Topper Open Meeting at Aylesbury Sailing Club

by A Kemp 10 Oct 2001 10:30 BST

27 Toppers began the first race with the wind blowing a steady force 4, gusting to more on occasions. First away was Tom Winskell closely followed by Matthew Lingley. By the windward mark, Tom Winskell was closely followed by Richard Valentine, who went on to take the lead by the end of the first lap.

After three laps, the wind freshened, gusting to a force 5 to 6. At this point, six boats capsized in a matter of seconds, proving too testing for some competitors. As the race progressed, Richard Valentine extended his lead, with Simon Kearns in second place. Kyle Paternoster and Tom Winskell fought a close battle for third place, with Kyle eventually taking third by half a boat length.

The wind moderated somewhat for the start of the second race, which began in bright sunshine. Simon Kearns was first to the windward mark and had increased his lead by the second. Unfortunately the leader then sailed an incorrect course, allowing Richard Valentine to take the lead with Kyle Paternoster second.

After four laps the wind veered, gusting to a force 5. This gave Roger Phillips and Simon Kearns a tremendous lift allowing them to close the gap with the two leaders. However, halfway through the last lap, Richard Valentine took full advantage of a wind shift to take first place again.

The third race saw the wind dropping to a gentle force 2 to 3, which was more manageable for some of the younger competitors. This was a closely fought battle between Simon Kearns and Kyle Paternoster, with Richard Valentine sailing out his rival Roger Phillips in order to gain equal points in the Eastern Region League.

Overall Results:

Pos	Helm	Club
1st	Richard Valentine	Great Moor SC
2nd	Simon Kearns	Grafham Water SC
3rd	Kyle Paternoster	Grafham Water SC
4th	Roger Phillips	Great Moor SC
1st Lady	Emma Hardcastle	Grafham Water SC
1st Aylesbury	William Espiner	Aylesbury SC