South East Topper series at Island Barn Reservoir Sailing Club - Tom Howard Trophy

Fleet beating to windward - South East Topper series at Island Barn for the Tom Howard Trophy © Chloe Tollit

Mark Dence, the much-respected, but retiring, ITCA South East Rep, had said earlier in the week, consulting his Wind Guru forecast: 'At last, a windy Island Barn Topper Open.'

Mark was nowhere to be seen as we raised a postponement flag at 11.00 a.m, the scheduled Warning for Race 1, in totally still conditions. 46 expectant Toppers drifted around the committee boat, like wildebeests who had trekked many miles to a dried-up water hole.

Ten minutes later, Mark's reputation gained a little credence as a magical dark patch approached across the reservoir, and we managed to get Race 1 under way. Like most new winds, it was shifting around, but Lena Tokachuk (Island Barn), one of the youngest in the fleet, played the shifts perfectly to round the windward mark with a 20 metre lead, which she stretched to 40 metres by the end of the lap.

In the next lap she put a tight cover on second place Jonathan Shields (Tonbridge) and third place Edward Taylor (Island Barn). On this second beat, Lena was the first to receive the increasing wind and stretched her lead. These three maintained the same order to the finish.

Ralph Hadley (3rd overall), Sam Dence (1st overall) and Charlie Weatheritt (4th overall) on a close reach to finish - South East Topper series at Island Barn for the Tom Howard Trophy - photo © Chloe Tollit

In Race 2, in a freshening breeze, the wind shifted to the right with three minutes to go, and the committee boat end of the start line became a popular place to be. Ralph Hedley (Tankerton Bay), timed and positioned his start perfectly, and controlled the fleet from the start. He rounded the windward mark first, with Charlie Weatheritt (Tonbridge) and Sam Dence (Island Barn) rounding together in second and third.

Hedley covered these two to the finish, taking first. On the second lap Dence read the shifts a little better than Weatheritt, rounding the windward mark first and defending second place to the end.

So at lunch, Dence led on 6 points, with Hedley and Shields second and third, with 7 points.

After a fabulous, multi-choice hot lunch (thank you, catering team), the wind swung thirty degrees left during the start sequence, giving a huge advantage to those at the left hand end of the line. After a few minutes wait, to see if it would swing back, it didn't, so the race was abandoned.

In the Race 3 re-start, the wind went right in the sequence and Edward Taylor (Island Barn), made a perfect Committee Boat end start, tacked onto port in a good lead, but then stayed too long on this tack, allowing Harry Durrant (Chipstead), Hedley, Shields and Dence, further left on the start, to pass him as the wind went left. These four finished in this order, with Taylor now back in fifth.

For Race 4, the wind increased to 15 knots, favouring the older, heavier, sailors. This time Taylor played the shifts in the middle of the course, which paid him handsomely by giving him the lead at the end of lap 1, with Dence, Durrant, and Weatheritt, close behind. As the wind increased further, Durrant crossed Taylor on the second beat, and the finishing order was Durrant, Taylor, Dence, Weatheritt, Leo Bolton (King George).

No-one had yet stamped his or her authority on the fleet. With one race to go and a discard applied, Dence (9 pts), led from Hadley (10 pts), Taylor (10 pts), Shields (12 pts). The winner would surely come from these four.

(L-R) Durrant, Taylor, Chapman, Whitfield, Hadley commence a run - South East Topper series at Island Barn for the Tom Howard Trophy - photo © Chloe Tollit

For the final race, the wind had dropped a little. The start line was double checked for evenness and Race 5 commenced. Dence started well and covered Hadley and Taylor, pushing them back to 11th and 10th. However, this allowed Weatheritt to pass Dence to lead on lap 2, and also allowed Shields into 3rd. Dence needed a good result to ward off these two, and after a nail-biting final beat, Dence rounded in second, which he held to the finish.

His two main rivals could not improve on their 11th and 10th and the final race finished Weatheritt (1st), Dence (2nd), Shields (3rd), Alfie Tollitt (Shoreham) (4th), and Lena Tokachuk, who had struggled in the stronger winds of races 2,3 and 4, (5th).

So Sam Dence (11pts) (Island Barn) won the Open relatively easily, in the end, from Jonathan Shields (15 pts) (Tonbridge) and Ralph Hadley (16 pts) (Tankerton Bay). Well done Sam. Though you didn't win a race you did what all good coaches advise, 'be consistent', with no result worse than 4th.

We had the biggest fleet of Topper 4.2s that we've ever had (14 in a main fleet of 40), and they were all sailed very well, the leading 6 finishing in front of many 5.3s. Sam Taylor was the pick of the 4.2s (20th overall), 8 points clear of 2nd 4.2, (Isabelle Simpson) (22nd overall).

Rex Wraight, Ben Hughes, Dan Yamamoto, and Saffi Penlington Khalil enjoyed very close racing to finish 3rd, 4th, 5th, & 6th 4.2.

We had a Regatta fleet for novice racers, sailing one less race. The overall winner was Edward McCosh, This fleet had the privilege of being coached by Topper National Champion Harry Dence, elder brother of the Topper Open winner, and both sons of Forecaster Mark Dence and Maggi.

Izzy Knott leads Leo Bolton on a dead run - South East Topper series at Island Barn for the Tom Howard Trophy - photo © Chloe Tollit

In conclusion

Sam Dence thus becomes the first winner of the new Tom Howard Trophy, which will now be awarded annually in memory of ex Island Barn Junior Sailing School member, Tom Howard. Tom learned to sail here in a Taz and a Topper and then raced a Topper and a Laser on the open circuit.

Tom died tragically while walking with a friend in the Himalayas earlier this year. He was 27.

The trophy was kindly donated by his aunt, Grace Coen and was presented at the Open by Tom's sister, Sophie, also an ex Sailing School member. Tom's parents, Angie and Andy Howard, who supported junior sailing here in many ways, also came to this first presentation.

Event winner Sam Dence leads two 4.2s and Jack Taylor in a 5.3 - South East Topper series at Island Barn for the Tom Howard Trophy - photo © Chloe Tollit

Overall Results:

1st UNDER 13 - Lena Tokachuk, Island Barn RSC
1st NON SQUAD - Harry Durant, Chipstead SC