Wednesday Evenings Hot Up

 

The previous Wednesday evening 15 boats entered the third race in the Gunfleet Summer Series under blue skies and sunshine, and a pleasant force 3 to 4 north-easterly wind.  The first leg, a beat to the Kingsfcliff buoy, saw the majority of the fleet tack close into shore to reduce the adverse effect of the freshly ebbing tide but one or two boats, including John Tappenden in his Blaze, defied this reasoning and headed more offshore.  As the competitors then made for the Seaward mark on a reach it was the RS600’s of Ken Potts and Kelvin Morton that lead with Cadet Commodore Matt Downing close behind in his Contender.  It was at this point that Andy Dunnett capsized in his Laser which gave the opportunity for Paul Stanton and Matt Gough, also sailing Lasers, to fly past.  There then followed a “sausage” into the AWS buoy and back out to Seaward, where Morton capsized, before a reach to the Eastcliff buoy, a run to St. Michael’s, and then a beat back to the line.  Dunnett and Morton both managed to capsize for a second time and at the end of the first lap it was Potts in first place, followed by Downing.  Unfortunately Yvonne Gough tacked out to sea in her Laser, failing to go through the line correctly and was disqualified.  After the second lap it was Downing that had taken the lead but on the third and final lap Tappenden just slipped through and took the winning gun.