Gunfleet Sailing Club

Gunfleet Sailing Club held its final Sailing On Saturday (SOS) for Cadets and Otters on 4 September and this included the last race in the SOS Series for Toppers and Topazes.  As the Topper fleet got underway both Simon Mathewson and Ben Richardson got cracking good starts and were neck and neck as they headed to the Kingscliff buoy.  In a brisk force three wind the small craft went at a great pace, and as they reached the first mark Mathewson pulled ahead and maintained the position to take first place, with Richardson second and Robert Gutteridge third.  Twenty minutes afte

Last Sunday evening 29 August over 80 Club members came together at Gunfleet Sailing Club to celebrate a very successful Gunfleet Cadet Week.  The Week started the previous Monday in strong winds and as the week went on so the wind got even stronger but this did not stop over 40 Club Cadets and Otters having a great time on, in, and off the water each day.  Despite the rather extreme conditions the youngsters managed to get their boats on the sea three out of the five days and had some exhilarating sailing in a fleet of Toppers and Topazes.  This included, on Friday, sailing

Gunfleet Sailing Club received a visit from a surprise guest last Former England Rugby Player Jason Leonard OBE, in white T-shirt, visits Gunfleet Cadets and OttersSunday 22 August when former England Rugby Player Jason Leonard OBE popped in to wish the Club’s youngsters all the best at their forthcoming Cadet Week.  Jason, who holds the world record for being the most-capped forward, has done a bit of sailing and visited the Gunfleet to see for himself the activities on offer to budding young sailors

Gunfleet Sailing Club held its annual pursuit race last Sunday 15 August for the Potts Trophy.  In a force four gusting five northerly wind fourteen boats took part but unlike the usual races, where competitors start at a fixed time and complete a set number of laps with the winner being determined on a handicap system, this race staggers the start in line with the handicaps and at a predetermined time the race is terminated and in theory all the competitors should be together.  In the lively conditions the first away were the Topazes but it wasn’t long before Aaron Baker an

An offshore breeze greeted the 12 boats taking part in Gunfleet Sailing Club’s long distance race for the Jim Suckling Trophy last Sunday 8 August.  Paul Davis got a cracking start in his Solution but was soon overhauled by Simon Clarke, also in a Solution although this was not to last.  The first leg took the craft to the Pier buoy and with the wind gusting between the buildings on land positions varied as the race went on.  Once round this mark it was back to the Seaward buoy , a beat into the AWS mark and then along the coast to Holland Haven Outfall buoy before retu

Last Wednesday evening 28 July 2010 members of the Gunfleet Sailing Club took part in the penultimate race in the series for the Tony Chadd Trophy.  Thirteen boats came to the start line, and in a fresh offshore breeze the craft were soon well on their way to the St.

Last Saturday evening, 24 July 2010, 40 members of the Gunfleet Concentration takes grip as the Gunfleet Crabbing Contest gets underwaySailing Club took part in the annual Crabbing Contest, with a further 30 people supporting them from the shore.  In an exciting challenge eventually prizes were awarded for the largest, smallest and prettiest crab, plus the one that did the best Elvis Presley impression!!

The waters off Gunfleet Sailing Club were unusually empty last Sunday  18 July when members sailed up to neighbouring Clacton Sailing Club to take part in their Regatta.  In fresh south/south westerly winds the Gunfleet dinghies competed alongside the host club’s catamarans in what turned out to be a lively but enjoyable morning race.  Gunfleet’s John Tappenden won the RNLI Pennant in his Blaze for being first mono-hull and Gunfleet Cadets Ben and Ollie Withams took the winning gun for being the first youngsters home.  This was a great achievement for th

Twenty one boats from Gunfleet Sailing Club headed out on a cruise to the Gunfleet Wind Farm last Saturday 10 July accompanied by the Club’s two Rescue Boats.  As the fleet left the beach there was a light onshore breeze but as the boats beat out to sea so the wind freshened and small white horses started appearing.  It wasn’t long before the craft were thrashing through the water and within a very short space of time they had all arrived at their destination.  Running back home, with the wind dead-aft, meant it was an extremely quick return journey and all too so

It was an absolute perfect weekend for members of the Gunfleet Sailing Club.  On Saturday afternoon 3 July the series of Sailing On Saturdays (SOS) for the Club’s 67 Cadets and Otter members began with over a dozen boats on the water.  In a pleasant onshore wind, blue skies and unbroken sunshine the youngsters made the most of developing their boat handling skills as well as having a great time swimming from one craft to another, and once the fleet was all put away there was a grand barbecue for everyone.