Ken Takes The Tony Chadd Trophy

Gunfleet Sailing Club held the race for the Tony Chadd Trophy last Sunday 6 September, with Ken Potts taking his Laser to victory and making it three firsts in the last three events.

The sunshine and blue skies certainly painted an inviting picture to the competitors as they rigged their boats, with a light westerly wind promising an enjoyable sail for everyone.  The helms were soon on the water and sailing up and down the line to try and determine if there was a bias, bearing in mind the breeze was coming slightly from the shore.  At a bunched start it was Potts that lead the fleet, as all the boats headed out to sea on starboard tack in order to gain the assistance of the flood tide.  Sailing down the coast the competitors remained close together and it didn’t take long for them on the beat up to the Windward buoy.  At this point Derroll Pedder, in a Solo, had remained closest to the Laser fleet but on the next leg, a reach out to the first offshore mark, the Lasers had had enough and began to pull away.  The third leg of the course was a run, in the westerly breeze, to the Seaward buoy and this allowed Yvonne Gough in her Laser, and a master of light winds, to try and close the gap between Potts.  The dinghies then fetched back towards the shore before beating, once again, down the coast and taking a broad reach out to the Seaward mark.  Pedder, having slipped back a little from the Lasers, was now finding Michael Gutteridge challenging him in his Solo but this proved to be a short-lived threat; Pedder craftily outmanoeuvring his rival.  So, as the sailors completed the first lap it was Potts in first place, Gough second, and Pedder third.  During the second lap the wind began to back and soon settled in a south-westerly direction, freshening a little at the same time.  Pedder was quick to pick-up on this and edged his way past all the Lasers, slipping in front of Gough, but finding it very difficult to threaten Potts who doggedly hung on to his lead; eventually taking the top spot with a comfortable margin.  

Results – Tony Chadd Trophy:
1.    Laser  – Ken Potts
2.    Solo – Derroll Pedder
3.    Laser – Yvonne Gough