Ken's Back In The Driving Seat

Gunfleet Sailing Club held the final 3-in-1 race of the season on Sunday 10 August 2025, three short back to back races for the Bill Clarke Shield, with nineteen dinghies taking to the water.  

The force three onshore breeze, sunshine and blue sea made a magnificent backdrop as the first race got underway.  Adam Kedge looked certain to be too early to the line on his Laser but kicked back just sufficient to lead the fleet, on a reach, to the Kingscliff buoy.  Ken Potts was windward of Adam and slipped past him, with Brian Allen and Tim Dye windward of Potts; all three sailing RS Aeros.  Despite the fleet fighting a flood tide, they were soon rounding the mark, Potts followed by Dye and then the RS Aeros of John Tappenden, Allen, Dave Ingle, Martin Chivers and Derroll Pedder.  After that were a mix of Lasers and Solos, with Peter Downer’s Comet in amongst them all.  A second reach back to AWS was then followed by a beat out to the Seaward buoy before a broad reach into the Lilley Farm buoy, short run to Eastcliff and finally a reach back to the finish line.  At the end of this initial race it was Potts first, Dye second, and Tappenden third.  The second race saw Dye lead at the start, but Potts and Pedder both overtook him and showed him the way round the Kingscliff mark, Ingle laying fourth.  Simon Kedge lead the Lasers but couldn’t shake Downer off in his Comet.  The beat out from AWS to Seaward saw a split in tactics and as the competitors rounded the offshore mark it was Potts followed by Dye and then Ingle.  Slightly further back, Paul Jackson held Dave Fowell and Michael Gutteridge back, all three sailing Solos, and whilst the second race was, once again, won by Potts with Dye second, it was Downer’s Comet that took third place.  With conditions being absolutely perfect, the race officer made the last race two laps and just to show its approval, the wind freshened to a force four.  By now the tide had started to turn with the resultant jumping of the line; this in turn meant a general recall and all the boats returned to give it another go. At the second attempt, Dye immediately led the way with Simon Kedge second but closer inshore and at the Kingscliff it was Potts snapping at Dye’s heels, with Tappenden, Allen and Chivers just behind.  Unfortunately some helms, including Dye, had not realised the tide had changed and so tacked hard around AWS rather than simply hardening up and letting the tide pull them onto the buoy.  This resulted in several changes in positions and at the end of the final race it was Tappenden first, Potts second and Dye third; fourth place going to Ella Langfeldt in her RS Aero, and fifth place to Paul Stanton in his Laser.  By combining the position of all three races it was Potts that claimed the shield.

Bill Clarke Shield:
1.    RS Aero – Ken Potts
2.    RS Aero – Tim Dye
3.    RS Aero – John Tappenden