GUNFLEET Sailing Club held the second and final race in their Potts Pursuit Challenge.

It took place in a light offshore breeze.

With staggered starts, it was the Topaz class that was first away, giving an early lead to Steve Swinbourne and Rebecca Goodchild.

They headed down the coast to the St Michael’s buoy but soon found Peter Downer, in his Comet, hot on their heels, after an excellent start.

Dave Fowell and Jerry Goodchild were unleashed next, in their GP 14, followed a few minutes later by the 405 class.

The largest fleet, the Lasers, were last away and were then hastily playing catch-up.

The second leg of the course was a close reach out to the Seaward buoy, a beat into AWS, a run back out to sea, a beat up the coast to the Kingscliff mark and, finally, a reach back through the line.

On the second leg, Downer took the lead, while further back Tom and Ed Philpot’s 405 made an impressive sight with its asymmetric spinnaker flying at every opportunity.

John Tappenden led in the Lasers for quite a while but was overtaken by Ken Potts, while just behind them were Harry Swinbourne and Robert Gutteridge, swapping places a number of times.

About half an hour into this 90-minute race, the winds got lighter and the boats slowed down.

Downer doggedly held onto his lead but the Lasers got ever closer until, 20 minutes before the end, Potts slipped in front and pulled away.

Five minutes before the end, Tappenden went into second position, but some fine tactics by Downer saw him get back into second place with just minutes to go.

In the end it was Potts’s race, with Downer second and Tappenden third.

However, once the series overall was calculated, it was Swinbourne that won the trophy in his Topaz.

Results: Potts Pursuit Challenge: Overall: 1 Topaz – Steve Swinbourne, 2= Laser – Ken Potts, 2= Laser – Andy Dunnett, = Laser – Yvonne Gough, 3= Comet – Peter Downer.

The previous day had seen cadet class racing as part of the SOS Series.

Lauren Hooper gained first in the Topper class, Owen Hooper and Robbie Jay took victory in the Topaz class, while Tom and Ed Philpot won in the 405 class.

The first boat home in the menagerie fleet was Harry Swinbourne, in his Laser.