Please select your home edition
Edition
InsureMy leaderboard April May June 2025

Topper Open at Bexhill Sailing Club

by Rob Harrison 5 Jul 2005 08:35 BST 3 July 2005
Action from the Bexhill Topper open © Rob Harrison

The South East Topper fleet enjoyed near perfect conditions with a steady Force 4 South Westerly breeze, waves to surf down, and sunshine for the spectators to enjoy. The event was sponsored by “Source” BMX & Skate shop.

Conditions proved challenging for the less experienced of the 39 competitors causing many to drop out early on. A solid core of 30 remaining National Squad, Zone squad, Youth Squad and locals handled the conditions well.

Race Officer Richard Eagleton set a triangle / sausage course for all four races. Race one saw the first general recall and the round the ends rule come into effect. Local sailor Peter Harrison quickly took the lead closely followed by Alex Mills-Barton and Alex Groves. Mills-Barton challenged hard as the two leaders broke clear of the pack revelling in the conditions, but Harrison held on to take line honours.

Race two followed a similar pattern with Harrison dominating the fleet from the start. This time it was Ben Palmer who took up the challenge, almost getting ahead on the first reach but Harrison held on.

Whilst the boys were toughing it out, a hotly contested battle of the girls was going on between Bethany Wellard, Catherine Whitehill, Rebecca Barrie and Sophie Porteus. After frequent place changes it was Wellard who came out on top.

By race 4 Harrison was secure with three bullets so the battle was on for second place. McVeigh had to prevent Mills-Barton from winning to secure second but was late starting so left it to Harrison and Lambert to do the job for him.

Overall Results:

PosSail NoHelmClubPts
1st 43313 Peter Harrison Bexhill 
2nd 44349 Oscar McVeigh Wimbledon Park 
3rd 44954 Alex Mills-Barton Newhaven 
4th 44584 Ben Palmer Island Barn 10 
5th 44104 Alex Groves Island Barn 14 

Related Articles

South and Southwest Regional Junior Championship
Exciting, high-quality competitive racing for 5 classes at Weymouth There were 145 sailors competing in Topper 5.3 and 4.2, Optimist, RS Feva XL, RS Tera Pro and Sport and ILCA 4 classes. The excellent race team led by PRO Paul Kimmens delivered exciting, high-quality competitive racing for all classes. Posted on 26 Jun
NEYYSA Championship at Ullswater
They had it all: heat, sun, torrential rain, wind, calm, thunder and lightning We had it all at Ullswater, heat, sun, (torrential) rain, wind, calm, thunder and lightning but nothing switched the smiles, sailing and socialising off at the North Region Youth & Junior Championships at Ullswater. Posted on 25 Jun
Welsh Regional Junior Championships
74 boats have a glorious weekend alongside a number of Welsh Sailing initiatives The event was hosted with Dale Yacht Club, Celtic Sea Watersports and Windswept Watersports and attracted a total of 74 entries, including 18 sailors keen to develop their racing skills in the coached regatta fleet. Posted on 25 Jun
London & South East Topper Regional Championships
43 sailors enjoy 8 fantastic races at Itchenor Sailing Club This year, Itchenor Sailing Club hosted the L&SE Regional Championship, drawing 43 sailors for eight races over two days in the picturesque Chichester Harbour. Posted on 24 Jun
Topper Irish Nationals at Lough Erne Preview
Around 50 talented young sailors will travel from all over Ireland to compete Lough Erne Yacht Club is looking forward to welcoming Topper sailors to the Irish National Championships over the weekend of Friday 4th - Sunday 6th July. Posted on 22 Jun
All set for NEYYSA Championship at Ullswater
Youth and juniors from all over the NE and Yorkshire will battle this weekend With less than 24 hours until the first warning signal at the North Region Youth & Junior Championships organised by North East & Yorkshire Youth Sailing Association (NEYYSA) and hosted by Ullswater Yacht Club final preparations are in hand. Posted on 20 Jun
Cambridgeshire Youth League at Grafham Water
33 sailors took part in windy conditions The second leg of the Cambridgeshire Youth Sailing League took place at Grafham Water Sailing Club on Saturday 14th June. Despite the forecast for strong winds, 33 intrepid young sailors set sail in gusty conditions. Posted on 18 Jun
Topper Southwest Traveller Series at Saltash
35 young sailors battle out it on the Tamar The Topper Southwest traveller series consists of 11 events in beautiful locations across the South West with a mix of inland, estuary and coastal venues. The event held in Saltash was the fifth of the Southwest Topper Travellers events for 2025. Posted on 10 Jun
Topper North East Championship at Sheffield Viking
The first open event at the club for 12 years Recent history will show that Sheffield Viking have not held any open events for the last 12 years and so it was an absolute pleasure to welcome 20 Toppers for the NE Area Championships on the 31st May. Posted on 6 Jun
Still all to play for in the NEYYSA Series
Off to Pennine SC this weekend Sailors are gearing up for the next round of the North East & Yorkshire Youth Travellers Series which resumes at Pennine Sailing Club on Saturday 7 June after a short siesta over the half term period. Posted on 6 Jun