Lively Conditions Too Much For Many

On Saturday evening 21 May 2011 50 members of Gunfleet Sailing Club enjoyed a “Quiz and Curry Night” in the Clubhouse.  With special guest “Your quiz enquizeter Dennis” challenging the teams to answer as many questions as they could it was a close run battle; the intensity of which was only broken by a superb chicken and vegetable curry plus gateau at the halfway stage.  At the end of the evening it was the Spence family that got the highest score but everyone agreed that it had been a winning night for all those taking part.

It was an early start the next day for the sailors of Gunfleet Sailing Club when they took part in the first race of the Egg and Bacon Series.  As the competitors rigged their boats so the south westerly force four, gusting five, wind started to increase.  There was a clear split on the start line with about half the fleet heading out to sea on a starboard tack whilst the others beat into shore on port tack.  However, as the boats crossed the start line, at the very bottom of the tide, so Ken Potts clipped the dagger board on his RS600 resulting in a dramatic pitch-pole capsize onto Simon Clarke’s Solution.  Potts lost several minutes recovering himself and discovering he had damaged his hull and torn his sail; but he was determined to carry on.  By this time all but Derroll Pedder had headed out to sea to gain the full force of the freshly flooding tide and soon found themselves contending with large rolling waves, complete with white tops.  Pedder, sailing a Laser, stuck close to the shore where the seas were a little more manageable.  It was a long beat to the mark, at St. Michael’s, and first to find the conditions a little too lively was Matthew Gough in his Laser who retired back to the Club.  By this time Potts was endeavouring to catch the rest of the fleet but continued to capsize a number of times.  Also going over was John Tappenden in his Blaze.  Once around the mark it was a run to the AWS buoy and for Tappenden it proved too much and he retired.  The next casualty was Mark Venable who, having held a screaming reach out to the Seaward buoy in his Solution, capsized on the way in to the Kingscliff mark.  Having got the mast of the boat stuck in the clay he received assistance from the Rescue Boat and subsequently retired to the shore.  No sooner had this occurred then Pedder and Yvonne Gough both turtled their Lasers at the Seaward mark and whilst Pedder righted his boat unaided, Yvonne needed assistance and she too then retired.  However, at the end of the first lap Pedder had had enough and went back to the shore.  Potts continued to capsize but just kept going whilst Andy Dunnett, having had a reasonably stable first lap in his Laser, ditched the boat on the run along the coast, and that seemed to be the start of a number of capsizes.  All the time Clarke had sailed a very upright course until the very last leg when he too took a dive, but managed to right the boat in sufficient time to take a very well deserved first place.

All the sailors were then treated to a full English breakfast in the Clubhouse where the race was relived once more, over the sausage, egg and bacon. 
 
Results: Egg and Bacon Series 1
1. Solution – Simon Clarke
2. RS600 – Ken Potts
3. Laser – Andy Dunnett