Two Irish sailors in Topper Top Ten

24th July 2008

Courtown's Philip Doran and Strangford sailor Christopher Eames are Ireland's top representatives at the Gul Topper World Championships in Tralee, as the event moves into the closing stages.

Light, flukey airs prevented racing yesterday, allowing Doran another day to digest and enjoy his first World Championship race win on Tuesday.

Doran lies in third position in the 176-boat fleet, having posted his first bullet in race six, the last race held on Tuesday.

Doran, who was also Ireland's top performer at the last worlds, is currently discarding a seventh and sits just six points behind first place. Coach Thomas Chaix said he was unlucky to miss out on another win, but expects more may be in the pipeline.

Eames, meanwhile, is within four points of sixth place after the group qualification stages, with the fleets now being split into gold and silver.

All of the ISA Topper Squad will race in the gold fleet today, providing PRO Alan Crosbie can make something of the tricky conditions that have made racing extremely difficult in Tralee Bay.

Strong tide in 12-13 knot airs pushed many over the line on, with slightly breezier conditions on Tuesday making for more even and competitive racing.

Results for the event are here, with a cluster of Irish sailors sitting in the mid to late thirties, despite posting results consistently in the mid-teens.

Published in News From the Afloat.ie Archive

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