Lively Conditions Greet Egg and Bacon Racers

Strong and variable gusting winds did not put off competitors from entering Gunfleet Sailing Club’s first race in its Egg and Bacon Series last Sunday morning 12 May.  With 20 degree wind-shifts and the wind force varying from a four to a six it certainly kept the crews of the ten boats on their toes as they set off for the Eastcliff buoy.  In fact there were surprisingly few capsizes although Tom Fadden went over in his Laser on the first leg, however he was soon upright again and chasing the rest of the fleet.  After Eastcliff it was a very broad reach out to the Seaward buoy and once again Fadden capsized, this time finding it more difficult to get the boat upright, and eventually retiring.  The gybe mark proved uneventful and by this time Ken Potts was well out in front in his RS600, simply lapping-up the conditions.  In the Lasers there was a battle going on between Andy Dunnett and Mark Venables with Dunnett edging forward as the race progressed.  As the boats reached the AWS buoy Paul Davis continued into the beach in his Solution due to a knee injury; for the rest of the craft it was back out to Seaward, another gybe, and then up the coast to the Kingscliff mark.  The conditions certainly kept the pressure on the competitors and as they cut through the line they braced themselves for a second lap.  By this time Potts had built up a modest lead and whilst John Tappenden closed the gap in his Blaze during the second lap he was unable to make any real impression.  Unfortunately at the Seaward gybe mark the Cadet brothers Conor and Finlay Williams capsized their Hobie 405 and, having righted it, capsized again, but the second time were soon up and careering after the other boats.  As is traditional at the end of each Egg and Bacon race the competitors sat down in the Clubhouse afterwards and enjoyed a hearty full-English breakfast, courtesy of the Club’s Rear Commodore.