresh winds greeted members of the Gunfleet Sailing Club when they took part in the race for the Jubilee Cup with a west/south-westerly force 5, touching 6, showing on the Club’s weather station.

With the exception of Derroll Pedder, who stayed offshore and close to the Outer Distance Mark in his RS Aero, the fleet hogged an area around the Inner Distance Mark as the start got underway.  At this point the tide had just turned and started to flood, so assisting the craft as they beat down the coast to the Lilley Farm buoy and Pedder’s tactic was threefold, to gain the cleaner wind away from the cliff face, benefit from the stronger tide, and avoid the dirty wind of being in amongst his competitors.  However, Ken Potts and Tim Dye, both in RS Aeros, along with Jono Dunnett in his Laser, pointed as high as they dare on the line from IDM to Lilley Farm and managed to make the first mark without putting a tack in.  Potts arrived at the buoy first, followed closely by Dye and then Dunnett and as they then reached out to the Seaward mark Dunnett quickly sailed over Dye and closed the gap on Potts.  Just behind these three was Adam Kedge in his Laser, whilst there was another battle behind him with Brian Allen in his RS Aero holding off Pedder.  As the lead boat reached Seaward, Dunnett then passed Potts and was first to round the mark, now followed by Dye and then Potts; all three cleanly gybing before a second reach in to the Kingscliff buoy.  Positions didn’t change but Potts was snapping at Dye’s transom and as soon as he rounded the mark he tacked and headed out to sea on the penultimate leg to the AWS buoy.  As the others tacked it was clear the Laser was outpointing the Aeros, so opening up the gap of the lead boat still further.  After AWS it was a short fetch back to the line and at the end of the first lap it was Dunnett first and then Potts who had regained second place to Dye who now lay third.  During the second lap, Dunnett continued to pull away whilst Kedge, on handicap, edged his way from fourth to second place; Potts keeping back Dye and Pedder briefly level-pegging with Allen.  On the third lap, Allen shook-off Pedder whilst Dye overtook Potts but none of them could stop Dunnett and Kedge taking the top two places.

Jubilee Cup:
1.    Laser – Jono Dunnett
2.    Laser – Adam Kedge
3.    RS Aero – Tim Dye