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Sailingfast 2018 2 728x90

Topper Open at Island Barn Reservoir Sailing Club

by Mike Jones 24 Sep 2024 10:20 BST 21 September 2024
Alex Balding leads Dexter Corkin to the windward mark during the Island Barn Topper Open © Kate Symons

How is it when the wind is 1-3 knots, at times barely ruffling the water, and people are saying "this is a complete lottery", the top sailors still fill the top places?

The answer, of course, is that the top sailors train themselves to manage all conditions from, 1 to 25 knots, applying the appropriate mental approach, enthusiasm and sailing technique to the conditions on the day. While much of the fleet is succumbing to boredom, the top sailors are concentrating harder than ever on transferring the last drop of wind energy into their rig.

This open was one of those days. The event was a season-end 'selector' for the winter's Regional Training Group, so the stakes were high.

Race 1 started in 3 knots. Oscar Lay (Desborough and Island Barn) started with centimetres to spare at the biased pin end, with Sam Mason (SiIver Wing) in close company. Mason got by Lay on the beat and led Lay at the end of Lap 1. The wind started to fail in lap 2. Mason's light wind technique deserted him on this lap and he was overtaken by Lay, Alex Balding (Island Barn), Jacki Leslie (Papercourt) and Tiphane Ungari (Wembley SC), who finished in that order with Mason fifth.

The wind died to zero, early lunch was taken and wind-prayers were chanted.

As lunch finished a gentle breeze returned (thank you, gods) and on a course shortened to avoid the trees on the east bank, Race 2 got under way, with Balding taking an early lead, and Mason, Jonathan Shields (Tonbridge), and Lay finishing lap 1 in that order. In lap 2, Lay excelled downwind, overtaking four boats to take another first, with Shields second, Mason third, Balding slipping to fourth and George Sumner (Island Barn) improving well to take fifth.

The wind held and Race 3 got under way. Lay was beginning to enjoy this, and led at the end of lap one, with Mason, Harry Dence (Island Barn) and Shields close behind. Lay covered the others til the finish, securing his third bullet and a coveted overall win, with Mason second and a fast improving Ralph Hadley (Tankerton Bay) third.

Using the last air movement of the day, Race 4 started with 3 boats (Mason, Shields, Balding) all capable of taking second. The event winner Oscay Lay, could not rest and scored his fourth first (which he discarded!). However none of the second place contenders excelled in this final race, allowing Dence to take second with Sumner third.

Mason's earlier results secured him second overall (10 pts), with Shields third overall (12 pts), and Balding fourth (12 pts).

Oscar Lay, the overwhelming winner is clearly a class act in light airs. I would not be surprised to see him excelling in stronger winds too.

Five Topper 4.2s competed, and Tara Chapman (Island Barn) was a clear winner with 3 firsts, with Rex Raight (Datchet) second (6 pts) and Tom Brown third ((8pts).

Erica Bishop of Wimbledon Park fame was the only, and therefore, the winning, Topper 6.4

Thank you to Lucas, Gloria and Rory for coaching the enthusiastic Regatta fleet of Harry Rahilly, Pietro Andrew Cilly and Benjamin Hughes around the large course. Harry took first place, overtaking several main fleet sailors who had started earlier.

Thank you, too to the large army of hard working and happy helpers, with the catering team excelling themselves yet again with a wonderful variety of hot lunches for all.

Prize Winners:

Topper Overall (all 5.3s)
1st Oscar Lay (Desborough and Island Barn)
2nd Sam Mason (Silver Wing)
3rd Jonathan Shields (Tonbridge Town)
4th Alex Balding (Island Barn)
5th Harry Dence (Island Barn)
6th George Sumner (Island barn)
7th Ralph Hadley (Tankerton Bay)

Topper 4.2
1st Tara Chapman (Island Barn)
2nd Rex Wraight (Datchet)
3rd Tom Brown (Island Barn)

Topper 6.4
1st Erica Bishop (Wimbledon Park )

Under13
1st Jonathan Shields (Tonbridge Town )

Island Barn Sailors
1st (Oscar Lay)
2nd (Alex Balding)
3rd (Harry Dence)

Non Squad
1st Jonathan Shields (Tonbridge Town )

Regatta Fleet
1st Henry Rtilly (Desborough & Queen Mary)
2nd Pietro Andrew Cilly (Sinque Port)
3rd Benjamin Highes (Thames)

Overall Results:

PosSail NoHelmChamp NoClubR1R2R3R4Pts
4.2 Rig
1st46988Tara Chapman Island Barn Reservoir SC‑31113
2nd24847Rex Wraight501Datchet Water SC2‑4226
3rd47028Florence Louis650Island Barn Reservoir SC13‑448
4th45093Tom Brown292Papercourt SC4‑53310
5th49053Serg Stepanov Datchet Water SC525(DNC)12
5.3 Rig
1st49180Oscar Lay600Desborough SC IBRSC‑11113
2nd46703Sam Mason55Silver Wing SC532‑1110
3rd47030Jonathan Shields43Tonbridge Town SC‑1624612
4th48660Alex Balding554Island Barn Reservoir SC246‑712
5th49176Harry Dence513Island Barn Reservoir SC8‑185215
6th48102George Sumner125IBRSC‑1057315
7th44929Ralph Hadley160Tankerton Bay SC/Whitstable YC963‑1018
8th46007Thomas Matthews575Island Barn SC‑19119424
9th47833Jacki Leslie195Papercourt SC31016‑21.529
10th48409Tiphaine Ungari699Wembley SC4‑1917829
11th47863Edward Taylor574IBRSC1778‑1832
12th48692Dexter Corkin615Island Barn Reservoir SC7818‑2333
13th48181Gideon Crees390Island Barn Reservoir SC/Thames SC1316‑23534
14th42919Susan Lewis101Papercourt SC6‑22151334
15th45055Harry Thorburn182Chipstead SC141411‑2439
16th47725Lena Tokajuk117Island Barn Reservoir SC1213‑201641
17th49177Sam Dence516Island Barn Reservoir SC‑262312944
18th46686Leo Bolton197King George SC‑2821101748
19th48666Hannah Kewley68IBRSC11‑20191949
20th47685Cillian McGuire286Island Barn Reservoir SC2215‑331552
21st48645Arthur Peregrine‑Jones108Tamesis Club151228‑3655
22nd49071Alexander Tsokris‑Wildman641Queen Mary SC2124‑301257
23rd47156Isabelle Simpson38Island Barn SC24‑29132057
24th48193Charlie Weatheritt89Tonbridge Town SC201725(DNC)62
25th43178Jack Taylor556Tankerton Bay SC/Whitstable YC25‑31142665
26th44104Joshua Blackman285Papercourt SC27932‑3468
27th48662MIESZKO Woynowski IBRSC1827‑292570
28th44343Imogen Whitfield King George SC23‑42212771
29th49207Torben Brown298Chipstead SC32‑33242884
30th47649Sam Taylor654IBRSC29‑38262984
31st24333Ems RUDLAND Chipstead SC34‑35223187
32nd27853Isaac Chapman341IBRSC3025‑383590
33rd47184Ethan Pillinger Papercourt SC3536‑3921.592.5
34th47432George Lockwood271Papercourt SC/Red Warf Bay Sailing and W37‑40273094
35th46520Adriana Balding584IBRSC31‑44313294
36th31685Lexi Adams39Papercourt SC4043(OCS)1497
37th40795Dylan Boynton Lavelle607Island Barn Reservoir SC392634‑4099
38th46623Dylan Thurgood Island Barn Reservoir SC332841(DNC)102
39th49062Daniel Ushakov Wembley SC‑43323538105
40th48580Jude Quail Island Barn Reservoir SC3834‑4437109
41st48355Max Quail Island Barn Reservoir SC36‑454233111
42nd49061Alex Podopedov Papercourt SC‑44393739115
43rd49063Theodore Butcher Island Barn Reservoir SC(DNC)3036DNC116
44th48120Henry Joseph589Tamesis Club4137‑4341119
45thSUBGEORGE FERRABY Papercourt SC‑42414042123
46th49057Ben Robinson Papercourt SC(DNC)DNCDNCDNC150
46th48365Alex Holgate  (DNC)DNCDNCDNC150
46th45959Myles Botley243Tonbridge Town SC(DNC)DNCDNCDNC150
46th44350Ben Robinson Papercourt SC(DNC)DNCDNCDNC150
6.4 Rig
1st49240Erica Bishop642Minima YC/Wimbledon Park‑11113

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