Topper Nationals @ Paignton SC

Down to Devon this weekend, to Paignton Sailing Club, for the 2008 Topper Nationals sponsored by Magic Marine.

Paignton SC is just under 300 miles from Southport and is expected to take about 5 hours, yes 5 hours to get there, (with a following wind and no traffic jams). This means a long journey on the Friday night or a very early start on the Saturday morning.

Paignton Harbour....
When the tide is out....
The seafront....

Sailing Club locations and information is :

Paignton Sailing Club South Quay The Harbour Paignton Devon TQ4 6DT - For the GPS enables drivers.... UK 01803 556184 01803 525817 Web site: www.paigntonsailingclub.com

The picture above shows Paignton Green

NOTE: Most major championships are held on Paignton Green at the end of the seafront, in which case you should offload your boat there.
Usually there will be a 'beach marshall' from the Club to guide you.
If you arrive the evening before, then there will probably be someone at the Club.

The following has been published and is available for download:

• Standard Sailing Instructions


• Notice of Race


• Supplementary Sailing Instructions


• Course Card


• Pre-Event Information

To date there are 261 sailors registered for the Main Fleet, with 2 signed up for the Regatta Fleet.

Paingnton SC have links to seven, yes seven webcams of the area and they can be accessed here, (they are best viewed at 1024 x 768 pixels in ie7 (Internet Explorer 7, for those that deal on old money....))

• Paignton Harbour


• Torquay Harbour


• Plymouth


• Exmouth


• Corbyn Head


• Livermead Cliff


• Livermead House

Tide Times for the area are available from the Admiralty "EasyTide" website.

Weather forecasts for the area are available from WindGuru - as usual....

....and finally.... A safe journey to everyone travelling to the event, hope the weather is kind to sailors, and safety crews alike. Here's to a great Magic Marine Topper National of 2008.

Y&Y Day 1&2 Report
Y&Y Day 3&4 Report
Championship Report
and
Results.

Gul Topper Worlds @ Tralee Bay SC

Tralee Bay Sailing Club, in Ireland, plays host to the 2008 Gul Topper World Championships, from July 19th to 25th 2008.

Tralee Bay Sailing Club (TBSC) situated in Fenit, Co. Kerry was founded in 1956 by a group of local enthusiasts. From rudimentary beginnings the Club has grown and now boasts a vibrant and expanding membership together with a clubhouse and a sailing school.

The setting of the Clubhouse overlooking Tralee Bay near Fenit Harbour provides panoramic views of Tralee Bay from Blennerville Windmill to the Marahees and westward to Bandon Point.

It is the combination of this spectacular backdrop together with the protected inshore waters of Tralee Bay, which provides a tremendous venue for competitive sailing events such as National Championships and WIORA. To the seaward of Tralee Bay more vigorous conditions prevail - south to Dingle and West Cork and north to the Shannon Estuary and Galway.

In addition to the TBSC clubhouse, with changing rooms, showers, kitchen, storage and licensed bar, the adjacent Fenit Harbour provides a sheltered 110 berth marina with associated facilities.

Cruiser racing takes place from March to October on Tuesday and Thursday evenings with a number of Sunday races. Dinghy racing is on Sundays during March, April, September, October, November and on Wednesdays and Saturdays from May to August inclusive.

Information provided by the club website includes:

• Notice of Race



• Sailing Instructions



• Online Booking Form



• Map of the Location



• Medical Notification Form



• Parental Consent Form



• Voulenteer Help Form



• List of Confirmed Entries

Coastal Reports for the event can be found Online at the Irish Meteorological Services Site.

Weather forecast for Banana Strand from WindGuru is also available.

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Report and Gold Fleet Results, Silver Fleet Results.

Craftinsure Nationals #3 @ Oxford SC

Saturday and Sunday the 12th and 13th of July is the date for the third 2008 Craftinsure Nationwide event on the Topper circuit.

It is hosted by Oxford Sailing Club, on Farmoor Reservoir.

From Oxford SC Web Site:

Whether you're a newcomer looking to try watersports or a seasoned pro looking for a new club, you'll hopefully find all the information you need here. For club members, there are pages dedicated to racing, events, duties and the clubhouse. For beginners, there is detailed info on how to get into watersports, what training courses are on offer, and how to progress. Click here to find where we are located.

We hope you enjoy looking through our new site and look forward to seeing you on the water this year!

We are hosting one of our biggest events ever, on 12 and 13 July. The Nationwide series is the premier Topper event and up to 200 boats are expected. This does mean all other windsurfing and sailing activities that weekend will be on Farmoor 1 (the smaller lake) including club racing on the Sunday, which will be part of the Open Series. Sorry about that, but come along and watch anyway. The galley will be open both days.

All OSC Topper sailors can enter to race in the two-day event. You need to be a member of the class association, so visit www.gbrtopper.co.uk to enter online! Many thanks.

Chris Burrows

The actual address for the club is:

• Oxford Sailing Club,
• Farmoor Reservoir,
• Farmoor,
• Oxford.
• OX2 9NS.

The Club is located on a large reservoir to the west of Oxford between the villages of Cumnor and Farmoor. It is easily reached from major routes: A34, M40, A420 and the A40 and is shown on most road maps. If you propose to find us with Sat Nav or a route planner, use OX2 9NS as your point of reference for the club. Below are direct links to some popular web based route planners which you may find useful when planning your journey.

A34

Leave the A34 at the A420 junction taking the Swindon route. Take the first exit, half way up the hill and then turn right at the T-junction towards Farmoor. At the mini-roundabout in Farmoor, turn left towards Cumnor and take the third entrance to the reservoir, on the right, into the Public car park. There is no need to stop at the gate house. The club house is clearly visible from the car park.

M40

Heading South, leave the M40 at junction 9 taking the A34 south towards Oxford. Follow directions as in the A34.

Heading North

leave the motorway at junction 8 taking the A40 towards the Oxford ring road. Turn right following the ring road until you get to the A34 then turn left heading south. Then see above.

A40 - Eastbound

At the Eynsham roundabout turn right, straight over the next roundabout and then left at the next (signposted Oxford). Once over the toll bridge (5p for cars, 10p for car plus trailer) continue to Farmoor village. At the mini-roundabout, turn right towards Cumnor and take the third entrance to the reservoir, on the right, into the Public car park. There is no need to stop at the gate house. The club house is clearly visible from the car park.

A40 - Westbound

At the Eynsham roundabout turn left, straight over the next roundabout and then left at the next (signposted Oxford). Once over the toll bridge (5p for cars, 10p for car plus trailer) continue to Farmoor village. At the mini-roundabout, turn right towards Cumnor and take the third entrance to the reservoir, on the right, into the Public car park. There is no need to stop at the gate house. The club house is clearly visible from the car park.

A420 - Eastbound

Approaching from the Swindon direction, exit the A420 to the village of Cumnor. Turn left at T-junction and follow the road through the village (small one way system) towards Farmoor. The reservoir can be clearly seen as you come down the hill. Take the first major left hand turn into the car park.

Notice or Race

Standard Sailing Instructions

Farmoor Reservoir Course Card

- it might be useful to print and laminate this then stick it to your boat

Supplementary Sailing Instructions

Farmoor Reservoir is just over 180 miles from Sothport, and is expected to take about three and a quarter hours to get there. As ever safe journey and enjoy the sailing.

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Report and Results.

Beijing Olympics - Algae Update #3

The Chinese government has successfully cleared tonnes of algae that was blocking the Olympic sailing course in the eastern city of Qingdao.

A special protection zone was set up using a boom and netting.

But in other areas the thick bright green algae is still polluting the beaches.

The Chinese government had set a goal of clearing the sailing area by Tuesday. The Olympic Games begin on 8 August.

The water at the Olympic sailing course in Qingdao is now largely algae free.

Some 10,000 troops from the People's Liberation Army have lifted over half a million tonnes of the thick heavy weed from the coastline.

A boom and netting is stopping more of the algae coming ashore.

Olympic sailing teams here say they can now train and will be able to compete in Qingdao's waters.

But at beaches not protected by the boom, the algae is still coming in.

China says it is a naturally occurring, though rare, phenomenon. Environmentalists blame pollution.

By Quentin Sommerville

Before	After

Before and after - the beach at Qingdao - BBC Video.

Beijing Olympics - Algae Update #2

Algae bloom not to affect Olympic sailing event in Chinese city.

China View 2008-07-06 21:57:59 [local time]

QINGDAO, July 6 (Xinhua) -- The thick algae that invaded the sea off Qingdao city in east China's Shandong Province will not affect the Olympic sailing event to be hosted in the coastal city, said oceanographical experts on Sunday.

Coverage of the algae, namely enteromorpha prolifera, is shrinking and its photosynthesis ability, a key factor for its growth rate, has been reduced to one-fifth as that at the beginning of June, said Zhou Mingjiang, a research fellow with the Institute of Oceanology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

"The algae will be converted into carbon, generating no toxin during the process," said Tang Qisheng, ocean-ecological expert with the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

Blue-green algae choked the eastern Taihu Lake last summer, forcing local water plants to cut drinking water supplies to 2 million residents in Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province.

But Zhou Mingjiang noted that different from the blue-green algae that grew in polluted water, the algae in Qingdao only grew in clean water and would not affect people's drinking water.

"Outbreak of enteromorpha prolifera had been reported in many countries, including Italy, France and Denmark," he said.

According to Sun Song, head of the CAS Institute of Oceanology, no obvious change was detected in terms of water quality.

"The water quality meets the need for Olympic sailing events," he said.

More than 130,000 soldiers and volunteers have cleared nearly 50 tons of algae from water. Currently, coverage of algae in the 49.48-square-kilometer sailing event venue was reduced to 0.156 square kilometers.

The algae bloom has some impact on training of 217 athletes from 26 countries who are preparing for competition of the Olympic Games.

"The green stuff would stick on our ships and lower the speed. Meanwhile, we have to pay attention to the fishing boats cleaning the sea," said Greek athlete Iordanis Paschalidis.

But a volunteer said that most teams resumed training on Sunday and athletes generally showed understanding.

"In Italy and Argentina, we have met with similar problems. But I have never seen so many people involved in the cleaning work. Chinese government has made great efforts," said Consuelo Monsegur from Argentina.

Yuan Zhiping, assistant to the chairman of the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Committee, said that no complaints for affected training were filed and cleaning work progressed smoothly.

A 32,000-meter-long enclosure was being set up in the sea to keep algae out of the sailing event venue.

"This move is to enhance protection for the venue," said Xia Geng, mayor of Qingdao.

The algae sometimes blocked sailing routes and affected preparations for the Games. Qingdao government vowed to clear up the sailing event venue before July 15.

The sailing competitions are scheduled for August 9-23.

Beijing Olympics - Algae Update #1

Training area for Olympic sailing event clear from algae invasion.

China View 2008-07-05 23:30:22 [local time]

QINGDAO, East China, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Training area for the athletes to compete in the Olympic sailing competition in August is now clear from the algae invasion in the host city of Qingdao.

"If the weather is cooperative, athletes are able to complete their sailing course at the training areas now," said Yuan Zhiping, assistant of the Chairman with the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Committee, said at a press conference on Saturday.

The official also reassured the invading algae, called enteromorpha prolifera, would be wiped out at the competition area before July 15.

"Actually, I hope the cleaning can complete ahead of the schedule, so that the athletes will have more time to get used to the competition venue," said Yuan.

Thousands of soldiers and volunteers are still cleaning the bright green weeds, which was first spotted at the end of May and started to bloom in mid-June.

Inflatable barriers have also been placed near the coastline to prevent the algae from encroaching on the shore.

According to an emergency headquarters set up to clean the algae, its coverage in the sailing competition areas, which span more than 50 square kilometers, had shrunk from 32 percent five days ago to less than 10 percent by Friday.

But an aerial survey shows 339 square kilometers of the green growth floating along the shoreline of the city and parts of the Yellow Sea, authorities said.

The algae also covered part of the training area, where sailors from 26 countries and regions are training, and the algae sometimes blocked sailing routes and affected preparations for the Games.

Sailors said they had to stop during training to clean the algae off their boats.

The sailing competitions are scheduled from Aug. 9 to 23.

Experts from the State Oceanic Administration (SOA) are working to determine the source and cause of the algae outbreak.

The SOA was monitoring the route of the algae flow into the Olympic venue with current bottles. Experts dropped 80 bottles in the water around the venue after the bloom was spotted.

They concluded some algae was from the waters of Rizhao and Jiaonan to the south of Qingdao.

Beijing Olympics - Algae

Algae engulfs Olympic sailing course

- BBC Report by Quentin Sommerville.

Volunteers are trying to clean up a huge outbreak of green algae at the coastal city of Qingdao, which will host the Olympic sailing events.

BBC Video Report.

Beijing Olympics - Sail The Course

Guide to the Olympic sailing course

Great Britain Laser class sailor Paul Goodison explains how to get the best lines around the course that Britain's sailors will encounter at the Olympics.

BBC Video Report.

Beijing Olympics - Qingdao

From the Official Olympic WebSite for Sailing at Qingdao:

Welcome to Qindao - The Home of Sailing Events at the Beijing Olympics in 2008

The sailing events for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad will be held within Qingdao International Sailing Center, the five water areas outside Fushan Bay.

A unique blend of sea and mountains makes Qingdao a well-known summer resort. With an average temperature ranging from 20℃ to 28 ℃, the period from July through September is the most agreeable season for the tour. Qingdao International Beer Festival at the second weekend during each August offers you a rare opportunity to taste all the famous beers across the world. The municipal characteristics of Qingdao, the “red-tile roofs, green trees, azure sea and blue sky”, are best embodied by Badaguan Scenic Area, where the adjacent beach, the surrounding flowers and trees, the tranquil environment and various villas with more than 20 national architectural styles will leave you an impression of European towns. In addition, Qingdao is also well-known for its numerous and unique squares.