Commodore Takes Winning Gun

Sunday, July 15, 2012 - 21:16

Gunfleet Sailing Club held two races last Sunday 15 July, the first one being for the Potterer’s Pot; an event specifically for the slower handicapped boats.  Whilst it made a pleasant change to have blue skies and sunshine, the wind was variable in direction as well as strength.  Starting by the Inner Distance Mark, Peter Downer in his Comet lead the fleet on a close haul to the Eastcliff buoy.  Both he and Richard Walker, sailing his Sea Ranger, managed to point high enough on the westerly windshifts to make the mark in one whilst the other competitors were forced to put a tack in.  There then followed a run to the AWS buoy before a beat back to Eastcliff and a reach out to the Seaward buoy.  It was on this second beat that both Aaron Baker in his Topaz and Robert Gutteridge in his Topper managed to capsize.  Once out at the Seaward mark it was a rather lively gybe before a second reach up to the Kingscliff buoy and then a beat back through the line.  At the end of the first lap it was a close call between Downer and Walker, and during the second lap the wind freshened to a Force 6, continuing to vary in direction.  This ensured all the helms remained on their toes, in order to keep upright, and as the competitors crossed the finishing line it was Walker that took the honours. 

Results - Potterers’ Pot:
1. Sea Ranger – Richard Walker
2. Comet – Peter Downer
3. Topper – Ben Richardson
 
There then followed a race for the oldest trophy in the Club – the Tee Dee Challenge Cup – when thirteen boats came to the line.  However, minutes before the start the clew strap on Mark Venables’ Laser just caught the wing of John Tappenden’s Blaze, getting hooked up and causing both boats to capsize.  Having untangled themselves, Venables was forced to retire back to the shore with a broken boom.  With the winds continuing to blow up to force 6 a number of capsizes occurred, particularly prone to this being Derroll Pedder in his Vortex.  The first leg was a beat down the coast to the St. Michael’s buoy and there was split opinion as to whether to head out into the tide, so making the most of the variable winds, or whether to tack closely to the shore in order to mitigate the negative effect of the tide, but losing some wind under the lee of the cliffs.  There then followed a broad reach to the Eastcliff buoy, out to the Seaward mark and back into shore before heading up the coast, around the Kingscliff buoy and back through the line.  In the Laser fleet there was a mix of sail sizes with Paul Stanton racing on a full rig whilst Andy Dunnett and Matt Gough chose radial sails; Yvonne Gough opting for a 4.7 sail.  By the end of the first lap Dunnett was physically leading the Lasers despite Stanton’s full sail, proving how important it is to get the right rig for the occasion.
 
Results - Tee Dee Challenge Cup:
1. RS600 – Ken Potts
2. Blaze – John Tappenden
3. Solution – Simon Clarke
The Blaze and the Laser getting caught-up just before the start of the race for the Tee Dee Cup
Some of the competitors at the start of the race for the Tee Dee Challenge Trophy