Tralee Bay Sailing Club's Ben Chaix delivered a commanding performance at the 2026 International Topper Class European Championships in Weymouth, winning seven of eight races to secure the Topper 4.2 European title as Irish sailors claimed three of the six overall podium places across the two fleets.
The 12-year-old finished the eight-race series with seven points after his second-place finish in the final race was discarded. His winning sequence left Britain's Ralph Grice, of Waveney and Oulton Broad Yacht Club, second on 27 points, with Daniel Long of East Down Yacht Club taking bronze on 28.
Irish Sailors Fill Two Topper 4.2 Podium Places
Long, aged 13, made a particularly strong start to the 24-boat championship, recording third, second, second and third in the opening four races. He finished third overall, one point behind Grice after the permitted discard.
Another Irish entry, Ian Jiaxi Wu, finished fourth on 31 points, taking second places in races five and seven and third places in races six and eight. The results put Irish sailors in first, third and fourth overall in the Topper 4.2 fleet.
Leo West-Hurst Takes Topper 5.3 Silver
In the 70-boat Topper 5.3 fleet, Leo West-Hurst of Ballyholme Yacht Club and Royal Ulster Yacht Club finished runner-up overall, adding the junior European title.
Silver Success – Ballyholme Yacht Club's Leo West-Hurst (left) celebrates finishing runner-up overall in the Topper 5.3 European Championship at Weymouth, where he also claimed the Junior European title
West-Hurst recovered from a retirement in the opening race with a victory in race three and top-six finishes in each of his other races. His silver medal follows a bronze at the Topper World Championships in Quiberon earlier this year.
The three medals represented half of the six overall podium places available in the Topper 4.2 and 5.3 fleets, after eight races at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy.
Other Northern Ireland competitors in the Topper 5.3 fleet included Edward Reynolds of Donaghadee Sailing Club, who finished tenth, Penny Doig of East Antrim Boat Club, 30th overall and tenth girl, and Max Boyd of Ballyholme Yacht Club, 35th.
Topper Ireland also thanked coaches Ellie Cunnane, Zoe Whitford and Thomas Chaix for their support during the championship.
