This site uses cookies to provide you with a more responsive and personalised service. By agreeinging to this statement you consent for us to use cookies that ensure the marketing we do is relevant to you. Please read our cookie notice for more information on the cookies we use and how to delete or block them.

Topper Open Meeting, September 2013

< Back
  • Forty Six boats: 122 Acres of water: well, that's nearly three acres of water each: plenty of room! Of course it doesn't quite work out like that when you're all crowded together on a not excessively generous length start line. 
    For quite a few competitors this was their first Topper Open, and the crowds on the start line were a bit overwhelming for some on race one. As the day went on they seemed to get geared up for it though! For others, of course, veterans of 300 boat Championship entries, this was all the game as usual, and the only surprise really was that the day got away without a single general recall.

    Patrick and Nancy duelling for the lead - as they were to do for much of the day...

    So, anyway, a conventional quadrilateral course and a pleasant racing breeze with enough variation to make it interesting, but not enough to intimidate even the newest competitor, I suppose somewhere in the top of F1/F2 range. The sun, however, refused to put in a significant appearance.

    Some added spice at the top of the fleet was provided by this being the last event of the Topper South East traveller's series, and Clive Jackson and Michael O'Driscoll were just one point apart in the points score.
    So Race One. As said, a hotly contested start with competitors spread right along the line. Patrick Croghan declared his intentions for the day by leading the race at the end of every lap, whilst behind him Messrs O'Driscoll and Jackson swapped places with Clive eventually 2nd and Nancy Scott working up to 4th at the end of the race.
    Alice Smith from Papercourt led round the first lap in race two, with Andrew O'Driscoll in second. William Cook then worked his way up and eventually won the race, with Patrick 2nd and Nancy 3rd. 
    At this point we took the lunch break.
    Race three saw a notable battle between Patrick and Nancy, as shown in the headline photo. They separated appreciably from the rest of the fleet, but not so much from each other. Patrick took 1st and Nancy second, which left Nancy needing to win the last two races.  Clive was third ahead of Michael, neither having placed well in race 2.
    Patrick secured the event with another start to finish win in race 4. Michael kept his travellers hopes alive with a second place, and Nancy took 3rd ahead of Clive. 
    So whilst Patrick was secure for the event, Nancy needed to consolidate second place, and the destination of the SE Travellers was to come down to a "who beats who" between Clive and Michael.  
    Patrick led round every lap again, and Nancy overtook Lewis Humphries to secure 2nd by an appreciable margin. On the second lap Michael had worked up to 4th, two vital places ahead of Clive, but on the last lap William Cook got past both of them, and Clive slipped ahead of Michael to secure third overall and the Traveller's Trophy.
    Between them the top four cleaned up most of the minor prizes - first O18, first Lady and first local boat going to the appropriate candidates. Morgan Archer from Blue Circle was the first U13, and Riley Boult from Island Barn won the regatta fleet, the competition for those not feeling ready for the hurley-burley of the main start.

    Prizewinners

    1st46893Patrick CroghonQMRSC
    2nd, 1st IBRSC, 1st Lady46623Nancy ScottIsland Barn Reservoir SC
    3rd, 1st O1817501Clive JacksonPapercourt SC
    4th47039Michael O'DriscollCrawley Mariners
    5th45710William CookHISC
    6th45732Alice SmithPapercourt SC
    3rd, 1st O1846223Morgan ArcherBlue Circle SC
    1st Regatta Fleet21671Riley BoultIsland Barn Reservoir SC

    Here are the full results

    26 photographs
    IMGP6461IMGP6368.JPGIMGP6373.JPGIMGP6375.JPGIMGP6377.JPGIMGP6380.JPGIMGP6385.JPGIMGP6386.JPGIMGP6388.JPGIMGP6391.JPGIMGP6392.JPGIMGP6394.JPGIMGP6395.JPGIMGP6396.JPGIMGP6407.JPGIMGP6408.JPGIMGP6420.JPGIMGP6421.JPGIMGP6423.JPGIMGP6435.JPGIMGP6436.JPGIMGP6439.JPGIMGP6441.JPGIMGP6443.JPGIMGP6448.JPG

     

    all photos © Jim Champ

    If you'd like copies of photos I took from the event you can email me here, but my enthusiasm for trawling through 120 odd photos to email out a selection is not unlimited - a SAE and a USB stick/SD card with 300MB free coming to me in the post would be my preferred route, or for local sailors/parents there are copies on the club laptop.

    close

    JUNIOR SAILING SCHOOL

    image for add

    BOOK NOW right