Solutions Dominate

Once again sunshine, blue skies and light winds greeted the members of Gunfleet Sailing Club when they took part in the first race of the Egg and Bacon Series last Sunday 10 May.  Ten boats jostled for position at the line, and off to a flying start was Cadet Matt Downing in his Laser.  In a gentle easterly wind the boats beat to the Kingscliff buoy, staying close to the shore to avoid the flooding tide.  As the craft made their way round the mark it was clear that Simon Clarke had pulled out in front in his Solution and on the reach out to the Seaward buoy he continued to open the gap.  As usual there was a race within a race going on between the Laser sailors but it was Downing that lead the fleet, and by the end of the first lap he was nearly two minutes in front of his nearest rival.  In fact Downing seemed to have forgotten his fellow Laser sailors and was battling it out with the faster Solutions, giving Mark Venables a run for his money.  Further back in the slow fleet Cadet Bethany Ford put her Topaz through its paces and managed to cut very tightly round each buoy in order to complete the course as speedily as possible.  As the race went on so the wind freshened a little, making the second lap slightly quicker, and as the craft crossed the finishing line three of the top four positions went to Solutions with Downing splitting the class by taking a very creditable third place.

The crews then all retired to the clubhouse for a full English breakfast before a large contingent of young members, plus a number of older members new to sailing, took to sea in a fleet of Topazes and Toppers in order to undertake some sail training and, equally important, have fun on the water.

Results – Egg and Bacon 1:
1.    Solution – Simon Clarke
2.    Solution – Mark Venables
3.    Laser – Matt Downing