Crewsaver Topper Nationals at Plym Yacht Club

Rafted up at the Crewsaver Topper nationals in Plymouth © Jane Fielder

Prize winners at the Crewsaver Topper Nationals © Jane Fielder

246 Topper sailors arrived at the Mountbatten Centre for their National Championships, another record for the class. Held under the burgee of Plym Y.C., with Race Officer Mike Pearson, racing took place in Plymouth Sound, inside the breakwater.

For the first time the Topper Class introduced a Regatta Fleet to the Nationals. 20 boats sailed under the direction of Arthur Marshall. The plan was to run two races each day interspersed with trips to beaches around Plymouth Sound for picnics and general frivolity, (Arthur’s speciality!).

The racing was very closely contested, with winners receiving daily prizes alongside the sailors in the larger racing fleets at the morning briefings.

Topper Nationals are sailed in two halves; a qualification series in flights, which are re-sorted after each day’s sailing, and then split into Gold and Silver fleets with sailors carrying 50% of their qualification score into the final series.

Two races were scheduled for day 1, but with a severe weather warning the start was delayed for 90 minutes. Race 1 was sailed in 10-15kn with matching waves. James Hopson and Melissa Addy took the bullets with Eifion Mon, Rob Partridge, Simon Bower and Craig Paul scoring top three in the two flights. Race 2 was started but a large windshift was followed by the collapse of the wind and sailing was abandoned for the day.

Day 2 dawned with clear skies and a 4 –10kn light breeze from the South East. Two races were sailed. Sam Coombs from Clevedon scored two bullets, with the Tom’s Weatherhead and Gillard taking the remaining two. Eifion Mon had two 2nd places. Race 3 will be remembered for 16 black flagged sailors, including front runner Rob Partridge. The wind was dying and had become shifty so Race 4, having started, was abandoned.

Day 3 was a perfect Championship day with wind at 10 -15kn, again South Easterly, sunshine and a short, steep chop requiring skill to negotiate. 3 races were sailed with the course laid around a large, inconveniently anchored Banana boat! Sam Coombs had another superb day scoring 1st, 2nd, 3rd. Other winners were young Martin Evans, Inland Champion Tom Gillard, Eifion Mon, Scot Peter Irwin and Basil Monks. Adam Fox and Rob Partridge had 2nd places and Simon Bower, James Hopson, Tom Dawber, David Kohler, Craig Paul and Alistair Norris all featured in the top three.

Protests were few and far between but, once these were heard, the fleet was split into Gold and Silver. At this stage Sam Coombs held the lead followed by Eifion Mon and Tom Gillard. Good timing by the race team meant that the huge Brittany Ferry, ‘Pont Aven’, entered the Sound between races! With engine room flooded following gales in the Bay of Biscay, the boat remained stuck in dock until Thursday. This meant no ferries to worry about for two days!

Day 4 saw the wind arrive ‘proper’ blowing at 15-18kn with rain and waves! The fleet was afloat for 5 hours and completed 3 races. In the Silver fleet it was ‘girl power’ in Race 1 with Charlotte Steel, Jessica Cox and Kahla Delahay 1,2 and 3. The boys battled back with Sam Rupar taking two bullets, Tom Salt scoring a 2nd and 3rd and Michael Gorzowski a 2nd. Kahla clocked up another 3rd place. In the Gold fleet Craig Paul had his best day with two bullets. Rob Partridge scored the third win along with a 2nd and 3rd to consolidate a consistent day. Alan Gillard, Oliver Twedell, James Hopson and Adam Fox all featured in the top three, though Alan Gillard was black flagged in Race 3 leaving him with a mountain to climb.

Day 5 dawned windless! Forecasts varied between 0-16kn! The morning briefing was drowned out by a massive thunderstorm. The sailors actually managed to sail to the race area but there followed 4 hours of complete windlessness whilst the sponsors and Plymouth City Councillors motored around the happily rafted-up fleet in a cruiser! After 4 hours waiting, the fleet was towed back to base, with no race started. All to play for on the final day – the ‘light brigade’ who had lead the qualification series, wanted gentle winds, whilst the heavies, currently in the driving seat, wanted a good blow!

Day 6, the last day, and the ‘light brigade’ were in full de-power mode! The wind was 13-15kn with gusts over 20kn from the South West and big waves near the breakwater for the first reach. The scheduled two races were sailed along with one of the previous day’s lost races. The fleets had a close up look at the Naval Frigate ‘Argyll’ as she cruised out of the Sound with families aboard. In Silver Jessica Cox scored two bullets with Sam Rupar also winning. Sarah Martin had two top three placings along with Michael Gorzowski, Elliot Banks, Charlotte Steel and William Wearing. In Gold, Rob Partridge started the day with a 60th place but recovered to score a 1st and 2nd. Adam Fox scored two bullets, Craig Paul achieved 1st and 2nd with Oliver Tweddell, Eifion Mon and Alan Gillard all scoring top three.

The Championship week was blessed with a complete range of conditions and Race Officering of the very highest standard.

Overall Results:

Gold Fleet:
1st Rob Partridge (Budworth)
2nd Adam Fox (Stewartby)
3rd Craig Paul (Lochaber)
4th James Hopson (Corus Colours)
5th Tom Gillard (Rotherham)
6th Oliver Tweddell (Grafham)

1st Senior (8th overall and 1st parent) Alan Gillard (Sheffield Viking)
1st Lady (12th overall) Anna Dobson (Helensburgh)

Silver Fleet:
1st Michael Gorzowski (Loch Venacher)
2nd Sam Rupar (Spey Valley)
3rd Tom Salt (Chelmarsh)

Regatta Fleet:
1st Stuart Dando (Frampton)
2nd Eleanor Symons (Bowmoor)
3rd Lauren Wilkie (Largs)

Socials during the week were excellent including visits to the Plymouth Dome, the Aquarium and Devonport Naval Dockyard. Two nights of watching an International firework competition and an evening playing five-a-side football ensured that there was something for everyone. The event prizes were presented by George Clark, Chairman of the RYA, who praised the high standard of sailing in the fleet and the ‘feel good, friendly’ ethos of the Topper Class.

Rob Partridge’s victory speech was particularly good, reminding the younger sailors that he finished 21st in the bronze fleet at the Nationals just two years previously. He also thanked the Class sponsor, Crewsaver.