Summer Series Starts On A High

Gunfleet Sailing Club held the first race in its evening Summer Series last Wednesday 22 June and welcomed fourteen boats onto the water.  Weather conditions were almost ideal with a force three East/North-easterly wind, blue skies, and the end of the day’s sunshine.

On the last of the flood tide the fleet had a clear start, with the vast majority of competitors bunched offshore at the Outer Distance Mark on starboard tack.  The exception to this was John Tappenden who held his RS Aero by the Inner Distance Mark, heading out to sea on port; he tacked under the fleet and joined his colleagues sailing up the coast and into the shore, aiming to mitigate the negative effect of the tide.  John Heath capsized his Blaze and, whilst righting it, could only watch several of his competitors sailing back out to sea.  As the dinghies reached the Kingscliff buoy it was Ken Potts in his Laser, and Tappenden, with the Laser of Andy Dunnett close by.  On the run back down the coast, to the Lilley Farm mark, the fleet closed-up; Eddie White in his Comet tussling with Simon Kedge in his Topaz, slightly further back.  Once round Lilley Farm, Potts Tappenden, Dunnett and Heath all stood-out as they beat to the AWS buoy, whilst Simon Clarke tacked his Solo to head inshore, followed by Robert Mitchell and Brian Allen in their Lasers; the next wave of boats being Derroll Pedder’s Solo, Dave Ingle’s RS Aero, and Yvonne Gough’s Laser Radial.  Dave Fowell, after a disappointing start in his Solo, decided to retire.  Potts had to tack twice to make AWS whilst Dunnett pinched his Laser round, and Mitchell gained an overlap on Clarke as he slipped inside of him.  There then followed a run to Eastcliff which, on rounding, once again split the fleet on the beat back to the line.  Potts, Tappenden, Dunnett and Heath all tacked towards the shore, as did Clarke; a surprising move as by now the tide had turned and should have actually helped them on their way.  Mitchell ignored them and headed out to sea to gain the benefit of the ebb.  On the second lap Dunnett capsized on the run to Lilley Farm and struggled for a while to right his Laser, allowing a number of dinghies to pass by.  Things settled for the rest of this second lap until, whilst crossing the line, Heath once again capsized and this time his centreboard snapped, putting him out of the race.

On the third and final lap Tappenden managed get ahead of Potts, and Dunnett picked several of his rivals off, but failed to overtake Mitchell
 
Results – Summer Series - 1:
1.    Laser – Ken Potts
2.    RS Aero – John Tappenden
3.    Solo – Simon Clarke