Lockett Hands Top Spot To Dunnett

Gunfleet Sailing Club held the fifth race in its Spring Series on Sunday 29 April and, despite several capsizes, it was Andy Dunnett that sailed home to the winning gun in his Laser.

With the temperature just 8 degrees, a heavy overcast sky, occasional light drizzle, and a vicious offshore wind, the elements certainly didn’t make an attractive backdrop for those brave sailors determined to take part in the race.  Capsizes started as soon as the craft went afloat and the Club’s Rescue Boat was busy scurrying between boats to check everything was alright.  

Leading the fleet across the line was Dunnett, followed very closely by Harry Swinbourne and Jess McLean-Wright in their RS200.  Pushing both these boats was Rob Lockett in his Laser and then Michael Gutteridge and Derroll Pedder in the GP14 but disaster hit as a gust capsized them, allowing Tom Philpot to cut through in his Laser.  By the time the leading boats had made the first mark, the Kingscliff buoy, Dunnett still commanded a lead, and on the reach out to Seaward he just accelerated away and appeared to be unstoppable, and then disaster struck as he gybed around the offshore mark; a vicious gust saw him capsize and get swept down tide in the process.  This gave Lockett the opportunity to take the lead and he made the most of it, beating hard back to the Kingscliff buoy.  Such was his speed that those watching in the Clubhouse quickly nicknamed him “Lockett the Rocket” and it was clear he only needed to keep his cool to stand a good chance of winning.  But fate often deals a cruel hand and once round the Kingscliff buoy he realised he had nobody in front to guide him to the next buoy, and he had written the course in such a way as to be impossible to see in the conditions.  Whilst he kept up the power and headed back out to the Seaward buoy again, Dunnett correctly proceeded to the AWS buoy on a broad reach, and then down the coast to the St. Michael’s buoy – Philpot chasing hard behind him.  After many violent wind-shifts the RS200 retired back to the safety of the shore, as did several of the other competitors, including Lockett who was busy kicking himself once he realised his faux-pas.  It then became obvious that Dunnett had the race in the bag and the Officer Of the Day hoisted the shorten course flag to put the remaining sailors out of their misery.
 
Results: Spring Series – 5
1.    Laser – Andy Dunnett
2.    Laser – Tom Philpot
 All other entries Retired