A fleet of more than 50 Toppers from ten sailing clubs around the country will be arriving in Dunmore East on Friday to compete in the three-day Irish Topper National Championships, from July 1 to 3 at Waterford Harbour Sailing Club (WHSC).
Racing starts at midday on Friday, 11 am on Saturday and 11 am on Sunday, with three races planned per day. Eight sailors are expected to sail in the 4.2 class. The remainder will be in full rig 5.3 boats.
Fourteen WHSC boats will be competing, but the biggest contingent is from Royal Cork Yacht Club. Nineteen are registered from the Cork club.
For some participants, the event is an opportunity to get in some final competitive sailing ahead of the Topper World Championships in Riva Del Garda in Italy. The event was due to be held in 2020, but was cancelled due to Covid 19.
With 40 sailors competing in the Topper Nationals also due to take part in the World Championships, an all-Ireland container of Topper boats will be leaving from Dunmore East on Sunday. It will transport boats from Waterford, Cork, Galway, Tipperary, Dublin and Bangor and is expected to arrive in Lake Garda on July 20.
The event there runs from Monday, July 25 to Fri 29. Twelve WHSC sailors are among those travelling to Italy.
Commodore Roy Power said: “It’s great to see such enthusiasm from our younger members. Conditions currently look good for some really competitive sailing over the weekend and another chance to showcase the best of what sailing in the south east has to offer.
