Andy and George Take The Winning Gun

Twelve dinghies took to water at Gunfleet Sailing Club on Sunday 13 June when the single-handed race for the Toppo Trophy was staged, with the Cadet Single Helm Cup going to the first Under 18 year old home.  The event was one of the Club’s three in one races with all three results counting towards the final positions.

The light airs that greeted the competitors, as they rigged-up on the beach, turned into a steady south-westerly breeze by the start of the first race.  The first leg was downwind, but against the tide, with some helms staying inshore, where the adverse pull was less, whilst others went further out where they found themselves fighting the stronger tide.  As the boats reached the first buoy, at Kingscliff, it was Robert Mitchell, then Ken Potts, followed by Paul Stanton, all sailing Lasers.  Just behind was Carlo Bardetti, also in a Laser, who had overtaken four other competitors.  Slightly further back were the younger Club members in their Toppers; George Smith leading the fleet, with Via Lowdon and Sidney Lowdon working hard to try and catch him.  The odd one out in the Laser fleet was Andy Cornforth who had decided to go for a Radial rig but this didn’t stop him being near the front of the fleet despite the boat’s slower handicap.  The second leg was a beat to the AWS buoy with Mitchell and Potts remaining very close, and there then followed a short reach down to the ODM before a beat out to the Lilley Farm mark.  The final leg was a run back to the line and this is when Cornforth’s downwind technique was particularly noticeable.  Despite the increased risk of capsize he sailed “by the lee”, with the boom on the wrong side and the wind flowing the wrong way across the sail, from leach to luff.  This combined with an exaggerated heal on the boat, to reduce the wetted area, saw him move magnificently up the fleet, and by the end of the second lap he was a clear winner.  

The light winds in the first race, freshened in the second one, with a sea breeze kicking in and form a south, then south-easterly direction.  Andy Dunnett was challenging Potts, in his Laser, followed by Stanton and then Rob Lockett’s Laser, but Cornforth once again managed to sail above his handicap and so took first place.  Slightly further back Bardetti was battling it out with Brian Allen in his Laser with the boats being neck and neck at the halfway mark.

In the third and final race It was Dunnett, Mitchell and Allen that lead the fleet but Cornforth really had his Laser flying and took the top spot again, so achieving a convincing victory; not to be outdone, young Smith equally gained three firsts in his Topper and he too left no doubt that he was the junior victor.

Results – Toppo Single Helm Trophy:
1.    Laser – Andy Cornforth
2.    Laser – Ken Potts
3.    Laser – Andy Dunnett
Cadet Single Helm – George Smith