Another Win For Ken

The single helm race at Gunfleet Sailing Club, for the Toppo Trophy, saw the Laser class take the top three places, and victory going to Ken Potts.

The forecast westerly force three to four wind was certainly there when the sailors rigged their boats but it wasn’t long before it backed south-westerly, providing great sailing conditions.  This wind direction, coupled with the freshly ebbing tide, held the craft back on the line but as the start signal echoed across the water it looked like Robert Mitchell and Clare Giles had nailed it perfectly in their Laser and Europe respectively.  Both started close to the Outer Distance Mark and beat, close hauled, down the coast to the Eastcliff buoy, whilst Jono Dunnett and Potts had come to the line on starboard tack, in their Lasers, but right down by the Inner Distance Mark; the two of them then tacking onto port and hugging the shore to mitigate the effect of the adverse tide.  All looked promising for Mitchell until he went about, caught the tiller in his buoyancy aid, and promptly capsized, allowing his nearest rivals to sail past.  As the competitors rounded the windward mark it was Giles leading, followed by Potts, Dunnett, and then a bedraggled Mitchell.  Also in a Laser, but using her 4.7 rig, was Yvonne Gough who was determined to keep ahead of Chris Maloney in his Solo, whilst the Comets of Eddie White and Malcolm Smith both retired early on.   From Eastcliff it was a run to Preston Park buoy before what was intended to be a fetch, but with the recent windshift it ended up a beat out to Seaward.  On this leg both Potts and Giles headed straight out to sea and into the stronger ebbing tide, whist Dunnett and Mitchell tacked  along the shore before heading for the mark; the latter tactic whilst, in theory, giving those helms a slight advantage, proved to be inconsequential.  Slightly further back Carlo Bardetti’s Laser was challenging Dave Ingle’s RS Aero, with mixed success.  After Seaward it was close-hauled to the Lilley Farm buoy, a broad reach to AWS before heading back to the line.  At the end of the first lap it was Potts, and then Dunnett, with just two second before third placed Giles, but on the second lap Dunnett capsized on the run from Eastcliff to Preston Park, allowing Mitchell to get closer, but not close enough.  Further problems occurred for Mitchell when he momentarily got confused with the course and put two additional legs in.  Meanwhile Gough, having sailed a very clean course, slipped into third place.
 
Results – Toppo Single Helm:
1.    Laser – Ken Potts
2.    Laser – Jono Dunnett
3.    Laser – Yvonne Gough