Topper Open Meeting at Avon Sailing Club
by Paul Lucas 10 Jun 2002 21:17 BST
20 Toppers were greeted by challenging conditions on 8th June, light, fickle winds meant that patience was the order of the day.
In the first race Tom Davenport, from Upton Warren, took an early lead and was never seriously challenged but it was a day for the light weights with Sam Coombs, from Clevedon second and Joe Crabb (Chew Valley) third.
In the second race Tom again lead from start to finish, places behind him changed regularly as the competitors struggled to decide which side of the river to take or whether to hedge their bets going up the middle.Eventually Matt Podger (Chew Valley) pulled ahead to take second with Joe third.
The final race was won by Alastair Nichol from Emsworth Slipper, with Joe taking second, and Matt third. The sailing was good humoured if frustrating and all competitors did extremely well.
Spectators walked along the bank to place their bets on the final order and maybe it was a day to back the outsiders.
Overall Results:
| Pos | Helm |
|---|
| 1st | Tom Davenport |
| 2nd | Alastair Nichol |
| 3rd | Joe Crabb |
| 4th | Matt Podger |