A Sailor's Wind Was All That Was Lacking

Continuing good weather certainly brought the members of the Gunfleet Sailing Club out in force, with eighteen boats taking to the water last Sunday 17 April when the second race in the Spring Series was held.

A flat sea, blue skies and sunshine beckoned the competitors although a disappointing light wind would prove their patience.  An easterly breeze and strong ebbing tide resulted in a rather bunched start, with those nearest the line desperately trying to hold themselves back for fear of crossing it too early.  As it happened it was only Sebastien Mathewson in his Byte that found himself over but he spotted International Code Flag X being hoisted from the Club yardarm, the individual recall signal, and headed back to correct his mistake.  Surprisingly nearly all the fleet tacked towards the shore as they headed up the coast to the Kingscliff buoy, with the exceptions being Peter Downer in his Comet and Richard Walker in his Sea Ranger, both of whom tacked out to sea to gain the full force of the tide under them; so assisting their progress to the mark.  After that the boats all headed out to the Seaward buoy on a broad reach but as they got offshore so the wind, what little of it there was, decided to fade to almost nothing.  Competitors could only watch as their craft, at best, stayed still as they tried to stem the tide; but worse for those in the slower handicapped, heavier boats, who saw the mark drop away from them.

After a short while a very light breeze filled in and once again the fleet started to move, but very slowly.  However, by this time a number of the competitors had had enough and slowly made their way to shore whilst the rest of the boats sailed gracefully on to the AWS mark and back out to Seaward, before a long and painful reach to the St. Michael’s buoy.  Once around this they were assisted back towards the line by the strengthening tide.

Mathewson, having made-up for his mistake at the start of the race, along with Downer, found themselves up with the faster Lasers and managed to hang on in there to take second and third places, but it was Ken Potts who, having sailed his RS600 to perfection, very quietly slipped into a strong first position.
 
Results: Spring Series - 2
1. RS600 – Ken Potts
2. Comet – Peter Downer
3. Byte – Sebastien Mathewson