AFTER two weekends of non-sailing weather, Gunfleet Sailing Club members were greeted by sunshine, blue skies and a light breeze for the fourth race of their Spring Series.

It was good to see so many dinghies on the water and for Peter Downer things just got better when he claimed victory.

The competitors hovered around the start line in eager anticipation but sadly, for some, it was over-eagerness with one or two jumping the line.

Within seconds of the off, the individual recall flag was fluttering from the yardarm and all the culprits, plus a few who weren’t sure whether they were or weren’t the right side, returned to make a clean but delayed getaway. Meanwhile, leading the fleet was Tom Philpot, in his Laser, close hauled as he beat down the coast to the St Michael’s buoy, with the flooding tide giving him a positive lift.

Just behind him was another Laser, sailed by Yvonne Gough, and then Harry Swinbourne and Jessica McLean-Wright, in their RS200.

Once round the first mark it was a very broad reach back to the Eastcliff buoy and by this time Andy Dunnett had driven his Laser into the lead and appeared to be noticeably pulling away, while the GP14 of Dave Fowell and Jeremy Goodchild made a fine sight with its bright blue spinnaker filling nicely in the light southerly wind.

The boats then headed out to the Seaward mark where they gybed before another reach into the AWS buoy.

Such was the increasing strength of the tide that both Philpot and Steve Swinbourne, also in a Laser, managed to just “kiss” the mark and paid the penalty of undertaking a 360-degree turn on the next leg that took them all back out to the Seaward buoy.

The penultimate leg was a run to the Kingscliff buoy before sailing close-hauled back to the line.

At the end of the first lap, while Dunnett remained the leading helm on the water, it was the Comet, sailed by Downer, that just had it on handicap.

As the second lap progressed, the wind fell away and Gough decided enough was enough, retiring back to the shore.

Try as he might, Dunnett was unable to make an impression on Downer’s solid sailing and, in the end, had to make do with second place.

Results: Spring Series - race four: 1 Comet – Peter Downer, 2 Laser – Andy Dunnett, 3 Laser – Tom Philpot.