Wednesday Evening Sailing Gets Underway

Following two Wednesday evenings of no sailing, due firstly to no wind, and secondly to too much, but like all good Goldilock stories this Wednesday, 18 May, was just right for Gunfleet Sailing Club to hold its race in the Tony Chadd Series.

A force 3, gusting 4, East/South-easterly breeze greeted the thirteen boats that took part in the race but as the competitors launched so the wind just fell a little.  Against the last of the ebb tide the helms edged their craft up to the line but at the start Adam Kedge was over and up went the individual recall flag.  With so many dinghies smack on the line, both Ken Potts and Simon Clarke, sailing a Laser and a Solo respectively, turned back just in case they had been the guilty ones; unnecessarily as it emerged.  The fleet then headed down the coast, on a reach, to the Eastcliff buoy, with Jono Dunnett leading in his Laser.  The next leg was a beat out to the Seaward mark and most helms just hardened-up and pointed out to sea in the expectation that the tide, or what was left of it, would pull them towards the buoy.  Potts, having put himself further down the fleet, decided that an alternative tactic was needed and so tacked and sailed back towards the Club, parallel with the shore.  From land it looked like this might not be such a clever move but as Potts, and one or two others, then headed out to sea it was evident the gamble had paid off; although still behind Dunnett, he was now sitting in second place.  Clarke, also finding himself behind the other Solos, skilfully sailed his way past his class-mates but knew he had a long way to go to catch the leaders.  A very broad reach/run brought the boats down to the AWS buoy before a close-hauled leg back out to sea.  There then followed another reach to Preston Park buoy before hooking round and in to the Kingscliff mark, finally heading back to the line.  As the boats started their second lap Potts had gained a four second lead on Dunnett.  Further back the Topaz of Simon and Nicky Kedge started to become very unstable and the reason why soon became clear; a hull full of water although how it got like that was unclear.  The Club’s Rescue Boat escorted them back to shore.  The second lap saw little change although John Tappenden drove his RS Aero past the leading Lasers, but it proved to be just a little bit too late; Potts taking the winning gun, followed by Dunnett.

To round the evening off it was bacon baguettes all round, washed down with a drink at the bar whilst tactics were discussed. 

Results – Tony Chadd Series - 3:
1.    Laser – Ken Potts
2.    Laser – Jono Dunnett
3.    RS Aero – John Tappenden