A Busy Sunday For Gunfleet

Members of the Gunfleet Sailing Club taking part in the first race of the Autumn Series had to rise early last Sunday 18 September in order to make the ten o’clock start.  This didn’t deter fourteen boats taking part in a light west/south westerly wind, blue skies and sunshine.  The fleet started on starboard tack, heading out to sea in the freshly flooding tide, as they beat down the coast to the Eastcliff buoy.  One or two competitors did hastily go about and tack in towards the shore a little way in an attempt to avoid the dirty wind of the other boats but then found the cliffs a barrier to the breeze.  Once round the mark the boats headed out to the Seaward buoy on a broad reach before gybing, fetching into the AWS buoy and then back out to Seaward.  By this time the wind had veered round to south westerly and there were clear pockets that lacked any breeze at all, stalling a few boats and leaving the helms feeling very frustrated.  The wind continued to swing onshore as the competitors headed to the Kingscliff buoy and beat back to the line.  As the race went on so the breeze gradually freshened.  In the fast fleet Matt Downing in his Contender saw-off Simon Mathewson in the Vortex at an early stage, although Mathewson fought hard to claw back the gap as the race went on; whilst in the medium fleet Andy Dunnett led the Lasers with Peter Downer in the thick of it all, sailing his Comet.

Results: Autumn Series 1
1. RS600 – Ken Potts
2. Blaze – John Tappenden
3. Solution – Simon Clarke

There then followed a second race which provided an opportunity for the Club to play catch-up as the event, for the Jubilee Cup, had been postponed three times before due to strong winds.  Eighteen boats took part and with a freshening southerly wind and strengthening flood tide there was little surprise that some of the competitors found themselves over the line at the start.  However, the Office of the Day was quick to hoist the individual recall flag and the guilty ones returned to correct their error.  It was certainly quite a sight to the onlookers as the craft made their way to the Eastcliff buoy.  Once again there followed a reach out to the Seaward mark which was followed by a run to the Kingscliff buoy and a beat back out to Seaward.  Up until now the boats had all stayed reasonably bunched but it was this latter leg that split the fleet, as boats tacked at different stages in order to make the mark.  There then followed a second run back to the Kingscliff buoy before a fetch back through the line.  This time Paul Stanton lead the Lasers, whilst in the slow handicap fleet Conor and Finlay Williams lead the Topazes and Ben Richardson the Toppers.

Results: Jubilee Cup
1. RS600 – Ken Potts
2. Blaze – John Tappenden
3. Comet – Peter Downer