Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Thirty young sailors managed a final outing at Ballyholme yesterday (December 22nd) before Covid 19 restrictions would put paid to their activities at the Club for six weeks. And the event was blessed with a bright sunny day, albeit with…

Saturday 12th December saw an early Christmas present for Ballyholme Yacht Club junior sailors as racing returned for the first time since the end of the summer. A steady 10-12 knots from the West allowed a windward-leeward course to be…

Talented youth sailor Jude Armstrong (13) is from High Wycombe and has family in Co. Down including grandparents Rob and Betty Armstrong, Afloat's Northern Ireland correspondent. Jude is one of ten youngsters from across the UK who have been handed…

The 2021 International Topper World Championships will be hosted by the Royal Cork Yacht Club, Ireland, from the 24th to 30th July. As Afloat reported previously, the event will attract up to 200 young sailors from around the world and…

As a result of the new NI Executive Covid restrictions announced on 14th October, East Antrim Boat Club at Larne has cancelled the Topper Northern championship event scheduled for 24th and 25th October. The EABC Covid team said, "The organising…

In what is understood to be the first open event in Northern Ireland this year, 41 Toppers including two from Dublin Bay, raced at Ballyholme YC on Belfast Lough yesterday (22nd August) for what turned out to be a lively…

The 2021 International Topper World Championships come to Cork Harbour next year when they’re hosted by the Royal Cork Yacht Club from 24-30 July 2021. With over 200 sailors from around the world expected, organisers say it will be a…

Only a handful of spots remain for youth sailors in spring training programmes for Optimist, Topper and RS Feva sailors organised by the National Yacht Club for the 2020 season. Spring training for Oppys runs for five Sunday afternoons beginning on…

Entry is now open for Irish Sailing’s Annual Youth National Championships, taking place 16-19 April 2020 and hosted by Howth Yacht Club in County Dublin. As Afloat reported earlier, this year, for the first time, the 29er class will be joining…

A young sailor from Killyleagh has been awarded her own boat thanks to a national programme helping young talent progress in the sport. Autumn Halliday (12), who is a junior member of Strangford Lough Yacht Club (SLYC), will have exclusive…

RYANI has selected a group of young sailors to join its Youth Performance Programmes. The sailors, aged from 12 to 17, will be supported along their sailing journey, in preparation for national and international competition. RYANI Performance Manager James Farrell…

A brisk northerly breeze met the Topper sailors on Saturday afternoon for a cold day of sailing in what was otherwise perfect sailing weather for the fourth week of the Charles Hurst Jaguar Land Rover Ballyholme Yacht Club Junior Icebreaker…

Following a very successful year in 2019 where almost all events saw increased numbers and an overall increase of almost 10% from 2018, Topper Ireland will be returning to some of our regular locations for racing in 2020, but have…

Adverse weather with strong gusts in the lead up to this week’s racing threatened to spoil the day again for this week’s Charles Hurst Jaguar Land Rover sponsored Junior Icebreaker at Ballyholme Yacht Club on Belfast Lough. Saturday morning however…

Charlie O’Malley from Donaghadee Sailing Club has spent the last six months getting on the water as much as he can in his Topper awarded by the John Merricks Sailing Trust (JMST) and RYA OnBoard partnership. Since its launch in…

A top five finish for Royal Cork’s Cillian Foster in the 5.3 was the best of a number of strong results for Irish youth sailors at the Topper Worlds in Medemblik, Netherlands last weekend. Fellow Royal Cork sailor Neil O'Leary…