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Sunstorm Marine - Mesh Bag - Sail

London & South East Topper Traveller Round 9 at Felpham Sailing Club

by James Gerwat 15 Jul 2019 10:39 BST 13 July 2019

Twenty-three Toppers contested the London & South East Topper Traveller #9 at Felpham Sailing Club on Saturday 13th July. While boats were being prepared in the glorious sunshine, the wind was trying to match the Met Office forecast. The 5 knots of wind from the NE died to 0 as it battled with the sea breeze.

Right on schedule the SW sea breeze kicked in & the first race (of 4 scheduled) got off on time at midday. The first two Toppers around the windward mark were James Crossley (Datchet Water SC) & Henry Koe (South Bank SC) which would become a familiar pattern for the rest of the afternoon. Chasing them down was Sam Walton (Maidenhead SC), Joanna Leake (Island Barn Reservoir SC) & Harriet Sacker (Burnham Overy Staithe SC). However, James & Henry extended their lead over the rest of the fleet to take 1st & 2nd place respectively, with Sam Walton 3rd.

The second race once again had James Crossley & Henry Koe in a race of their own. It was clear by now that the rest of the fleet were competing for 3rd, where there were 4 competitors in contention. Harriet Sacker, Sam Walton, Luka Franklin (Bough Beech SC) & Ollie Leeson (Silver Wing SC). All were proving to be consistently at the front. Harriet Sacker took the 3rd spot in race 2.

Race 3 and James Crossley again had the measure of Henry Koe. This time Luka Franklin came in 3rd.

In the final race of the day, Henry Koe led James Crossley around the course for the first lap. Shenanigans ensued, and they managed to slow each other down & had the rest of the fleet bearing down on them by the leeward mark. James & Henry continued their starboard/port dual all the way up the next beat & once again, James got the advantage to the take the win - 4 bullets, with 1 discard. Harriet Sacker was best of the rest with 3rd in the final race & took 3rd overall.

There were two Topper 4.2s battling with the larger rigged boats all afternoon. 19th overall & 1st Topper 4.2 was Thomas Beck (Newhaven & Seaford SC) followed by Constance Lloyd (Felpham SC) who was 21st overall & 2nd 4.2.

Overall Results:

PosRigSail NoHelmClubR1R2R3R4Pts
1st 48232James CrossleyDatchet Water SC‑11113
2nd 47902Henry KoeSouth Bank SC‑22226
3rd 46274Harriet SackerBurnham Overy Staithe SC‑535311
4th 47077Sam WaltonMaidenhead SC3‑86514
5th 47806Luka FranklinBough Beech SC‑753614
6th 46126Ollie LeesonSilver Wing SC6‑74717
7th 48175Madeleine ChildsDatchet Water SC‑14671124
8th 48587Jack HardyWimbledon Park‑16148426
9th 15725Joanna LeakeIsland Barn Reservoir SC416‑17828
10th 44477Joshua JamesFelpham SC9912‑1430
11th 48320Harry LeesonSilver Wing SC810‑151331
12th 48600Johnny WoolgarPapercourt SC‑121210931
13th 45770Bjorn HandleyQueen Mary(DNC)4161232
14th 47665Joseph MolePapercourt SC(OCS)1191636
15th 47649Jibriel BostanTideway11‑15111537
16th 48177Reuben HudsonNewhaven & Seaford SC15‑17141039
17th 46076Sebastian WattamFelpham SC131313‑1739
18th 47863Rory ClowIsland Barn Reservoir SC10‑18181846
19th4.24764Thomas BeckNewhaven & Seaford SC1719(DNF)2056
20th 33190Emily ClimpsonFelpham SC18‑20191956
21st4.225726Constance LloydFelpham SC192120‑2260
22nd 46447Ava FrancisBuzz Active Eastbourne20‑22212162
23rd 45975Imogen Martin‑WebbPapercourt SC(DSQ)DSQDSQDSQ72

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