Tappenden Takes Top Spot Again

Gunfleet Sailing Club held the second race in its Spring Series last Sunday 15 April, under mixed skies and a chilly force four gusting six north/north easterly wind.  With the craft starting on a fetch, and the ebb tide under them, there was an expectation that some competitors might jump the line but the Officer of the Day recorded a “clear start”.  The boats made quick work of the first leg, to the Kingscliff buoy, revelling in the offshore gusts, and having successfully gybed around this first mark reached out to the Seaward buoy.  The competitors were beginning to spread at this point but it was noticeable that Cadet Vice-Commodore Robert Gutteridge, in his Topper, was only just behind the Lasers and Solution.  Gutteridge continued this challenge until his mainsheet got caught-up with his feet and the boat capsized.  The fleet then beat in to the AWS buoy before a long reach down the coast to the St. Michael’s mark followed by a hard slog back to the line.  Unfortunately Tom Fadden sailed his Laser the wrong side of the Outer Distance Mark at the end of the first lap and was disqualified, but continued to complete the race.  There were a number of capsizes throughout the event although none that required the assistance of the Club Rescue Boat, but the incidents did frequently effect the positions.  John Tappenden, continuing his success of the previous week, went on to sail his Blaze into top spot, gaining two firsts in the series to date and putting him in a strong position to take victory overall.