ITCA Topper National Series event 4 at Hayling Island Sailing Club

Topper National Series event 4 at Hayling Island © Catherine Massey

Travelling from Northern Ireland to Hayling Island for the fourth event in the GBR National Series was really exciting, but also a bit nerve-wracking because the competition was so fierce. Every event seems to get tougher, and you can really feel how much everyone is improving.

Saturday brought what sailors call "champagne conditions" - flat water and a light breeze that made everything feel smooth and fast. The wind was quite gentle, around 8-12 knots, and it settled nicely after a short delay from the race committee in the morning while they waited for it to steady. Once racing got under way, the courses were brilliant and the racing was super quick and tactical.

Even though the breeze was light, there was a strong tidal pull across the racecourse. With the tide dropping from the late morning low (around 1.8m) and building again towards a 3.9m evening high, you really had to keep an eye on it because it could push you off the lay lines or affect your starts if you didn't judge it right.

This was also the first time we used TracTrac live tracking at an event, which I was a bit nervous about at the start. I thought it might distract me, but once I got racing, it didn't affect how I sailed at all. It was actually really cool knowing that people could follow along.

We also had a really helpful and interesting talk from Tim Hulse about how to use the data afterwards. He showed us how we can analyse things like our starts, boat speed, and how accurately we lay the marks. It made me realise how useful it can be for training and improving so a big thank you to Rooster for helping the class to provide such an invaluable tool.

Sunday was completely different. The weather turned wet and wild, with overcast skies, rain showers and much stronger winds building into the mid- to high-teens (around 15-20 knots with gusts pushing higher). It was much colder and a lot more challenging, and you really had to stay focused all the time.

Because of the conditions, the racing became much tighter, with sailors constantly changing places. Every race felt like it could go any way, and it made for some of the most exciting racing I've ever been part of.

Hari Clark sailed an absolute blinder on day one. He is amazing in light wind conditions and really showed it, building a strong lead early on. Even though Sunday was completely different, he stayed consistent and managed to hold onto the top spot overall. But it was incredibly close going into the final race, and it really felt like anyone could win.

I was also delighted for my fellow sailor Freya Antonelli, who had an amazing final race and secured her first National Series win. It was brilliant to see and really shows how competitive and exciting the fleet is right now.

A massive thank you has to go to all the parents and local volunteers at Hayling Island Sailing Club who made the event so welcoming and well run. Also, a big thanks to GBR Chair Greg and Events Manager Claire, who work so hard behind the scenes to organise these events and make them so memorable for us sailors.

I also want to say a huge thank you to Topper Russ, who was there both days. He always helps calm nerves before racing and is there for absolutely anything boat-related - from answering what might feel like silly questions to helping with major repairs. Honestly, a lot of us wouldn't be able to race at this level without his support.

Now, everything comes down to the final event of the series at Grafham Water Sailing Club on 13-14 June, where the national rankings could completely change again.

This has definitely been one of the most exciting and challenging sailing series I've ever taken part in and I can't wait to travel to Grafham for the final in the series.

This has been a brilliant experience for me ahead of the World Championship in Quiberon, France. It really does benefit sailing in the big fleets, with very close competition.

Topper National Series event 4 at Hayling Island - photo © Claire Turner

5.3 Fleet Results:

4.2 Fleet Results: