Adam Is Convincing Winner

Gunfleet Sailing Club held its Personal PY Race on Sunday 30 June which gives every entrant a handicap number, based on a formula using previous results during the year.  Eighteen dinghies took part and the race officer set a course that started downwind, and down-tide.  It was all credit to the helms that everyone stayed the right side of the line, although John and Sarah Heath had the asymmetric kite flying on their RS200 and were required to head up wind in the last few seconds of countdown to prevent crossing early.  In fact the Heaths tactics paid off and they lead the fleet but were very soon overtaken by John Tappenden and Derroll Pedder, both sailing RS Aeros, closely followed by Tim Dye and Ken Potts, both sailing Lasers.  With the tide hurrying them along, the fleet soon made the first buoy at Preston Park, Tappenden leading, then Dye and Potts, with a small gap before Paul Stanton in a Laser, Brian Allen in an RS Aero, Pedder, then the Heaths.  The next to round the mark was Robert Gutteridge in his Contender but then he had technical trouble with his rudder, the blade refusing to stay down, and he was forced to retire.  There followed a short beat in to the Kingscliff buoy before a reach out to the Seaward mark.  By this time the leaders, on the water, were well clear of the rest of the fleet.  Hardening-up as they rounded the offshore buoy it was a beat in to the Eastcliff mark, Tappenden pointing high, but Potts proving faster to leeward of him; Dye headed inshore to avoid the tide but this allowed Stanton to close the gap.  Allen and Pedder were neck and neck with the Heaths and, slightly further back, Paul Jackson capsized his Solo.  Whilst all this was going on, towards the front of the fleet, a little way behind were the slower handicapped craft, and the person to watch was Adam Kedge in his Topper, who had pulled away from the other four Toppers and found himself in front of the Topaz, Lightning, and the Solo.  At the end of the first lap it was Potts physically in the lead but with further laps to go, and the personal handicap system kicking in, it was impossible to tell who was in first place.  In fact Tappenden was first across the water at the end of the second lap, and held on to this place for the third and final lap.  However, after the personal handicaps were applied it was Kedge that came out as the clear winner, having sailed a very clean course.

Results – Personal PY Race:
1.    Topper – Adam Kedge
2.    Laser – Paul Stanton
3.    Laser – Tim Dye