A Battle Of The Aeros

The sixth race in Gunfleet Sailing Club’s series for the Tony Chadd Trophy took place on Wednesday 11 June 2025 with RS Aeros taking the top three places.

In a force four to five easterly wind, the competitors jostled around the line waiting for the start but when it came, the whole fleet sat rather too comfortably behind it. After several seconds it was Tim Dye that lead the way in his RS Aero, on starboard tack, beating up the coast towards the Kingscliff buoy, followed by John Heath in his Blaze, and the RS aero of Ken Potts.  Simon Kedge, in his Laser, decided to break away from the rest of the fleet and tacked out to sea in the hope of getting cleaner wind; also gambling on the adverse flood tide, having just kicked in, lacking strength.  As the boats reached the windward mark it was Dye that rounded it first, followed by Potts.  The second leg was an exhilarating reach out to the Seaward buoy before a lively gybe and a second reach in towards the AWS mark.  At this point Heath now had the lead, Dye hanging onto second place, and Potts third.  A little further back was Derroll Pedder in his RS Aero and then Adam Kedge in his Laser, followed by Robert Gutteridge in his Europe and Yvonne Gough in her Laser.  Having rounded AWS the fleet then beat back up the coast to the Preston Park buoy, at which point Potts slipped ahead of Dye, Heath capsized, as did Simon Kedge; the latter having previously gone over and to subsequently capsize again.  It was then a run to Eastcliff, with the tide under the boats, before a beat back to the line.  Potts stalled his Aero as he tacked close to the shore and this gave Dye the chance to close the gap but there were still a number of seconds between them as they completed the first lap.  Dye did, however, get in front of Potts during the second lap, on the reaching legs, but lost it as the pair rounded Eastcliff, but with only two seconds between them as they concluded the second lap.  At this point Heath was forced to retire as the halyard on his Blaze shredded, Gutteridge and Gough also retiring.  

Once again, Dye managed to gain the lead on the third lap as he and Potts reached from Kingscliff to Seaward, but Dye capsized as he gybed around the offshore buoy, so letting Potts fly past and continue to lead, taking the winning gun.  Whilst all this was going on, Cadet Finley Taylor quietly sailed his Topper into fifth place, having avoided capsizing, unlike many of his competitors; fellow Cadet Adam Kedge taking his Laser into the fourth spot.  

Results – Tony Chadd Series - 6:
1.    RS Aero – Ken Potts
2.    RS Aero – Tim Dye
3.    RS Aero – Derroll Pedder