John Tappenden emerged triumphant when Gunfleet Sailing Club staged their race for the Bill Clarke Shield.

A strong south-westerly wind, coupled with the high tide, resulted in very big waves and the start was delayed for three quarters of an hour.

Once under way it was evident the competitors needed to work hard to complete the course without mishap.

Kelvin Morton fell out his Topaz just after the start, but managed to scramble back in without the boat capsizing and soon caught up with the other Topazes.

Daughter and mother Shelby and Eileen Fowell capsized in their Topaz just before the St Michael's Buoy and, having righted the boat, decided to retire.

Amy Hart and Charlotte Potts, also in a Topaz, managed to continue on to the Seaward Mark before capsizing as they jibed.

Having righted the boat and capsized again, they too retired.

The fast-handicapped craft seemed to thrive on the conditions, although Simon Clarke and Dave Fowell, in the RS400, had gear failure on the three sail reach out to sea and took a ducking, but managed to get the boat back to shore unassisted.

Results: Bill Clarke Shield: 1 Vortex - John Tappenden, 2 Vortex - Ken Potts, 3 Topaz - Kelvin and Kirstie Morton.

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Published Thursday, September 2, 2004

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