Potts Thrives In Windy Conditions

Gunfleet Sailing Club held the first race in its Spring Series on Sunday 6 April, with a convincing win, after a hard battle, for Ken Potts in his RS Aero.

The bright sunshine helped to detract from the cold north-easterly force five, gusting six, wind that greeted the competitors as they rigged up, or more appropriately down to smaller rigs, their boats.  It was Andy Dunnett that led the fleet on starboard tack at the start of the race, in his Laser, whilst Clare Giles sat just behind him in her Europe; Andy Cornforth windward of her in his Laser.  The only one that defied this tack was Potts who headed straight out to sea on port, gaining maximum benefit from the ebbing tide.  Cornforth, having just flown in from America and somewhat unprepared in a pair of shorts and a spray top, very quickly threw in a tack and he too headed away from the shore as the boats headed up the coast to the Kingscliff buoy.  Potts rounded the mark first but nearly lost it in a gust, followed shortly by Cornforth.  The second leg was a reach to the Seaward buoy and it was then that Giles’s rudder started popping up; she had no alternative but to put the brakes on in order to push it back down and tighten the wing nut, losing her valuable time, whilst Cornforth closed the gap on Potts.  A rather “hairy” gybe out at Seaward, lead to a screaming reach in to the AWS mark, Dunnett now sitting in third place, and Brian Allen holding fourth position in his RS Aero.  Hardening up as the fleet swung round AWS, it was a second beat to Kingscliff before an exciting run back down the coast to the Eastcliff buoy.  It was this leg that saw Cornforth overtake Potts and their paths crossed several times as they beat back to the line.  At the end of the first lap there was just one second between them on the water, whilst using their handicaps it was a clear lead for Cornforth.  This scrap continued during the second lap, whilst Allen was now challenging Dunnett.  Giles lost time when going about after Eastcliff, as she received a whack on the head from the boom, forcing her to retire.  Meanwhile, Potts had successfully just pipped Cornforth to the post at the end of the second lap but, with a lack of appropriate sailing gear, the cold was really getting to Cornforth and he, to, retired; this left Potts to complete the third lap and take the winning gun.

Spring Series - 1:
1.    RS Aero – Ken Potts
2.    Laser – Andy Dunnett
3.    RS Aero – Brian Allen