The 2024 Irish topper nationals took place on the 28th of June through to the 30th and saw many competitors of all ages travel from all around Ireland to compete at this event. On Friday the sailors had the opportunity to push their skills as they were faced with some heavy winds along with gusts of over 22 knots. The race committee ran 3 races and our Ballyholme sailors put up some strong competition with Emily McAfee finishing the day placed 2nd overall in the 5.3m fleet and Zoë West-Hurst following close behind finishing the day in 7th. Additionally Sophie Cairns, Charlotte Cairns, Polly Robinson, Alex Eadie, James Eadie and Matthew Holden all displayed their excellent sailing ability despite these tough conditions. Furthermore in the 4.2m fleet Ballyholme sailor Leo West-Hurst showed his determination and finished the day in 2nd place.
On Saturday the sailors were faced with slightly lighter conditions however this didn’t stop the Ballyholme sailors who continued to excel with Emily McAfee finishing the day in 3rd ,Matthew Holden finishing in 13th followed closely behind by Zoë West-Hurst in 14th and Sophie Cairns in 18th. In the 4.2m fleet the change in conditions didn’t stop Leo West-Hurst who managed to maintain his position of 2nd place after winning the second race that day.
Sundays change of conditions brought an additional challenge for the sailors as they were now faced with much lighter, shiftier wind meaning that close attention had to be payed to ensure that they could play the shifts. This change of conditions did not affect Emily McAfee who managed to maintain her position and finished the event in 3rd overall. Matthew Holden Finished in 14th after some very close racing with Zoe West-Hurst who Finished in 15th with Sophie Cairns (22nd) ,Alex Eadie (25th, and 2nd Junior Girl), James Eadie (27th), Charlotte Cairns (29th) and Polly Robinson (33rd) all following close behind. The 4.2m fleet continued to display some very close competition despite the lighter wind and Leo West-Hurst managed to maintain his position and Finished the event in 2nd place overall. In general this weekend was filled with some great close racing and lots of fun! All the boats have now been packed away ready for the trip to Murcia, Spain from the 20th – 26th July for the Topper Worlds. We wish all our Ballyholme sailors the best of luck for this event & look forward to following their progress.
Many thanks to Bobby Kennedy and the WHBC team for putting on such a friendly and welcoming event.
Full Results Below