Lively Conditions Greet the Competitors for the Wallet Trophy
Lively conditions greeted the members of the Gunfleet Sailing Club when they took part last Sunday 18 May in the race for the Wallet Trophy. A fresh force five north easterly wind and ebbing tide resulted in some large waves and plenty of white horses; a classic wind over tide scenario. The start proved to be a little hectic with a couple of boats over the line but they soon corrected their mistake and the race was on. First to be overpowered by the conditions was Yvonne Gough in her Laser and the Club Rescue Boat escorted her in to the shore. The rest of the fleet beat to the Kingscliff buoy and once round that there was a lively run down to the St. Michael’s mark. At this point Antony Reeve also felt conditions were too much and he made his own way back to the Club. Shortly after this the Rescue Boat went to the assistance of Cadet Sonny Hart who, having capsized his Topper a couple of times, was becoming exhausted. However, some of the more seasoned sailors were simply loving the challenge, and the remaining five Lasers were really battling it out to see who could take top spot. Mark Venables was hot on their heels in his Topaz, the boat simply flying through the water. Further capsizes kept the Rescue Boat crew on their toes but fortunately they were not needed and the race settled down a little. After the first lap it was Kelvin Morton who was leading in his RS 600 and despite a consistently fast second and third lap, by the end of the race John Tappenden had managed to slip ahead of him on handicap and claimed the Trophy.
Results:
Wallet Trophy:
1. Laser – John Tappenden
2. RS 600 – Kelvin Morton
3. Laser – Andy Dunnett
Missing from the race was Simon Clarke who had travelled up to Northampton Sailing Club with his Redeye Solution for the class’s national championships. Flying the flag for the Gunfleet Sailing Club he battled it out over five races and took a very creditable third place overall. Simon has been sailing at Gunfleet since the early 1970’s when he joined as a young lad.
