Lots Happening Down at the Gunfleet

It has been yet another busy time for members of the Gunfleet Sailing Club.  On Saturday evening 6 June, supported by their colleagues from the Gunfleet Boating Club, members swapped their boats for bikes to take part in the annual Bicycle Treasure Hunt.  Searching for clues around Holland on Sea, it was a team from the Boating Club that scored the highest points and, for the second year in a row, took the trophy.  However, the real winner was the RNLI when, as part of Clacton Lifeboat Flag week, the Sailing Club raised £220 from the event for Clacton Lifeboat Station.

The next morning the weather was atrocious with very strong winds and heavy rain, and it looked unlikely that there would be any sailing.  But as the day progressed the wind abated, the rain stopped and the sunshine appeared; just in time for the Gunfleet Sailing Club’s long distance race for the Jim Suckling Shield.  By this time a number of members had already decided not to take to the water but twelve boats still took part.

Simon Clarke lead the fleet towards Clacton Pier buoy in his Solution but it was a long and quite gruelling beat against a very strong ebbing tide.  A number of the Topazes retired either due to gear failure or because the first leg was rather too daunting.  Once around the first mark the boats ran back to the AWS buoy before heading out to the Seaward mark and then an extremely long run to the Holland Haven Outfall buoy and back to the Club.  Paul Stanton lead the Laser fleet but couldn’t touch the faster boats, whilst Derroll Pedder brought up the rear in his Q’ba.  Ken Potts, having lead all the way up to the Haven in his RS600, mistakenly went around the wrong buoy and retired when he arrived back at the Club on his first lap having realised his mistake.  At the end of the first lap it was Clarke who was in the lead on handicap but on the second lap Kelvin Morton sailed to a very fast time in his RS600 and took the winning gun with Clarke second; beating John Tappenden in his blaze by less than half a second.

Results – Jim Suckling Long Distance Shield:
1.    RS600 – Kelvin Morton
2.    Solution – Simon Clarke
3.    Blaze – John Tappenden

The previous Wednesday evening the Club held the second race in its Summer Series and twelve boats entered.  It was a frustrating sail as the wind shifted in direction and varied in strength, and several times a leading helm would find themselves in the doldrums whilst their fellow competitors crept ever closer.  The two RS600’s took the wrong course, which put them to the back of the fleet, leaving the battle to be between Clarke in his Solution and John Heath in a Laser.  At the end of the first lap Heath had a small lead but dropped down to fourth place in the second lap.

Results – Summer Series 2:
1.    Solution – Simon Clarke
2.    Blaze – John Tappenden
3.    Comet – Peter Downer