Great Start To The New Sailing Season

Members of the Gunfleet Sailing Club packed the Clubhouse last Saturday evening 26 March to celebrate the start of the 2011 with their Fitting-Out Supper.  After the traditional fish and chip meal Commodore Richard Walker highlighted just how busy the Club had been over the winter period with social events and Cadet meetings each month, plus the Work Weekend and Cliff Clearance day.  However he was pleased to report that now the true purpose of the Club would be coming to fruition as members took their boats onto the water.  He concluded the evening by presenting Simon Clarke with the Winter Series Trophy; this being the third year in succession that Clarke had taken his Solution dinghy to victory.

On Sunday morning eleven boats took to the water for the very first race of the season; for the March Hare Trophy.  Half the fleet had a tightly bunched start with Paul Stanton in his Laser first away, followed closely by Simon Clarke and Ken Potts.  In a pleasant force three easterly wind the competitors soon tacked out to sea to gain the last of the ebb tide as they headed for the Kingscliff buoy.  From there it was a reach out to the Seaward mark followed by a gybe before a very broad reach back inshore.  By now Potts in his RS600 had a strong lead with Clarke in his Solution in second place.  However, very close on Clarke’s transom was Mark Venables, also in a Solution, whilst a little further back was Cadet Matt Downing in his Contender.  At the slow handicap end of the fleet Bethany Ford in her Topaz had slipped ahead of Barry Peters in his Comet Duo and then continued to pull away.  Just a little further back was Ben Richardson in his Topper.  Both Ford and Richardson are young Cadets of the Club, already showing considerable sailing skills, and true champions of the future.  Unfortunately the Comet Duo was caught by a gust and capsized although the Club Rescue Boat was quickly on the scene, but sailing veteran Peters soon had the craft upright and he retired back to the shore none the worse for his “early bath”.

On the second lap Derroll Pedder, who had been lagging a little behind in his Vortex, got his boat to really perform and he moved up several places; just missing out on the top three positions.

Results: March Hare Trophy
1. RS600 – Ken Potts
2. Solution – Simon Clarke
3. Laser – Paul Stanton