Simon Clarke has the Solution for Victory

The penultimate race in the Gunfleet Sailing Club’s Winter Series took part in a fresh north/north easterly wind last Sunday with eight boats taking part and victory going to Simon Clarke in his Solution. Before the start Geoff Battersby was forced to come back to the beach when his tiller broke, but undeterred he borrowed a Solution and headed back into the fray. As the class flag fell from the yardarm, denoting the start of the race, Paul Stanton took an immediate lead in his Laser, followed closely by Clarke. The first leg saw the boats beating up to the Kingscliff buoy against a strengthening flood tide. The dilemma for the helms was whether to hug the shore where the tide had less adverse impact, or whether to stay further out to sea where the wind was keener. Following an uneventful gybe around the mark the fleet then reach to the AWS buoy before returning to the Kingscliff buoy and out to sea. Antony Reeve found the conditions a bit too much in his Laser and retired, as did Battersby in the Solution following a lively capsize. By the end of the first lap Clarke had built up a good lead but Andy Dunnett had slipped ahead of Stanton in the Lasers and was lying in second place. The second lap saw Clarke strengthen his position. Results: Winter Series 6: 1. Solution – Simon Clarke 2. Laser – Andy Dunnett 3. Laser – Paul Stanton