Sun, Sand, Sea, And Super Sailing Over Bank Holiday Weekend

 

Bank Holiday Monday 6 May proved gloriously warm and sunny but unfortunately, for the sailor, there was a distinct lack of wind.  Gunfleet Sailing Club’s race for the London Trophy, an event for the faster handicapped class of dinghy, still attracted eleven entries although the competitors were all wishing for a stronger blow.  The helms all manoeuvred their boats up to the start line although Stanton in his Laser found himself very much the wrong side and as the start gun fired so the individual recall flag was hoisted up the yardarm to signify his error.  Tappenden, wrongly assuming he had been just a bit too eager, returned to re-cross the line which lost him several vital seconds.  As the craft very slowly reached down the coast to the St. Michael’s buoy, stemming the ebbing tide, Andy Dunnett in his Laser seemed to find a secret breeze and lead the way.  Once round the mark the tide then assisted the boats back to the Eastcliff buoy but as the dinghies then headed out to the Seaward mark, which in theory should have been a fetch, they found themselves being swept towards Frinton and so had to claw their way back.  Frustration turned to exasperation as the wind fell away to nothing and so several of the competitors started to retire, paddling their craft back to the shore.  The Officer of the Day shortened the course to just one lap and two hours later the last surviving five boats ghosted over the finish line, all deserving credit for perseverance, and once the handicaps had been calculated it was Davis in his Solution that was declared the winner.