Short chop in a Topper

The Topper Open Meeting at Wilsonian Sailing Club saw a tricky sea-state

Nine Toppers representing eight sailing clubs from across the southeast attended the open meeting at Wilsonian Sailing Club on Saturday fifth April.

A lapping course, one race in the morning and two back-to-back after lunch with two to count was the format. The moderate breeze was manageable, the only problem being the short chop from wind against the flood tide.

In race one Joshua Mclynn, Joseph Wellerd and Richard Thomas soon broke free from the pack and on the final round Mclynn eased ahead with Wellerd second and Thomas third. During the lunch break Clive Jackson sorted out his bending tiller extension and this proved essential for his success.

The breeze gradually died away during the afternoon and sailing against the strong ebb tide proved a difficulty for some. However, in race two Wellerd and Mclynn once again established a commanding lead with Jackson chasing close behind. Wellerd kept ahead of Mclynn on the final lap for first and second places respectively, with Jackson third.

Jackson mastered the light airs well in the final race to get clear ahead for line honours to be promoted to third overall, while a second for Wellerd was sufficient to lift the top prize. Mclynn could discard a fourth place and count a first and second to claim second prize, while Thomas added another third to take fourth prize on aggregate.

Results:

1-Joseph Wellerd (Crawley Mariners YC)
2-Joshua Mclynn (Wembledon Park SC)
3-Clive Jackson (Papercourt SC)
4-Richard Thomas (Broadstairs SC)