Ballyholme Yacht Club (BYC) sailors produced impressive results across multiple fronts last week, racing at the Topper Sprints in Donaghadee and the ILCA Irish Nationals in Dun Laoghaire, alongside a stellar international showing for our Feva sailors at the RS Feva World Championship that were part of the 137th Travemünder Woche in Germany.
Topper Sprints at Donaghadee
The Topper SPRINT challenge at DSC offered a high-intensity learning experience, focusing on starts and mark rounding through a quickfire series of races. On Saturday, each sailor completed six back-to-back short races, contributing to a total of 24 starts across the BYC squad. Following these results, the flights were split into Gold and Silver fleets for Sunday’s Grand Finals.
The performances on Day 1 across the squad were outstanding, characterized by skill and resilience. In the 4.2 class, Rhémy Polly and Evie Bailie dominated despite having less than a year of experience racing in the 4.2 class; each secured five 1st places and one 2nd place on Saturday, earning them a special Q&A session with Race Officer Ruan O’Tiarnaigh on Sunday morning.
While Rhémy and Evie led the charge on Day 1, the entire BYC squad demonstrated remarkable grit, determination and progression in challenging 14–16 knot winds and unsettled seas. Greta Gallager overcame a tough start to compete for top-three finishes in her final races, while Olivia Jessop and Zoe Johnson showed great composure and boat handling as they adapted to gusty conditions. Despite an early equipment failure, Ethan Moorhead’s perseverance earned him a tenacity award from the race committee. Leah Moorhead showed consistent form and improved her race craft throughout the day. Additionally, in the 5.3 fleet, Jake Mullan performed strongly in the heavy conditions, narrowly missing a spot in the gold fleet.
On Day 2, unsettled weather prompted a 40-minute delay before racing commenced for both the gold and silver fleets in 16–18 knots. However, as wind strengths built and gusts reached 22 knots during the first race, the race committee abandoned further racing after just one completed race. In the final results, Rhémy Polly captured 1st place in the Gold fleet, with Evie Bailie in 2nd and Leah Moorehead in 3rd, providing a clean sweep for BYC in the 4.2 Gold Fleet. With strong finishes at the end of Day 1, Greta Gallagher would secure 2nd place in the Silver fleet. Despite the premature conclusion to the final day, the event provided valuable experience for all BYC sailors, and a warm thank you was extended to the team at Donaghadee for hosting the visiting sailors from Lough Neagh, Carrickfergus, and Ballyholme.
Commenting on the success of the event, BYC Cadet Convener Catherine Polly said: “It was fantastic to see BYC and DSC working together so seamlessly, demonstrating the strength of the friendship between both our clubs which bodes well for the future of the Topper circuit. It also demonstrates the depth of our own topper sailing squad that we had 9 sailors take part in the Sprints with a further 6 preparing to take to the waters in Quiberon, France this week for the 2026 Topper Worlds.”
