Chipstead Sailing Club

Chipstead Topper Open and L&SE Topper Traveller

Jane Marshall – 5th October 2021

40 eager Topper sailors from both Chipstead Sailing Club and the London & South East area arrived with the expectation of wet and windy conditions for the latest in the ITCA Traveller Series. As often is the case, the forecast didn’t apply to Chipstead, and a postponement was raised by race office Bob Murrell, whilst they all waited for the inevitable wind to arrive.

The first race got underway in very light and patchy conditions, with the local boats getting the best of the transit start line with a long fetch to the first mark where it was a case of snakes and ladders dependent on who got onto the puffs of incoming breeze. Local sailor Aurelia McNamara put her boat in the right place to pull out a healthy lead at the windward mark, with the chasing pack close together. Chipstead legend Jane Marshall had managed to sneak ahead by the leeward mark, but the top youth boats of Edwin Cross and Hugo Valentine overhauled the fleet by the end of the race to take first and second respectively.

 

The fleet were a little too keen at the start of the second race, leading to a general recall and the raising of the dreaded U flag. The breeze was starting to build, but the first leg remained patchy and shifty. Edwin and Hugo managed to eke out a small lead, which the fleet swallowed up as the breeze filled in from behind. Edwin managed to break free of the pack to win the race, with a tight pack of Chipstead boats taking the next seven places headed by Tony Hanlon. There were many interesting battles throughout the fleet, with many of the travelling squad sailors out of position as they struggled to adapt to the tricky Chipstead conditions.

For the third race, the forecasted wind started to materialise but remained very inconsistent. Local knowledge was the order of the day, with Alex Pringle and James Russ dominating from start to finish. Some new faces were troubling the leading pack, with RYA Regional Junior Champion Lily Browning and local Chipstead favourite Izzy Cobb both having a fantastic race, finishing in 3rd and 5th respectively. The overall leader board was really tight with one race to go, and a discard to come into play, as the boats headed to shore for some warmth and lunch.

 

The forecasted breeze had still failed to really feature as the boats headed out for a single race after lunch, with all to play for. They got away first time, with a familiar drag race to the first mark at the end of the lake. Again, positioning the boat for the puffs and shifts was key, where Hugo, Edwin and Jane once more pulled clear. There were multiple lead changes between these three boats throughout the race, as they had to navigate the 90 degree shifts and gusts up the short beat. At the finish, Hugo took the winners gun and with it the Chipstead Topper Open title. Edwin finished second to secure the overall Open title, and Jane finished third to make sure of the 1st female category. 1st Veteran was Alex Pringle from Chipstead SC, and 1st Junior was Leo Yates from Shoreham SC.

 

Huge thanks go to the organising committee from Chipstead Sailing Club for putting on the event, in particular, Bob Murrell and his Race Office Team and the safety boat crews that had to put up with torrential downpours throughout the day! Overall results from the day can be found here - https://www.sailwave.com/results/CSC-Topper-Open-2021.htm