Topper L&SE Spring Traveller 2 Open at Crawley Mariners Yacht Club

Crawley Mariners Yacht Club Topper Open © Stuart Shields

Crawley Mariners Yacht Club Topper Open © Stuart Shields

Crawley Mariners Yacht Club hosted a sunny Topper Open on 29th March, welcoming 25 sailors - 17 visitors and 8 club boats - to their beautiful lake. With a forecast of 5-17 knots and plenty of spring sunshine, conditions looked promising from the start.

Early wind shifts kept the race committee busy, but once settled, racing got under way. The fleet delivered close, tactical competition, with the breeze gradually building but remaining shifty and unpredictable—keeping sailors on their toes all day.

Spectators enjoyed the action from the shoreline, basking in the sun and encouraging competitors. The friendly, buzzing atmosphere made for a fantastic day all round.

Thanks to Rooster for sponsoring some very generous prizes, and congratulations to all competitors!

Overall Results: (top three, full results below)

4.2 Fleet
1st Alfie Tollit (Shoreham SC)
2nd Isabelle Simpson (Island Barn SC)
3rd Rex Wraight (Datchet Water SC)

5.3 Fleet
1st Sam Mason (Silver Wing SC)
2nd Thomas Matthews (Island Barn SC)
3rd Tiphaine Ungari (Wembley SC)

6.4 Fleet
1st Erica Bishop

Special Mentions
1st CMYC Sailor (outside top 3): Szymon Giersz
1st Girl (outside top 3): Emily Courtney (CMYC)

Spot Prizes
Ben Hughes -sailing a boat called "Don't Panic", and doing just that as he 'windsurfed' across the finish line when his mainsheet came undone!
Lena Tokajuk - for smooth trim, textbook roll tacking, and a constant smile!

Sam Mason (5.3 winner) shares his take on the day's action below:

'We arrived at Crawley Mariners Yacht Club on a sunny Saturday morning and after everyone rigged their boats and got changed we hit the water. The wind was shifty but building throughout the day and the woods surrounding the lake caused some challenging conditions. It paid to focus on getting in-phase with the shifts and going towards the pressure.

The morning session of two races was light winds mostly and the race committee set a figure of 8 course which allowed for 2 upwind legs and 2 downwind legs with 3 laps. The start of the first race was port biased and a shift on the first beat meant the left side paid. The fleet spread out but after a tight battle at the front Sam Mason won from Sam Taylor and Thomas Matthews.

Crawley Mariners Yacht Club Topper Open - photo © Stuart Shields

The second race started with some individual recalls leaving both 1st and 2nd from the first race heading back to restart. Thomas Matthews went on to win with Sam Mason fighting back to second and Tiphaine Ungari 3rd.

We then came in for lunch which was provided by the volunteers at Crawley Mariners and was delicious then after a course change and adding some layers because the increasing wind chill was dropping the temperature we hit the water again.

The afternoon session was windier and everyone got hiking. This provided a different challenge and we had two great races! Following the final race results 1st and 2nd were tied on points but separated by discard. Sam Mason won on countback with Thomas Mathews in 2nd and Tiphaine Ungari in 3rd for the 5.3 fleet.

We then packed up, got changed, had some much needed cake which was provided by the volunteers again and then the fleet of nearly 30 stayed for the prize-giving which was sponsored by Rooster. A really enjoyable event at a great venue!'

Overall Results: