Ballyholme Bay’s Emma West-Hurst has been crowned British National Female Champion while her younger brother Leo secured third overall after an outstanding showing at the Topper British Nationals in Weymouth. The Ballyholme junior sailors were among more than 100 young competitors who assembled at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy for five days of racing from August 9-14.
West-Hurst, representing Royal Ulster Yacht Club as well as the Northern Ireland and Irish Sailing teams, produced a consistent series in changing conditions at the former Olympic sailing venue. She went into the final day wearing the red bib for third place overall, with two of her NI Sailing teammates close behind and younger brother Leo West-Hurst sitting fifth.
Championship Form – Emma West-Hurst in action at the Topper British Nationals in Weymouth, where she was crowned British National Female Champion in the 5.3 fleet
Another strong performance on the final day enabled Emma to retain her position as the leading female sailor and secure the British National Female Championship in the Topper 5.3 fleet.
The title represents a significant achievement for the Northern Ireland sailor, who stepped away from the sport for a short period two years ago before returning to competition.
Strong summer continues for West-Hurst
Her British title follows an impressive performance on the international stage earlier this summer. At the 2026 Topper World Championships in Quiberon, France, West-Hurst qualified for the Gold fleet before finishing 20th overall against an international field.
The result in Weymouth adds another major achievement to a season that has reinforced her standing among Northern Ireland’s leading young sailors.
Leo West-Hurst takes third overall
There was further success for Ballyholme through Emma’s younger brother Leo, who climbed from fifth entering the final day to secure third place overall in the Topper 5.3 fleet. His British Nationals podium follows another podium performance at the Topper World Championships in Quiberon, continuing an impressive season for the Ballyholme sailor.
The results from Emma and Leo underline a strong period for Ballyholme Yacht Club’s junior programme, with a sizeable contingent of the club’s young Topper sailors competing in Weymouth.
Attention now turns to the closing stages of the domestic season.
The Ballyholme sailors are due to compete at the Topper Northern Championship in Carrickfergus before a Traveller event at Strangford. Their season is then set to conclude at Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club with the John Minnis RYA Youth Championships, where Ballyholme’s emerging sailors will be chasing further honours.
