GUNFLEET Sailing Club played catch-up when holding two races postponed from the start of the season.

The first, for the March Hare Trophy, was convincingly won by Ken Potts, in his Laser.

An offshore wind, which always results in sudden gusts and shifts in direction, kept the competitors on their toes, with Potts leading from the start, closely followed by Paul Stanton, in his Laser, and Sonny Hart, in his Solution.

Despite fighting a strong flooding tide, the reach to the Kingscliff buoy did not take very long and the helms, after gybing, were soon heading out to the Seaward mark on a very broad reach.

The next leg, a beat back into the AWS buoy, started to break the fleet up as different tactics were tried.

Harry Swinbourne, in his Laser, caught up with Hart, with the latter going round the AWS buoy the wrong way and therefore being disqualified.

The run back out to sea saw Owen and Lauren Hooper capsize their Topaz, but it didn’t take them long to right the boat and get back into the thick of things, while Eddie White led the Topazes all the way round the course.

After a beat down to the Eastcliff buoy, it was a reach back through the line, with Potts now in a comfortable lead.

On the second lap, Rob Lockett closed the gap, in his Laser, to Swinbourne but not sufficiently to get him in the top three places.

Results: March Hare Trophy: 1 Laser – Ken Potts, 2 Laser – Paul Stanton, 3 Laser – Harry Swinbourne.

The race for the Hertford County Shield took place in the afternoon, with Stanton gaining a quick lead.

When Tom and Ed Philpot hoisted the spinnaker on their 405, they picked up speed and started to pass several competitors.

The first leg was, once again, a reach to the Kingscliff buoy but, with the tide having turned, it really helped to hurry the boats along.

Just like the morning’s race, there was a broad reach out to the Seawaed buoy, followed by a beat into AWS before reaching down the coast to the St Michaels buoy and then a speedy return home.

In the Toppers it was Ted Newson that kept the lead, although Lauren Hooper was hot on his tail for much of the race.

Results: Hertford County Shield: 1 Laser – Paul Stanton, 2 Laser – Harry Swinbourne, 3 GP14 – Dave Fowell and Jeremy Goodchild.