Crosby SC - "The End of an Era"

With the demolition of the Crosby Sailing Club, the members of Crosby Sailing Club have had to look for sailing waters elsewhere.

A quote from the CSC press office:

"Crosby Sailing Club could be on the move in 2008. With Liverpool’s European City of Culture, the club is due to see an investment of in excess of £8 million spent on a new clubhouse and lake improvements. This will mean that the old clubhouse will need flattening. With that the club will be without a clubhouse, changing rooms and race control.

Whilst the serious work is carried out, the council have stated that the lake will have to be closed for Health and Safety reasons. Thus a sailing club without a home! The solo fleet known on the Northern Travellers circuit as the Crosby Mafia , will now have to be known as the Crosby Nomads SC.

Negotiations so far have seen the fleet moving to West Lancashire Yacht Club, home of the famous 24hr Race, only to find that the lake has been emptied of water! West Kirby SC across the River Mersey have also very kindly offered to host the Solo fleet. Thus everything is up in the air. The latest is that the lake may not close but the club may still be homeless. A further update is due in the New Year. "

Nationwide #6 @ Carsington SC

This weekend, the 20th and 21st of October 2007, is the final Craftinsure Nationwide event of the year.

It is hosted by Carsington Sailing Cub, in Darbyshire.

Carsington Sailing Club is almost one hundred miles from Southport, and is expected to take about two and a quarter hours to get there.

Carsington SC have provided their location details via MultiMap, and Google Maps,

For those with a GPS, the post code of the sailing club is DE6 1SU.

Accommodation is fairly good in the villages local to the reservoir, and there is a Travell Lodge / Premiere Travel Inn close enough to the water to make a two night stop over viable.

Food at Carsington is excellent, with outside catering providing extremely good bacon bagettes at a reasonable price, they are certainly recommended for anyone that has travelled down in the small hours of the morning ;-)

As always good luck to every Topper Sailor from the North West, and we wish you all a safe journey.

Report and Results.

Gul Topper Worlds 2008 in Ireland

Topper and the GBR Topper Site have published that the Topper World Championships in 2008 will be held in Ireland at the Tralee Bay Sailing Club,

The Gul Topper World Championships 2008 will take place during the period Saturday 19th July 2008 to Friday 25th July 2008 and be hosted by The Tralee Bay Sailing Club at Fenit which is located approximately 6 miles due west of Tralee, Co Kerry, Ireland. The Notice of Race and Entry Form will be published by the end of January 2008.

All Girls Training

The dates for the All Girls Training events for 2008 have been changed:

They are now:

AGN1	–	5th & 6th	January 2008	@	Rutland Water SC
AGN2	–	5th & 6th	April 2008	@	Pwllheli SC

Unfortunately there is no accommodation available for the weekend in Pwllheli.

Nationwides, Nationals & Inlands 2008

The following dates for the Topper Inlands, the Topper Nationals and the Topper Nationwide series have been published on the GBR Topper Website:

April	12th	&	13th	-	Nationwide #1	@	Datchet
May	3rd	&	4th	-	Inland Championships	@	Grafham
June	14th	&	15th	-	Nationwide #2	@	Largs
July	12th	&	13th	-	Nationwide #3	@	Oxford
August	3rd	to	8th	-	National Championships	@	Paignton
September	6th	&	7th	-	Nationwide #4	@	Pwllheli
October	18th	&	19th	-	Nationwide #5	@	Carsington

With the following comments on the races to qualify:

The best three (of five) Nationwide results to count for the series.
The squad selection qualifiers are likely to be Largs, Oxford, the Nationals and Pwllheli.
It is expected that ITCA will announce details of the World Championship in early October.

Points Of Interest for GPS

For those that are interested I've compiled a list of Points of Interest for Garmin GPS Navigation units and donated them to MaFT.

These can be downloaded and converted to TomTom POI's or any other format you wish using freely available tools from the Internet.

I started off with a Garmin GPS, then moved on to a TomTom, so I can confirm that all these POIs can be converted quite easily.

If you want the POIs the can be found at MafT.

Enjoy. ;-)

Lloyd Hayes Trophy @ West Lancashire YC

Saturday the 6th of October 2007 is the date for the final North West Junior Traveller Trophy event.

It is going to be held at West Lancashire Yacht Club in Southport, and is combined with a local club event: "The Lloyd Hayes Trophy".

There will be a briefing in the club house at 10:00, followed by the first race start at 10:30.

We would like to provide a Booking Form, Sailing Instructions and the Notice of Race before the event, but unfortunately the club has not provide these on line.

However, the location of the club can be found here, and we have it on good authority that it is rumoured that there will be a complimentary cup of tea or coffee and a slice or two of toast at the club on arrival and that certain Topper parents will be taking advantage of some time to go shopping around Southport during the races.

The Vice Commodore: Dave Bower; is the contact for the event, and he can be contacted on: 0151 523 0358 [information courtesy of the NWJTT Web Site] or contact the club directly on: 01704 530840

For this event there will be other classes present as the Lloyd Hayes Trophy is also open to Optimists, and Lasers.

The postcode for WLYC is PR8 1RY for those with a GPS.

For those local to Southport, we hope you know where the club is without the recourse to a GPS ;-)

The weather forecast for the day for a Northerly wind of between 6 and 7 miles per hour during the day's sailing, with a little cloud and some sun. At the moment no rain is expected.

Report and Results.

Nationwide & Nationals 2008

The following dates and venues have been posted on the GBR Topper website:

April	12th	&	13th	-	Nationwide #1	@	Datchet
May	3rd	&	4th	-	Inland Championships	@	Grafham
June	14th	&	15th	-	Nationwide #2	@	Largs
July	12th	&	13th	-	Nationwide #3	@	Oxford
August	3rd	to	8th	-	National Championships	@	Paignton
September	6th	&	7th	-	Nationwide #4	@	Pwllheli
October	18th	&	19th	-	Nationwide #5	@	Carsington

With the folowing qualifications:

The best three (of five) Nationwide results to count for the series. The squad selection qualifiers are likely to be Largs, Oxford, the Nationals and Pwllheli. It is expected that ITCA will announce details of the World Championship in early October.

Zone Championships @ Ullswater YC

Saturday the 29th and Sunday the 30th of September is that weekend that marks the 2007 Topper Zone Championships. These are to be held at Ullswater Yacht Club.

They have very kindly posted some helpful information on their website about the event:

A 2 day championship event - 29th and 30th September 2007.
Notice of Race and entries - all sailors must complete the online application process on www.ryaracingevents.org.uk by 19th September no late entries allowed.
Camping available on site sorry no sleeping in campervans on site.
Good value breakfasts, lunches and snacks available Saturday and Sunday.
Evening meal Saturday - Homemade Cottage Pie and vegetables followed by Apple crumble and ice cream.
Vegetarian option available £5 per head, (half portions available).

To quote their location and description:

Ullswater Yacht Club is situated on the North East shore of the beautiful Lake Ullswater, about 2 miles from Pooley Bridge on the Howtown Road.
Being at the northern end of the Lake District National Park Ullswater Yacht Club is unrivalled in its facilities both on and off the water.
Ullswater Yacht Club was founded in 1958 and has a lake frontage of 200m, with easy access for both dinghies and keelboats, and a sailing area, which is both sheltered and challenging, covering 7 miles by 1 mile at its widest point.

There is expected to be quite a few Toppers from the North West competing in this event, it's a selection event for the 2007 - 2008 North West Topper Zone Squad, so competition is likely to be of a high standard.

Ullswater YC is just under 100 miles from Southport, and is expected to take about two hours to get there. For the GPS enables ones the post code is CA10 2NA.

As always good luck to all NW Topper Sailors, and have a safe journey.

Report and Results.

Open Event @ Tamworth SC

This weekend, Saturday the 22nd of September, is the Open Meeting at Tamworth Sailing Club. This event is one of the mandatory events used by the RYA in the NW Zone selection process. Tamworth SC is almost 120 miles from Southport, and is expeted to take about two and a quarter hours to get there, the sailing club is not far off the M42, so you'll probably use the M6 toll road to get there. Instructions from their website on how to get there are:

• Leave M42 at Junction 9.
• Take A4097 to Kingsbury.
• Turn Left at first roundabout into Cotton Road, this goes into Bodymoor Heath Road.
• Kingsbury Waterpark is on RHS after ½ mile.
• Enter the park and turn Right at T junction.
• Follow the road round until you come to the club.

The winds are expected to be light, 5 knots in the morning building to almost 9 by the evening, and light showers may well appear. As ever good luck to all North West Topper Sailors, and a safe journey both ways. Report and Results.

Nationwide #5 @ Sunderland YC

The Nationwide Series continues this weekend: the 15th and 16th of September, with event number five in Sunderland, at Sunderland Yacht Club.

Sunderland YC have very kindly published directions to their club.

Unfortunately this weekend is the WLYC 24 Hour Race, so there may not be many Toppers from Southport attending this event, however we wish all sailors a safe journey and good sailing.

For those that are intending to travel up to Sunderland the post code for your GPS is SR6 0PN, and the Yacht Club is just over 150 miles from Southport. Expect to take a minimum or three hours to get there, so it looks like a very early start on Saturday morning, or a two night stop over.

Report and Results.

Zone Squad Selection 2007-2008

North West Zone Selection for the RYA Zone Squads starts this weekend at Chelmarsh.

This is what you need to do to be eligible for selection for the 2007 - 2008 Topper North West Zone Squad:

1. Read the full selection policy
2. Attend the Open Training at Chelmarsh on the 8th of September
3. Attend the Topper Event at Tamworth on the 22nd of September
4. Attend the Zone Championships at Ullswater on the 29th & 30th of September
5. Tthe RYA you would like to be considered for a zone squad place by completing the online application process which will be available from http://www.ryaracingevents.org.uk/

The Full Selection Policy is available here and from the RYA Racing Events Site.

For Toppers you will need to attend the following events:

Date	Event	Location	Contact Details
8th Sept 2007	Open Training	Chelmarsh S.C.	Nick Dawkes email: nick@fulgent.co.uk Telephone: 01386 792325
22nd Sept 2007	Regional Event	Tamworth S.C.	Nick Dawkes email: nick@fulgent.co.uk Telephone: 01386 792325
29th Sept 2007 & 30th Sept 2007	Zone Championships	Ullswater Y.C.	Online Registration via RYA Racing Events

Zone Squad - Open Training @ Chelmarsh

Saturday the 8th of August is one of the selection dates for the 2007 / 2008 Topper Zone Squad qualifiers. The Full Selection Policy is available here, and you must register online with the RYA.

The session takes place at Chelmarsh Sailing Club south of Bridgenorth in Shropshire. Places on the course can be secured by contacting Nick Dawkes 01386 792325, and this session is listed as mandatory by the RYA for Zone Squad Selection.

Take a look at the panoramic view of the location courtesy of the BBC.

More information on Topper North West Zone Squad Selection will be published later....

Chelmarsh Sailing Club is nearly 115 miles from Southport, and according to the AA route finder is expected to take just over two and a half hours to get there. That means an early start on Saturday to get there ready to sail at 09:30, or a stop overnight nearby.

Topper Worlds @ FVM Lake Garda [Italy]

This years Topper World Championships will be held at the Italian sailing club "Fraglia Vela Malcesine" on the shores of Lake Garda, some 8km north of Malcesine.

The event takes place from the 25th to the 31st of August 2007 and is sponsored by GUL.

Notice of Race is available, as is the Entry Form.

Sailing Instructions are also available, and finally details of the Bank Payment for race entry fees can also be found on the FVM web site.

There are several Northe West Topper Sailors competing in Italy this year and we wish them all good luck.

Report and Results.

Topper Nationals @ East Lothian YC [Report]

Report as posted on the GBR Topper Web Site - with kind thanks to the GBR Topper Association.

Magic Marine Topper Nationals – East Lothian Yacht Club

Sunday 5th and Monday 6th August - Day 1 & 2 (Posted 7/8/07)

After three sunny and breezy days of pre event training, the first morning of the Topper Nationals started overcast, sullen with a fine sea mist. After the morning briefing the competitors started the waiting game.

First afloat was the Regatta Fleet with the start of a light North Easterly breeze, the conditions being ideal for the youngsters to get use to their surroundings. The Regatta Fleet completed three practice races giving the sailors and their coaches a chance to get to know each other.

As the afternoon progressed, the North Easterly breeze pick up to a steady force three and after a long wait the Main Fleet was able to launch. The race area was to the East of North Berwick towards Bass Rock. Although the wind was not strong it still managed to produce a sea with short choppy waves creating challenging conditions for the sailors.

Despite the long wait to launch, the race committee wasted no time in setting a good course. They were able to complete a series of nine qualification races, the fleet being divided into three flights.

At the end of the day Freddie Connor led the qualification series with two wins and a second. Elliot Hanson was second overall with three straight seconds. Race wins were also claimed by Andrew Brown, Emily Jackson, Phil McCoy, Jordan Taylor, Nathan Ackroyd and Lynn Billowes.

Despite many forecasts to the contrary, Monday morning produced a good breeze now from the South West. The breeze was fresher than on Sunday and at times the gusty conditions made it difficult for the smaller sailors.

Three straight wins took Andrew Brown to first place at the end of the second day of qualification. Freddie Connor took two wins to be second. Steve Beckett also took three straight wins to be third overall, the other race winner being Phil McCoy.

The Main Fleet will conclude the qualification series on Tuesday after which the competitors will be separated into Gold, Silver and Bronze fleets.

Tuesday 7th August - Day 3 (Posted 8/8/07)

Day 3 of the Topper Nationals started with a fresh South Westerly breeze. At the morning briefing the principal race officer Jim Sinclair reported that he’d recorded wind speeds of 30 Knots at the race area. With a fleet of 263 Toppers the decision was taken to postpone for an hour. During the postponement period the wind continued to build and with the blustery conditions the sea state deteriorated. After a further hour postponement and with no sign of the conditions improving it was decided to abandon racing for the day.

Thus the final results for the Qualification Series remained as they stood at the end of the second day with Andy Brown first, Freddie Connor second, Stephen Beckett third, Emily Jackson was first lady.

The Regatta Fleet, with a couple of reefs in their sails, doubled up in pairs and in the relative shelter of the bay managed to complete a race during the morning. The young sailors bravely venturing out in difficult conditions. The Regatta Fleet has now completed four of their eight race series.

In the afternoon the attention turned to the Highland Games in which the Topper Youth Squad took the honours winning overall and also having the first all girl team.

Wednesday 8th August - Day 4 (Posted 10/8/07)

Day 4 of the Topper Nationals was sunny and hot, with many using sun barrier cream for the first time. The early morning breeze died at midday as the sea breeze started to establish it self. Launching was delayed for a couple of hours until the sea breeze had become steady and reliable. As on the first day, despite the late launch the race organizers wasted no time and managed to complete all three scheduled races.

The racing in the Gold Fleet was very close with no one sailor dominating. In the three races Andrew Brown finished 2nd, 6th and 1st to maintain his overall lead. Matt Johnson moved up into second place with a 6th, 4th and 2nd. Marina Brassington won the second race to move her up to 6th place and first lady. The first race was won by Freddie Connor but other results pushed him away from the lead. The Gold Fleet remains very open with five races still to go.

In the Silver Fleet Stu Dando took a 1st and 2nd for the overall lead with Andrew Dawson, the winner of the first race, only half a point behind. The third race was won by Anna Ackroyd.

In the Bronze Fleet, Kieran Travis and Michael Harris both took race wins to be first and second overnight. The third race being won by Harry Bradley.

Lucy Yeates is leading the Regatta Fleet with three wins in seven races. Jonathan Verity is in second place followed by Rachel Wilcock, who has also had three wins. There is one more race to complete the series, but that will have to wait, as on Thursday the Regatta Fleet will be cruising down the coast for a beach picnic.

Thursday 9th and Friday 10th August - Day 5 & 6 (Posted 12/8/07)

Day 5 of the Topper Nationals started bright but with little breeze, the general feeling on the sea front green was that a good sea breeze should develop to produce another good days racing. Sure enough the sea breeze did arrive and the fleets launched and sailed to the race area to the East of North Berwick.

The Gold, Silver and Bronze fleets were able to complete all three races. However, as the breeze freshened from the East the sea state deteriorated producing big waves rolling in from the North Sea. This made the conditions extremely testing with long beats into the mountainous waves and down wind legs like roller-coaster rides. For many competitors it was the biggest seas they’d experience. One sailor had to be air lifted to hospital after being hit by a Topper falling off of a wave; fortunately the individual was able to return not having sustained any serious injury.

In the racing Andrew Brown took a first and two seconds in the Gold Fleet to extend his lead, Stephen Beckett winning the other two races moved up to second and Jack Hopkins had a consistent day to move up to third. Marina Brassington sailed well to remain first lady.

In the Silver Fleet it was all change, Ian Cook won the first two races with Matt West winning the third race. But it was consistency that counted with Hannah Wilcock moving up to first followed by Harriet Morris. The over night leader Andrew Dawson slipping back to third.

The girls dominated the Bronze Fleet too, with Jenny Saunders and Roshan Warkerley winning the first and second races respectively. Ben Crossdale won the third race. Roshan Warkerley moved up to first overall with Jenny Saunders second, Michael Harris dropped to third.

Day 6 - The final day of the Topper Nationals started overcast with a light breeze. During the morning the breeze picked up from the South West and the Regatta Fleet was able to launch in the morning and completed three races to conclude a series of ten races. Rachel Wilcock, Jonathan Verity and Georgia Mitchell all took races wins. Lucy Yeates taking two seconds and a third won the overall series with Rachel Wilcock second and Jonathan Verity third. Hopefully we’ll see many of the sailors from the Regatta Fleet competing in the main fleet next year.

The main fleet remained on shore waiting for the breeze to settle. After some delay the fleet eventually launched. With six races completed in the series there were two to go, Andrew Brown needed one third to secure the Championship. After several hours of trying, racing was eventually abandoned owing to the unreliability of the breeze. The first race was abandoned during the last beat when there was a 90 degree wind shift. After resetting the course the next race has to be abandoned as the Gold Fleet was struggling to make headway against the tide. So the positions as of Day 5 remained with Andrew Brown winning the Magic Marine Topper National Championship.

With 263 entrants in the main fleet and 26 in the Regatta Fleet, the 2007 Topper National Championship has been a great success. The class association would like to thank our hosts East Lothian Yacht Club for all their hard work. We were all made very welcome and it is great credit to Eric Robertson and all the volunteers at ELYC that one of the biggest sailing events in the UK calendar ran so smoothly. Another big thanks to the principal race officer and his team. Jim Sinclair had to make some difficult decisions in the week and was successful in providing good and fair racing that was greatly appreciated by the competitors. Finally we would like to thank Magic Marine for their continued support of the Topper class.

Topper Nationals @ East Lothian YC [North Berwick]

The 2007 Magic Marine Topper Nationals is being held at East Lothian Yacht Club in North Berwick, near Edinburgh.

The Regatta starts on the 5th of August and runs till the 11th of August.

Training is available through the Topper NW Zone Squad via Harry Brown, and the coach will be none other than the incomparable Neil Marsden.

North Berwick is approximately 225 miles from Southport and is expected to take about four and a half hours to get there, not the journey to do immediately before the first days racing.

Accommodation may well be tight as there are other events in the area at the same time: The Edinburgh Fringe Festival, a Golfing Tournament, and at least one other that is taking up the local accommodation.

As always good luck to the Toppers that are entering the event and safe journeys both to the even and back home again.

Gold Fleet Results.
Silver Fleet Results.
Bronze Fleet Results.

Regatta Fleet Results.

Report for the event.

Nationwide #4 @ Chew Valley SC

Chew Valley Sailing Club is the venue for the fourth Craftinsure Topper Nationwide event of 2007.

Chew Valley SC is just over two hundred miles away and is expected to take four hours to get there. A very early start on Saturday morning, or an extra night away on Friday seems the options for the weekend.

The Sailing Club have very kindly provided a plan of the sailing area and directions of how to get there on their web site.

They have also provided some Welcome information, the Notice of Race, the event Sailing Instructions and some very comprehensive lists of places to stay.

A note from their website advises that: "After a very wet winter in the West Country the Lake is fairly full and sailing conditions are perfect (assuming we get some wind). The first start on Saturday will not be before 12:00."

For further information they have advised that we can contact: John Smalley on 01934 742635 or Julian Cumpsty on 01761 471142

Once again for the GPS enables amongst us their post code is BS40 8XN, so safe journey and good luck to those making the journey down south to Bristol for the weekend.

Event Report and Results.

NW Traveller #9 @ Budworth

The very last Topper NW Traveller Event is this Saturday at Budworth Sailing Club in Cheshire.

It's just over fourty miles from Southport, and should take no more than an hour or so to get there.

There's a map on the Budworth web site, and they have aslo put links to location information from multimap and google maps.

As it's the last event in the calendar, there should be a good turn out.

Safe journey, hope there's good weather, and good luck.

Event Report and Results.

Nationwide #3 @ Paignton SC

Paignton Sailing Club in Devon, is the host for the third Craftinsure Topper Nationwide of 2007. They have been kind enough to provide a map, and information on their location on their website.

The venue is just over two hundred and eighty miled from Southport, and we expect the journey to take aproximately five hours, so it's a Friday night journey down and a very late return home on Sunday for those that are competing.

For the GPS people the post code is TQ4 6DT, good luck and a safe journey.

Event Report and Results.

NW Traveller #8 @ Elton

This Saturday, the 30th. of June is the eighth and penultimate North West Topper Traveller, and it's being held at the Elton Reservoir Sailing Club in Bury Lancashire.

The have published their Sailing Instructions for Open Events, and a map of the location of the Club. The map is very useful as a guide to the lake marks, so print it out, laminate it and stick it to your boat as a route map once the course is published for each race.

Unfortunately briefing and start times have not yet been published, but aim to get there around nine or nine thirty ish, they have extremely good bacon butties.

Elton Sailing Club is fifty five miles from Southport and is expected to take just about an hour. For the GPS enabled sailors the post code is BL8 2LR.

Have a great day, and good luck.

Event Report and Results.

NW Traveller #7 @ WLYC - Results

Sailed:3, Discards:1, To count:2, To qualify:2, Entries:27

Scoring system:WLYC Scoring System

SailNo	Position	Helm	Home Club	Race 1	Race 2	Race 3	Total	Points
45489	1	Emily Jackson	Elton SC	1	2	(6)	9	3
45197	2	Andy Brown	Budworth SC	(13)	3	1	17	4
43001	3	Sam Watson	Nantwich & Borders SC	3	(7)	2	12	5
46023	4	Elliot Hanson	Redesmere SC	(14)	1	5	20	6
46124	5	Andrew Dawson	Winsford Flash SC	2	(16)	4	22	6
42629	6	Lucy Jackson	Elton SC	8	(10)	3	21	11
44627	7	Harriet Morris	Elton SC	4	(12)	8	24	12
44757	8	Jonathan Olin	Budworth SC	(15)	5	7	27	12
44471	9	Joe Hanson	Redesmere SC	5	8	(14)	27	13
45194	10	Elliot Mills	South Caernavon Y C	(18)	6	12	36	18
45629	11	Christian Butcher	West Lancs YC	(11)	9	9	29	18
44388	12	Lucy Yeates	Leigh & Lowton SC	(16)	4	16	36	20
46134	13	Adam Millington	Redesmere SC	9	(13)	11	33	20
44844	14	Andrew Bridgman	Blithfield SC	(17)	11	10	38	21
44728	15	Christopher Wheeler	Leigh & Lowton SC	7	(18)	15	40	22
44640	16	James Asquith	Redesmere SC	6	17	(20)	43	23
33376	17	Scott Campbell	West Lancs Y C	10	(14)	13	37	23
44467	18	Sarah Yeates	Leigh & Lowton SC	12	15	(17)	44	27
42163	19	Andrew Price	Leigh & Lowton SC	(23)	19	18	60	37
23800	20	Becca Cox	Pilkington SC	19	(21)	19	59	38
45996	21	Cerys Butcher	West Lancs YC	(25)	20	22	67	42
30804	22	Megan Adams	West Lancs YC	20	(23)	23	66	43
42269	23	Kelly Campbell	West Lancs Y C	(26)	22	21	69	43
35868	24	Anna Hampson	Pilkington SC	21	(27)	25	73	46
44460	25	Laura Barnes	Leigh & Lowton SC	22	25	(28 DNF)	75	47
33145	26	Greg Brown	West Lancs Y C	24	(26)	24	74	48
33940	27	Amy Mercer	West Lancs Y C	(27)	24	26	77	50

Nationwide #2 @ Mumbles SC

Saturday the 23rd of June is the date for the second in the series of six Craftinsure Nationwide Topper Events. This event will be hosted by Mumbles Sailing Club in Swansea, South Wales.

The journey is likely to take about four and a half hours and Mumbles Sailing Club is just under two hundred miles from Southport, so if you're going to the event aim to travel down on the Friday night or very early on the Saturday morning.

Mumbles SC have published their Notice of Race and Supplementary Sailing Instructions, and a map of their location for those travelling from afar.

The Race Briefing will be at 11:00 in the Clubhouse. High tide is at 13:09 and is at a height of 7.29 metres.

Good Luck and a Safe Journey to all those that attend the event.

Event Report and Results.

NW Traveller #7 @ West Lancashire Yacht Club

Saturday the 16th of June 2007 is the seventh in the series of nine North West Topper Traveller events.

This Saturday it's at West Lancashire Yacht Club, in Soutport. Sailing will be on the sea, just south of the Yacht Club at Ainsdale-on-Sea.

Follow the signposts for Pontins, and when you reach the beach tell the beach attendant that you're sailing in the West Lancs YC Topper Open, and they will waive the parking fees.

Turn right after the entrance to the beach and the registration area will be under a green and white gazebo about 100 - 200 yards from the beach entrance. One warning, watch out for soft sand - don't get bogged down!

Registration is from 09:00 on the beach. Briefing is on the beach at 10:00 with the first race at 10:30.

There will be three races back to back, so make sure that you bring a snack and drink to take on the water. These can be handed in to a RIB to be held on the Committee Boat.

High Tide is at 12:35 and will be in the region of 8.9 metres.

Entry fee, per helm, is £10.00, which includes £3.00 for a hot meal afterwards back at the Clubhouse by the Marine Lake in Southport. Anyone else wanting food can pre-book it at registration before the race.

For final information on the day, and to check that the event is being held on the sea; telephone the Clubhouse on 01704 530840. If the weather is too bad the event will be held on the Marine Lake in Southport, so if in doubt please check first.

Special thanks should go to: Dave Porter "Stuff4Sailors" of Shipsides Marine in Preston and Gill (respect the elements) for providing the prizes.

Good Luck to everyone, especially the WLYC Toppers.

Event Report and Results.

NW Traveller #6 @ Ullswater

The 9th of June is this Saturday's NW Topper Traveller Event is hosted by Ullswater Yacht Club in the idylic surroundings of the North Lakes, just off the A66 near Penrith. It's a combined event with the NWJTT sailors so expect there to be plenty of other boats about on the water - including club sailors from Ullswater.

Ullswater Yacht Club is ninety three miles from Southport and the journey is expected to take about two hours. It's a relatively easy run straight up the M6 then turn left on the A66.

If Tom Tom, Dick Dick or Harry Harry are navigating the address is: Howtown Road, Pooley Bridge, Penrith, Cumbria, CA10 2NA, and their telephoner number is: 01768 486333.

Ullswater YC have published an entry form for completion prior to the event and it can be downloaded here. They have also published the Notice of Race.

It is expected that the first race will be started at 11:00 hrs, so expect a briefing at 10:30, that means to get there by 10:00 with time to rig boats and get changed you'll have to leave at 08:00 at the very latest. Aim for 07:00 to give time for a coffee, and perhaps a "FEB", at the service station on the M6 at Burton.

As ever good luck to all the Topper sailors that are travelling to the event, enjoy The Lakes, and don't forget to have a chat with Mr. Jennings.

Event Report and Results.

NW Junior Traveller Trophy @ Ullswater

One of this Saturdays events is the North West Junior Traveller Trophy at Ullswater Yacht Club.

This is the fifth event in the NWJTT series and is a combined event with the NW Topper Traveller Event at Ullswater.

Details of the NWJTT series are here. Details of the NW Topper Traveller series are here.

Event Report and Results.

NW Traveller #5 @ Dovestone

Saturday the 26th of May is the date for the fifth NW Topper Traveller.

It's hosted by Dovestone Sailing Club, near Oldham.

Dovestone is just under 60 miles from Southport, and is expected to take about an hour and a half to get there. For those with GPS navigation the post code is OL3 7NE.

Starting time is 11:00, so expect to get there by 10:00 at the latest, expecting a briefing at 10:30, so that means starting off at 08:30 at the very latest!! The 30 minute gap is time to unload the boats, rig them and get changed.

For those of you that don't know Dovestone: Dovestone Sailing Club has sole use of the almost 100 acre reservoir at Greenfield near Oldham. It is set amid dramatic scenery in the PEAK DISTRICT NATIONAL PARK off the A635 Greenfield to Holmfirth Road, via Banks Lane. The Sailing Club is approximately half a mile from the Clarence Hotel at the junction of Chew Valley Road and Manchester Road Greenfield. See map.

Once again, safe journey to all Topper Sailors and Good Luck.

Event Results.

NW Traveller #4 @ Leigh and Lowton

This Saturdays NW Traveller Event is at Leigh and Lowton Sailing club on Pennington Flash.

The Event is the North West Area Championships, and is one of the qualification events used in selecting next years NW Zone Squad.

Leigh & Lowton Sailing Club is just over 28 miles from Southport, and it's expected to take about 50 minutes to get there.

Details from the club web site can be found here.

Registration is possible either before the event via post or from 09:00 on the day at the event. The briefing will take place at 11:30, with the first race starting at 12:00 (the second and third races to follow as described at briefing) The scheduled time of the warning signal for the first race is 11:55.

For further information please contact Gareth Williams (LLSC Sailing Manager) on Tel:0151 422 8207 or by email:gareth_williams@talk21.com

Once again, "Good Luck" to all the Topper sailors that enter the event.

Event Report and Results.

Magic Marine - Inlands @ Grafham Water

Next weekend's event is the Magic Marine Topper Inlands @ Grafham Water.

Registration will commence at 09.15 hours on Saturday 5th May at the Event for those that haven't already registered on-line.

Do remember to register that you've arrived and collect your flight ribbon. With the number of competitors it is expected that there will be four flights in two starts, the first start sailing the outer loop and the second start the inner loop - but be sure to check the Sailing Instructions, and any Supplemental ones too, (links below).

Sailing Instructions are available on the ITCA(GBR) class website and any supplementary sailing instructions will be given in writing at Registration and/or displayed on the event notice board, and can also be downloaded from these links. So far 259 "Main Fleet" sailors have registered on-line, and in addition to the main fleet there are a further 26 in the "Regatta Fleet". Rumour has it that the 300 mark has been broken!!

More information on the event can be found directly from the Grafham Water SC Website. As usual the first race is not expected to begin before 12:00 (Noon), but a Balcony Briefing will take place in the hour prior to the start.

The Wind Guru forecast is a maximum of 13 knots NE, dropping on Sunday to 8 knots ENE, with temperatures as high as 19 Celsius.

One last thing - there is a chandlers on site - so if you forget, or break anything, you may well be able to buy it at Grafham. Dave Cockerill of Sailing Solutions will also be there so feel free to pre-order anything for him to bring up to the event.

For those travelling from Southport, it's just short of 190 miles and is expected to take about three and a half hours, so safe journey - see you at the Travel Lodge ;-)

Good Luck to the Fleet of Toppers from Southport.

Event Results: Main Fleet, Regatta Fleet

NW Traveller #3 @ Nantwich & Borders

The third NW Topper Traveller event is this weekend on Saturday the 21st of April, at Nantwich & Borders Sailing Club in Cheshire.

The club is just about 71 miles from Southport and is estimated to take about an hour and a half to get there.

The usual NW Traveller times apply: briefing @ 10:30 with a first start at 11:00.

The Club's sailing instructions for the event can be found at the end of this link.

Good luck to all Topper sailors that enter.

Event Results.

NW Junior Traveller Trophy @ Winsford Flash

This weekends NW JTT event takes pace at Winsford Flash Sailing Club in Cheshire.

For more details of the event see the NWJTT web site.

Good luck to all the Optimist sailors that enter.

NW Traveller #2 @ Redesmere

The next of the North West Topper Traveller events is comming up this weekend; at Redesmere Sailing Club in Cheshire.

The sailing club is just over 50 miles from Southport, and is estimated to take almost an hour and a quarter to get there.

For those of you with GPS navigation the post code is: SK11 9PR.

There's no need to pre-book the event, but the race briefing is at 10:30 with the first race starting at 11:00, for more information from their site follow this link.

Good Luck to all those that make the journey and sail, I'll link to the results after the event.

Event Results

Nationwide #1 @ Rutland SC

Congratulations to Stephen Beckett (Solva Rowing & Watersports Club) on wining the first Nationwide Event of 2007.

One hundred and eighty eight competitors started racing in very challenging F5-F6 conditions on the Saturday.

Full results are here, with a gallery of photographs from the event here.

As you can see from these photographs there was a fair amount of chop on both days, with a number of entrants deciding that discretion was definitely the better part of valour on the Sunday. The forecast of 20-21 knots on Saturday, dropping off to 15-18 on Sunday was not what was experienced by the sailors on the water.

However, a big thank you should be given to the race officers and the safety boat crews for the excellent management and cover that was provided, especially for "Race Box", who single-handedly coordinated the race and safety crews during the event. Whoever you are, you did a marvelous job.