Rooster Southern Area Topper Travellers' at Bosham Sailing Club
by Angus Kemp 12 May 2015 14:53 BST
10 May 2015
Toppers at Bosham © Juliette Kemp
A total of 31 sailors arrived at the lovely Cobnor site in Bosham for the 2nd of the Topper Southern Traveller Series regattas. 21 sailors for the Rooster Sailing 5.3 series and 10 for the Bosham regatta fleet.
With many of the sailors from the RYA National and Intermediate squads competition was going to be tough and racing hard fought.
After a quick sailors briefing we all launched and headed to the start area in about 7 knots with 12 knots gusts and a strong incoming tide making progress slow.
The racing started promptly in a good 10 – 15 knot wind and Alex MacFarlane (Castle Cove) took the early lead with Angus Kemp (Poole YC) close behind. A lead he didn't manage to hold onto it as Hugo Burrows (West Oxfordshire SC) sailed his way past them both to take first place which he just held to the finish ahead of Kemp in second having taken MacFarlane on the run.
Race 2 Burrows took the lead from the Pin end and held it to the finish with Sam Jones (Hill Head) in 2nd and Elliott Kuzyk (Parkstone YC) in 3rd.
After a short lunch on the water racing continued.
Race 3 was abandoned following a course mix up much to the disappointment of the leaders Kuzyk and Billy Vennis Ozanne (Hill Head)
Race 4 saw an increasing breeze saw a change in leaders with Ieuan Harrison (Stokes Bay SC) take the win ahead of Vennis-Ozanne in 2nd and Victoria Cowan (Portchester) in 3rd.
Winds increased further to 15-17 knots for the final race of the day but racing remained tight at the front of the fleet with Vennis-Ozanne taking the win ahead of Burrows and Sophie Kirk (Stokes Bay).
The final results after discard saw Cowan in 3rd, Vennis-Ozanne in 2nd and Burrows in 1st place all receiving the traditional Bosham plates and the Rooster Sailing Topper Traveller Trophies.
Rooster Sailing have also provided embroidered visors for the traveller series. These go to the highest placed sailors who have not previously won a visor (only one can be won each year so sailors are eager to get theirs) Burrows walked away with his this time with Visors also being awarded to Vennis-Ozanne in 2nd, Kemp in 4th and Kirk in 6th.
A fantastic day of sailing for everyone was put on by Nick Sleep and his team at Bosham SC and I can't wait to return in 2016