Topper sail

As you are probably aware, there is a new Topper sail coming our way. It's been discussed at length on the ITCA discussion board and sounds quite interesting.
All that I learnt later...

Now, here is my story: I went to the Dinghy Show on Saturday and ended up talking to a very nice lady on the Topper class association stand. I mentioned to her I was trying to find a good second-hand sail "in the region of £150" (sic). She approved and told me to keep an eye on the Topper website discussion board. Then she talked about the small 4.2 sail coming up, the pros and cons of the centremain sheet system, tons of things...

At NO moment did she mention the new sail coming up. I got home and found an email from one of my friends, telling me to get hold of a sail at the show, as there were some discounts going on!

I know it's difficult to keep in touch with all the new developments but, please! Seeing the price of new sails drop from £290 to £165 isn't a minor detail. I only wish this lady had known at the time. I would have saved a few pennies...  

Well, I am certainly not the best person to ask, but I've heard that it puts a lot of pressure on the boom. Thing is, the boom wasn't designed for centremain in the first place.

It also takes a little time to get used to it. If you've been sailing other dinghies, like Lasers, it shouldn't be a problem. You will need a longer tiller extension as well as the kit. Blocks are expensive, but the rest is OK.

It doesn't seem to make much difference in the performance, really. The main advantage is the posture. Centremain gets you to sit in a better position (especially for younger people) and you dont get a bad back.

More and more youngsters are converting their boats at our club. It's not a bad idea to do it, if you're planning to sail another class. As for me, my growing days are over a long time ago and I doubt I'll ever sail anything else. So I keep the old system for the moment. I only need to learn how to sail it properly now!