Summer Series Win For John

Wednesday 6th August saw the last race in the Gunfleet Sailing Club’s evening Summer Series, with a win by John Tappenden cementing his position as overall winner of the seven-race series.

A steady force four, just touching five, onshore wind welcomed the competitors as they launched into a rather grey North Sea which meant that whichever way the course sent them, the first leg would be a reach.  The race officer decided to start the race against a flood tide with the aim of holding the boats back but an over-eager Andy Dunnett unfortunately jumped the line in his Laser but immediately saw the individual recall flag and returned to restart.  Unfortunately Robert Gutteridge felt that the recall might have also related to him as he had had brought his RS Aero tight to the line, so he too returned albeit unnecessarily.  Tim Dye immediately pulled away from his fellow sailors and took his RS Aero into an early lead, reaching the Kingscliff mark within minutes, followed by the RS Aeros of Brian Allen and John Tappenden.  The fleet hardened-up and beat into the tide with the aim of putting in a single tack and flying around the Preston Park buoy before reaching back to the AWS mark.  Dye got it spot on, still followed by Allen, whilst Tappenden took it a bit too tight, touched the buoy and lost precious time completing a 360 degree penalty turn.  Dunnett just fell short and had to put in a last minute mini tack, whilst Tom Bartlett capsized his Topaz and lost time righting it; and all the time Dye was flying.  After AWS it was a beat out to the Seaward mark and Dye immediately tacked, so heading offshore on starboard with the tide puling him towards Seaward all the time, but Allen just sheeted in on reaching AWS and ploughed forward on a port tack, followed by Tappenden; both tacking a little later.  Dye soon tacked round Seaward and eased the sheets for a run back to AWS, now commanding a strong lead, when disaster struck and he capsized; worse still, he turtled the boat.  Meanwhile Allen saw an opportunity to try and gain the lead but unfortunately went the wrong way round the offshore mark and was disqualified.  Following the rounding of AWS both Dye and Allen, almost neck and neck, headed for the Lilley Farm buoy but halfway there realised they were aiming for the wrong mark and had to hastily switch direction and head to the Eastcliff buoy, whilst those boats behind took full advantage of the situation.  From Eastcliff it was a beat to Lilley Farm and then a reach back to the line, where at the end of the first lap it was Tappenden, using the smaller rig on his RS Aero, who was in the lead, followed by Dunnett and then Dye.  The helms all worked hard on the second lap, with the wind freshening, and Dye managed to close the gap on Tappenden, slipping just in front of Dunnett on handicap, whilst Gutteridge had moved up to fourth place.  Coming in fifth, having sailed a very clean course in her Laser, was Yvonne Gough.

As the light started to fade, the boats were all packed away, and the smell of freshly cooked bacon baps enticed the sailors into the Clubhouse where a toast to fourteen weeks of great evening sailing was held.

Results – Summer Series - 7:
1.    RS Aero – John Tappenden 
2.    RS Aero – Tim Dye
3.    Laser – Andy Dunnett

Results – Summer Series - Overall:
1.    RS Aero – John Tappenden 
2.    RS Aero – Tim Dye
3.    RS Aero – Brian Allen