Topper Academy at East Lothian Yacht Club
by Derek Braid 15 Mar 2016 15:12 GMT
12-13 March 2016
East Lothian Yacht Club, North Berwick will be holding the Topper Dinghy National Championships from 7–12 August 2016. Up to 300 dinghies from across the UK and beyond are expected to attend.
As part of the build up to the National Championships, RYA Scotland held a Topper Academy at East Lothian Yacht Club over the weekend 12 & 13 March 2016. 32 Topper sailors from across Scotland attended, including 6 sailors from East Lothian Yacht Club. Friendly but competitive, the Topper racing circuit provides a breeding ground for some of the UKs very best young sailors.
The Academy split the 32 sailors into 5 groups, based on ability and experience. Each of the 5 groups was run by an experienced coach from RYA Scotland (Julia Beck, Moray Clark, Duncan Hepplewhite, Andrew McGowan and Matt Toynbee).
During the weekend, a variety of boat handing and racing skills were covered, including video taken on Saturday which was then viewed and discussed with the sailors. Saturday had good brisk f3-f4 winds and Sunday brought light f1 winds, so overall a good test in varying conditions.