K6 Open Meeting at Aldeburgh Yacht Club

K6 open meeting at Aldeburgh 2016 © Simon Fulford

K6 open meeting at Aldeburgh 2016 © Simon Fulford

It was wall to wall sunshine on the Suffolk coast for the annual K6 trip to Aldeburgh. The club boats were joined by three visitors who travelled from the deep south.

Saturday was a little trying for PRO Simon Fulford, however in the shifting and intermittent breeze the race team got three fair races away. Fraser and Georgie had a blinder of a day winning all three races. Short tacking up the bank against the tide was the key after getting the best start of course.

Dave and his daughter Laura along with Nick and Keith were the only real challengers but Fraser and Georgie managed to keep them at bay. Warren and Steve had a short spell in the lead but a miscalculation at the leeward mark cost them dearly.

As usual the fleet were treated to a fine dinner on Saturday evening in the club which left a few sore heads for the morning.

Sunday came with more bright sunshine and what looked like a pleasant breeze, however once on the race track further down the river things started to liven up. With a 20 knot breeze against a 5 knot current the steep chop made life interesting for both the sailors and the committee boat.

With Fraser and Georgie out of the first race because of a broken outhaul it was left to the fleet to see if they could break their run of firsts. Nick and Paul used their power to storm into the lead and take the gun followed by Nick and Keith.

With the outhaul fixed for the second race of the day Fraser and Georgie had the bit between their teeth and went for winning in convincing style. With a few boats out from gear issues and crew fatigue for the last race of the day it was down to the hardy few to challenge the leaders. Dave and Laura finally got their act together and took the lead, a lead they opened up through the race.

However fortune was not on their side when a broach at the leeward mark took them onto it, the keel which caught the anchor line hard and brought them to a standstill. While they struggled to get off Fraser and Georgie passed around the outside of them with a smile on Frasers face. The five firsts gave Fraser and Georgie a well deserved win in the variety of conditions.

A big thanks to AYC, the PRO Simon Fulford and to Nick and Gail Jones.

K6 open meeting at Aldeburgh 2016 - photo © Simon Fulford

Overall Results: