A Constant Close Encounter

Gunfleet Sailing Club held its race for the Bill Clarke Shield last Sunday morning with John Tappenden taking the honours in his Laser.

A fresh offshore breeze kept the competitors on their toes, as they used the falling tide as a brake, whilst lining themselves up for the start.  First away was Tappenden, but  Andy Dunnett, in his Laser, was literally in his shadow, and it was clear the battle was really on as they reached down the coast to Eastcliff buoy.  A little further back was Eddie White, also in a Laser, and he stuck rigidly to their tails.  The Topaz fleet, whilst unable to keep up with the faster craft, had their own battle going on, with Thomas Aiken holding back Peter Downer and grandson Ben Bennett throughout the race.  Following a gybe, the second leg was a broader reach out to the Seaward buoy and at this point Dunnett took top spot, but Tappenden wasn’t going to give up easily; the beat into AWS, and the run back out to sea, saw positions changing repeatedly and this was clearly a fine example of perfect match racing.  The penultimate leg of the course was a fetch up the coat to the Kingscliff buoy and at this point Tom and Ed Philpot got some real speed up as they hoisted the spinnaker of their 405.

At the end of the first lap Tappenden had a small lead, but not sufficient to be able to relax.  The wind dropped a little but young Joshua Aiken was still caught-out by a sudden gust in his Topper, and found himself in the water.  The Club’s Rescue Boat was standing close-by but was not needed, except to shout a few words of encouragement.  White unfortunately, having completed the first lap in good time, then took the wrong course and retired before he was disqualified. 

At one point it looked like Dunnett might just slip in front but, every time, Tappenden managed to pull away.  The Philpot brothers capsized just prior to rounding the Kingscliff mark but were up in no time, speedily chasing their rivals.  Both Laser sailors did remarkably well and both admitted to having thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the race.

Results – Bill Clarke Shield:

Laser – John Tappenden
Laser – Andy Dunnett
Topaz – Thomas Aiken
 

In the afternoon, with a perfect light wind, the Club held the second in its “Ladies that Launch” sessions which, once again, saw an impressive turn-out of Gunfleet’s lady members.  It was good to see Topazes and Lasers out on the water and the helms and crews lapping up the conditions.  And to end a perfect day, when the sailing was completed, there was afternoon tea laid-on in the Clubhouse by Mandy.  Whilst eating sandwiches, cakes, scones, jam and clotted cream there was much talk of tactics and manoeuvres out on the briny.