GJW Direct Topper 'Not the Nationals' 2021 at Grafham Water Sailing Club
by Edwin Cross, 'not the nationals winner' 8 Aug 2021 07:32 UTC
4-6 August 2021
GJW Direct Topper 'Not the Nationals' 2021 prize winners © Gareth Griffiths
We could race! After the roller-coaster of having our nationals and worlds cancelled last year, and again this year we were all very excited to be racing at 'Not the Nationals' hosted by Grafham Water Sailing Club.
But Wednesday 4th August saw no wind... We spent a day in the boat park, on edge hoping the wind would fill in- it didn't. However, after AP over A flew over our Toppers, many of us raced off the nearby AquaPark - at least not all was wasted!
Day 2... Finally, after the long wait here we were on the start line of the first race. The wind shifty and gusting anywhere between about 10 to 17 knots. After discussing our tactics lots of us opted for a starboard start. We worked hard up the first beat trying to play shifts and gusts to get ahead of one another and as the wind swung right me, Leo Yates and Reuben found ourselves in a 1, 2, 3 with a healthy lead. After some tight match racing and a delightful death-roll from me, Leo finished 1st and I clung onto 2nd with Reuben Hudson just behind in 3rd. A Shoreham clean sweep, not bad?
Onto race 2, after picking up the wind shifted left which caught many of us out! But not Kaitlyn Wyatt who kept going and finished 2nd behind Alfred Noel from Warsash and Leo in 4th.
In race 3, we went again, the wind oscillating much more predictably again, I finished first, closely followed by Leo and Oscar Fry from Warsash in 3rd.
And, into the final series race of the day. After a tight start and everyone doing well to play the shifts no one had a major advantage after the first 3 legs. It was all to play for. Samson Cross and I banged left believing the left shift that threw us off in race 2 could come in handy and it did! We had the edge and after rounding 1st and 6th we worked hard downwind attacking and defending, finishing 1st and only Alfred from Warsash clinging onto 2nd with Samson in 3rd.
Then the fun race! A different course and lighter breeze and many of us standing up, Rhys Griffiths came in a took a respectable 4th!
After a restless night, not knowing if we would race again due to the strong forecast, we all arrived. Despite the growing winds and the launching tractor breaking, we all found our way to the race course. The press rib, now our committee! After a general and a second start being abandoned due to a mis-communication, we were all on edge. Third time lucky though, we were off! After some more nail-biting racing, Daisy Fischer of Hollingworth Lake came out on top followed by me, Oscar Fry and then Leo Yates in 4th.
The winds picking up and the gusts becoming more frequent, we started race 2, Reuben Hudson reaching the first mark in the lead followed by Leo Yates then me. The gusts coming through more and more the top 15 had it all to play for. The gusts now became the constant, 27knots now, with gusts up to 32 and the hail becoming relentless! The second beat was insane! Everything hurt. I got to the top mark in the lead but after death rolling and pitchpoling twice while trying to avoid the now sea of turtled boats, Leo overtook me and was being closely followed by Kaitlyn Wyatt, but with only the best bit left, the reach, they abandoned it.
What an awesome three days. From no wind to too much in 72 hours. Overall, I managed to hang on and finish first overall, followed by Leo Yates in second, my brother Samson Cross came sixth, Kaitlyn Wyatt and Reuben Hudson in eighth and ninth and Rhys Griffiths in 16th of 78.
5.3 Fleet Results: (see other event report for 4.2 fleet results)
Pos | Helm | Sail No | Club | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | Pts |
1st | Edwin Cross | 48600 | Shoreham/Island Barn | 2 | ‑11 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
2nd | Leo Yates | 48153 | Island Barn / Shoreham / Burghfield | 1 | 4 | 2 | ‑20 | 4 | 11 |
3rd | Alfred Noel | 46771 | Warsash SC | 8 | 1 | 5 | 2 | (RET) | 16 |
4th | Oscar Fry | 47879 | Warsash SC | 6 | ‑7 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 17 |
5th | Daisy Fisher | 48451 | Hollingworth Lake | ‑14 | 3 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 19 |
6th | Samson Cross | 45047 | Shoreham/Island Barn | 7 | 13 | 9 | 3 | ‑19 | 32 |
7th | Robin Phipps | 48433 | Parkstone YC | 5 | 14 | 4 | ‑16 | 10 | 33 |
8th | Kaitlyn Wyatt | 48678 | Shoreham SC/ IBRSC / Papercourt SC | 15 | 2 | ‑31 | 12 | 9 | 38 |
9th | Reuben Hudson | 47928 | Island Barn Reservoir SC/Shoreham SC | 3 | 16 | 10 | 9 | ‑22 | 38 |
10th | Joanna Leake | 48666 | Island Barn Reservoir SC | 11 | 8 | ‑14 | 8 | 14 | 41 |
11th | Ella Bishop | 44839 | Parkstone YC | 10 | 12 | ‑16 | 15 | 7 | 44 |
12th | Hayden Moore | 48098 | Notts County SC | ‑36 | 5 | 13 | 6 | 21 | 45 |
13th | Immi Rees | 48617 | Warsash SC | 18 | (RET) | 6 | 11 | 11 | 46 |
14th | Edward smith | 47636 | Chipstead SC | ‑28 | 10 | 27 | 10 | 6 | 53 |
15th | Lauren Irons | 47855 | Papercourt SC | ‑25 | 23 | 8 | 7 | 24 | 62 |
16th | Rhys Griffiths | 48249 | Shoreham SC | 19 | ‑39 | 12 | 19 | 12 | 62 |
17th | Jessica Powell | 46391 | Draycote Water SC | 23 | 18 | ‑28 | 17 | 5 | 63 |
18th | Jadon Brockdorff‑Kennedy | 46989 | Phoenix Outdoor Centre / Queen Mary SC | 22 | 21 | 7 | 14 | ‑30 | 64 |
19th | Lily Browning | 47765 | Island Barn Reservoir SC
Thames SC | 16 | ‑26 | 23 | 13 | 13 | 65 |
20th | Chloe Mills | 48258 | Pennine SC | 4 | 9 | 26 | ‑35 | 28 | 67 |
21st | Lara Odling | 46895 | Stithians SC | ‑52 | 20 | 24 | 21 | 15 | 80 |
22nd | Ben Homer | 48096 | Dalgety Bay SC | 9 | 6 | 50 | 18 | ‑53 | 83 |
23rd | Tom Moss | 47601 | Ripon SC/Scaling Dam SC | ‑31 | 15 | 19 | 30 | 20 | 84 |
24th | Noah Wood | 48317 | Clwb Hwylio Pwllheli SC | 17 | ‑37 | 17 | 26 | 26 | 86 |
25th | Erin Young | 48663 | Scaling Dam SC | 20 | ‑27 | 25 | 24 | 18 | 87 |
26th | Gwyneth Lanyon | 46168 | Notts County SC | 12 | 34 | 20 | 37 | ‑39 | 103 |
27th | Graydon McLeod Fleming | 48744 | Hunts SC | ‑50 | 45 | 21 | 31 | 8 | 105 |
28th | merryn attridge | 48318 | Royal Hospital Sch / Swarkestone SC | 13 | 17 | 62 | (RET) | 16 | 108 |
29th | Arran Goodman | 48185 | Hill Head SC / Jets | 30 | 22 | 22 | ‑53 | 37 | 111 |
30th | finley southon | 48878 | Bough Beech SC | ‑46 | 29 | 36 | 23 | 23 | 111 |
31st | Joseph Reid | 46522 | Exe SC | 21 | 44 | 15 | 41 | ‑52 | 121 |
32nd | Kyle Muelaner | 47732 | Cotswold SC | 26 | 31 | ‑53 | 29 | 35 | 121 |
33rd | Ffion Cerrato | 31922 | Warsash SC (& JETS) | 35 | 33 | 18 | 38 | ‑40 | 124 |
34th | Katherine Burgess | 47777 | Royal Harwich YC | 29 | 19 | 45 | 34 | ‑60 | 127 |
35th | Jack Sims | 48066 | Llandegfedd SC | (DNF) | 42 | 29 | 50 | 17 | 138 |
36th | Daniel Mcgregor | 48714 | Priory SC | 43 | 32 | 32 | ‑52 | 31 | 138 |
37th | Ruairi Herrington | 47775 | Largs SC | 24 | 50 | ‑51 | 22 | 44 | 140 |
38th | Martha Christensen | 48092 | Notts County SC | ‑70 | 25 | 40 | 25 | 50 | 140 |
39th | Edward Quinn | 48165 | Notts County SC | 34 | 41 | 39 | 27 | (DNC) | 141 |
40th | Tim Czura | 46720 | Lee on the Solent | 32 | 30 | ‑58 | 55 | 33 | 150 |
41st | Finley Briggs | 48582 | Largs SC | 37 | 38 | ‑56 | 40 | 36 | 151 |
42nd | Jemima Fry | 48572 | Warsash SC | 54 | 35 | 30 | 33 | ‑57 | 152 |
43rd | jessica taylor | 46610 | Blackwater SC | ‑59 | 28 | 52 | 42 | 32 | 154 |
44th | Oliver Gatton | 45959 | Crawley Mariners YC/Island Barn Reservoi | ‑63 | 55 | 37 | 39 | 29 | 160 |
45th | Lewis Bacon | 47265 | Leigh & Lowton SC | ‑56 | 49 | 34 | 36 | 42 | 161 |
46th | Charlotte Cooper | 48758 | West Lancashire YC | 33 | 24 | (DNS) | DNC | 25 | 162 |
47th | Florence Tovey | 43911 | Mumbles YC | ‑57 | 40 | 43 | 32 | 51 | 166 |
48th | Noah Curtis | 44028 | Chew Valley Lake SC | 47 | ‑51 | 44 | 51 | 27 | 169 |
49th | Finn Goodman | 48819 | Teesdale Sailing & Watersports Club | 49 | 43 | 35 | 43 | ‑55 | 170 |
50th | Rebecca Shearer | 48264 | Clyde Cruising Club | 53 | 53 | ‑61 | 28 | 38 | 172 |
51st | Caitlin Thomas | 46205 | Notts County SC | 40 | 46 | ‑54 | 48 | 48 | 182 |
52nd | Thomas Looseley | 48716 | St Andrews SC | 51 | ‑65 | 41 | 47 | 49 | 188 |
53rd | Erin Tinkler | 48628 | Burghfield SC | 42 | 54 | 38 | (RET) | 58 | 192 |
54th | Edward Paling | 48259 | Notts County SC | 55 | 36 | ‑60 | 45 | 59 | 195 |
55th | Theo McGonigle | 48719 | Ripon SC | 27 | (NSC) | 68 | 58 | 43 | 196 |
56th | Harry White | 48309 | Snowflakes | ‑71 | 57 | 42 | 57 | 41 | 197 |
57th | Sebastian Davies | 47676 | Warsash SC | 39 | ‑67 | 55 | 46 | 61 | 201 |
58th | Alex Smith | 48325 | Windermere School | ‑69 | 47 | 33 | 63 | 64 | 207 |
59th | Dominic Atherton | 48578 | Grafham Water SC | 60 | 48 | 46 | 54 | ‑68 | 208 |
60th | Thomas Peace | 47746 | Warsash SC (JETS) | 41 | (RET) | DNC | 44 | 46 | 211 |
61st | Lucy Rains | 44144 | Waldringfield SC | ‑72 | 56 | 63 | 64 | 34 | 217 |
62nd | Kyla Baxter | 20272 | Covenham SC | 48 | 61 | 49 | 62 | (DNC) | 220 |
63rd | Ellie Thwaites | 47625 | Snowflakes SC | 38 | 71 | 67 | ‑73 | 45 | 221 |
64th | Leah May | 47028 | Island Barn SC | ‑67 | 59 | 48 | 56 | 65 | 228 |
65th | Alistair MacKinnon | 48350 | East Lothian YC | 45 | 63 | ‑71 | 59 | 62 | 229 |
66th | Harriet Wood | 46303 | Elton SC | ‑66 | 66 | 57 | 49 | 66 | 238 |
67th | Tyrii Bell | 19266 | Cam SC | 64 | 62 | 47 | 66 | (DNC) | 239 |
68th | Charlie Newell‑Johnson | 47662 | Waldringfield SC | 61 | ‑74 | 65 | 70 | 47 | 243 |
69th | Harry Wemyss | 48679 | Hickling broad SC | 44 | 52 | (DNS) | DNC | 69 | 245 |
70th | Izzy Johnson | 47853 | Chipstead SC | ‑74 | 58 | 59 | 65 | 70 | 252 |
71st | Natasha Baker | 46768 | Mumbles YC | ‑73 | 60 | 64 | 68 | 63 | 255 |
72nd | Henry Agius | 48591 | Dalgety Bay SC/Island Barn Reservoir SC | 58 | 68 | 69 | 61 | (BFD) | 256 |
73rd | Leon Kadioglu | 47743 | west kirby SC | 62 | 64 | 66 | ‑69 | 67 | 259 |
74th | Charley White | 48682 | Snowflakes | ‑75 | 70 | 72 | 67 | 56 | 265 |
75th | Beatrice Walker | 42046 | Waldringfield SC | 65 | 73 | ‑75 | 60 | 73 | 271 |
76th | Jasper Focardi Dolling | 48193 | Dovey YC | ‑77 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 54 | 273 |
77th | Electra Reeves | 47750 | Cam SC/Christchurch SC | 68 | 69 | ‑74 | 72 | 71 | 280 |
78th | Cameron McDaid | 47303 | Largs SC | ‑76 | 75 | 70 | 71 | 72 | 288 |
79th | Bjorn Handley | 45770 | Island Barn Reservoir SC/Queen Mary SC | (DNC) | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | 320 |