As winter draws nearer and the nights close in, many sailors are busy with their winterisation process, preparing their boat to be out of the water until spring. However, when it comes to our Barton Rising Star, Ralph Hadley, the winter sailing season is just another challenge to be faced head on. We caught up with his sailing activities over the last month.
The first Topper National Series race of the 2024-2025 season took place over the weekend of the 28th and 29th September at Carsington Sailing Club with Ralph fully race ready after his busy summer on the water. Competing in the 4.2 fleet against thirteen top sailors from across the UK the competition was tough in each of the six races run.
Day one saw perfect blue-sky conditions with light winds on the reservoir. Race one and two were particularly tricky as the gentle breeze saw the 4.2s and 5.3s merge together in a mass of nearly 100 yachts and required a level head and perseverance to break free. Ralph achieved a 4th and 5th place in these openers, meaning his work was cut out for a podium finish over the remaining races. The final race of the day saw Ralph pick up a well-deserved 2nd place, although losing a 10 boat length lead and 1st place amid confusion over a shortened course sealed the end of a frustrating day. But that’s how racing sometimes goes!
Day two saw the wind finally kick in and the race was truly on. Close fought sailing saw a battle for top spots in each race, but consistency paid off with Ralph achieving 2nd place in races four, five and six. With a discard of the fifth place from day one, Ralph took second place overall with twelve points.
Congratulations to Henry Cruse for a solid first place finish with a fantastic 5 points overall and to Audrey Ross of Bartley SC/ASC Birmingham in third place with sixteen points. The Topper NS2 event is in March 2025 at the Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy.
There is never a dull moment when your ambition is to become a top sailor and Ralph continued October with trips to Chipstead for the ITCA Open, placing 5th overall and also 1st place junior position on his initial outing with a 5.3 sail against 42 sailors! It was then on to Papercourt Sailing Club for another ITCA Open with the 5.3 sail, achieving another solid 5th place against 31 sailors.
Strong winds saw various other events cancelled in the following weeks, with Ralph taking the opportunity to sail locally in Whitstable and catch up with friends at the final Cadet outing of the year. Another busy month for the Barton Rising Star, showing how tricky it can be, balancing the start of a new school year whilst continually developing skills afloat.
