Topper Open at Island Barn Reservoir Sailing Club

by Mike Jones 24 Sep 10:20 BST 21 September 2024

Alex Balding leads Dexter Corkin to the windward mark during the Island Barn Topper Open © Kate Symons

Oscar Lay approaches the windward mark during the Island Barn Topper Open © Kate Symons

Oscar Lay wins 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

The fleet downwind during the Island Barn Topper Open - photo © Kate Symons

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:

Pos	Sail No	Helm	Champ No	Club	R1	R2	R3	R4	Pts
4.2 Rig
1st	46988	Tara Chapman		Island Barn Reservoir SC	‑3	1	1	1	3
2nd	24847	Rex Wraight	501	Datchet Water SC	2	‑4	2	2	6
3rd	47028	Florence Louis	650	Island Barn Reservoir SC	1	3	‑4	4	8
4th	45093	Tom Brown	292	Papercourt SC	4	‑5	3	3	10
5th	49053	Serg Stepanov		Datchet Water SC	5	2	5	(DNC)	12
5.3 Rig
1st	49180	Oscar Lay	600	Desborough SC IBRSC	‑1	1	1	1	3
2nd	46703	Sam Mason	55	Silver Wing SC	5	3	2	‑11	10
3rd	47030	Jonathan Shields	43	Tonbridge Town SC	‑16	2	4	6	12
4th	48660	Alex Balding	554	Island Barn Reservoir SC	2	4	6	‑7	12
5th	49176	Harry Dence	513	Island Barn Reservoir SC	8	‑18	5	2	15
6th	48102	George Sumner	125	IBRSC	‑10	5	7	3	15
7th	44929	Ralph Hadley	160	Tankerton Bay SC/Whitstable YC	9	6	3	‑10	18
8th	46007	Thomas Matthews	575	Island Barn SC	‑19	11	9	4	24
9th	47833	Jacki Leslie	195	Papercourt SC	3	10	16	‑21.5	29
10th	48409	Tiphaine Ungari	699	Wembley SC	4	‑19	17	8	29
11th	47863	Edward Taylor	574	IBRSC	17	7	8	‑18	32
12th	48692	Dexter Corkin	615	Island Barn Reservoir SC	7	8	18	‑23	33
13th	48181	Gideon Crees	390	Island Barn Reservoir SC/Thames SC	13	16	‑23	5	34
14th	42919	Susan Lewis	101	Papercourt SC	6	‑22	15	13	34
15th	45055	Harry Thorburn	182	Chipstead SC	14	14	11	‑24	39
16th	47725	Lena Tokajuk	117	Island Barn Reservoir SC	12	13	‑20	16	41
17th	49177	Sam Dence	516	Island Barn Reservoir SC	‑26	23	12	9	44
18th	46686	Leo Bolton	197	King George SC	‑28	21	10	17	48
19th	48666	Hannah Kewley	68	IBRSC	11	‑20	19	19	49
20th	47685	Cillian McGuire	286	Island Barn Reservoir SC	22	15	‑33	15	52
21st	48645	Arthur Peregrine‑Jones	108	Tamesis Club	15	12	28	‑36	55
22nd	49071	Alexander Tsokris‑Wildman	641	Queen Mary SC	21	24	‑30	12	57
23rd	47156	Isabelle Simpson	38	Island Barn SC	24	‑29	13	20	57
24th	48193	Charlie Weatheritt	89	Tonbridge Town SC	20	17	25	(DNC)	62
25th	43178	Jack Taylor	556	Tankerton Bay SC/Whitstable YC	25	‑31	14	26	65
26th	44104	Joshua Blackman	285	Papercourt SC	27	9	32	‑34	68
27th	48662	MIESZKO Woynowski		IBRSC	18	27	‑29	25	70
28th	44343	Imogen Whitfield		King George SC	23	‑42	21	27	71
29th	49207	Torben Brown	298	Chipstead SC	32	‑33	24	28	84
30th	47649	Sam Taylor	654	IBRSC	29	‑38	26	29	84
31st	24333	Ems RUDLAND		Chipstead SC	34	‑35	22	31	87
32nd	27853	Isaac Chapman	341	IBRSC	30	25	‑38	35	90
33rd	47184	Ethan Pillinger		Papercourt SC	35	36	‑39	21.5	92.5
34th	47432	George Lockwood	271	Papercourt SC/Red Warf Bay Sailing and W	37	‑40	27	30	94
35th	46520	Adriana Balding	584	IBRSC	31	‑44	31	32	94
36th	31685	Lexi Adams	39	Papercourt SC	40	43	(OCS)	14	97
37th	40795	Dylan Boynton Lavelle	607	Island Barn Reservoir SC	39	26	34	‑40	99
38th	46623	Dylan Thurgood		Island Barn Reservoir SC	33	28	41	(DNC)	102
39th	49062	Daniel Ushakov		Wembley SC	‑43	32	35	38	105
40th	48580	Jude Quail		Island Barn Reservoir SC	38	34	‑44	37	109
41st	48355	Max Quail		Island Barn Reservoir SC	36	‑45	42	33	111
42nd	49061	Alex Podopedov		Papercourt SC	‑44	39	37	39	115
43rd	49063	Theodore Butcher		Island Barn Reservoir SC	(DNC)	30	36	DNC	116
44th	48120	Henry Joseph	589	Tamesis Club	41	37	‑43	41	119
45th	SUB	GEORGE FERRABY		Papercourt SC	‑42	41	40	42	123
46th	49057	Ben Robinson		Papercourt SC	(DNC)	DNC	DNC	DNC	150
46th	48365	Alex Holgate			(DNC)	DNC	DNC	DNC	150
46th	45959	Myles Botley	243	Tonbridge Town SC	(DNC)	DNC	DNC	DNC	150
46th	44350	Ben Robinson		Papercourt SC	(DNC)	DNC	DNC	DNC	150
6.4 Rig
1st	49240	Erica Bishop	642	Minima YC/Wimbledon Park	‑1	1	1	1	3