Ken Claims Overall Title In Spring Series

The fine weather saw, once again, seventeen dinghies taking to the water on Sunday 26 April for Gunfleet Sailing Club’s final race in its Spring Series which was won, overall, by Ken Potts in his RS Aero.

The competitors edged towards the line on a reach, relying on the ebb tide to hold them back, the majority staying offshore by the Outer Distance Mark despite the stronger negative tide.  Following a clean start it was Robert Gutteridge in his RS Aero that pulled away and managed to avoid the dirty wind from his opponents as the fleet broad reached down the cost to the Eastcliff mark.  Gutteridge was first round, followed by Potts and Tim Dye, both in RS Aeros, and then Jono Dunnett in his Laser.  The helms immediately hardened-up and headed out to sea, with the tide now assisting them as they beat up the coast to the Preston Park buoy; a quick tack and in towards shore with Potts and Dye now in the top two places, Gutteridge sitting third, Dunnett fourth but snapping at Gutteridge’s heels, then Dave Ingle in his RS Aero and Adam Kedge in his Laser.  As Potts rounded Preston Park he caught both Dye and Dunnett on port whilst the rest of the fleet appeared to have spread out, but the gaps soon closed as the craft then fought the tide again and headed to the Lilley Farm buoy.  Dunnett had, by now, squeezed past Dye.  The fourth leg was a second beat out to the Seaward mark and most helms headed straight offshore and stood out to the layline.  Whilst the top three positions remained the same, the wind unfortunately dropped to a force 2, making the close reach to the Kingscliff buoy rather an anticlimax.  As the boats broad reached back to the line, it was still Potts in the lead over the water whilst Dye had regained second place over Dunnett, but applying the handicaps it was Dunnett, Potts, Kedge and then Dye.  On the second lap there was quite a bit of movement further back in the fleet; Brian Allen, who in the first lap was a disappointing tenth in his RS Aero, pulled all the stops out to take fourth place in the second lap in its own right, and John Tappenden who took his RS Aero from ninth to fifth.  Unfortunately for both helms it was just a little too late, with the top three places, on handicap going to Dunnett, Potts and Kedge; cementing Potts’s victory in the series as a whole.

Spring Series - Overall:
1.    RS Aero – Ken Potts
2.    RS Aero – Tim Dye
3.    RS Aero – Brian Allen