53 boats from a dozen clubs across Ireland competed in the Topper Irish National Championship in Dunmore East last weekend.
The event was hosted by Waterford Harbour Sailing Club and offered sailors an opportunity to show off their skills in a variety of weather conditions.
Strong gusts of wind and heavy swells were seen on Friday, while Sunday saw a much calmer sea and brighter sky.
Friday's conditions offered some challenging moments for the junior fleet, keeping the safety team under Leader Phillip Scallan very busy.
Phillip and Race Officer Michael Conway assessed the conditions after the second race and decided to postpone the third one.
Saturday saw more strong winds but the bright sunshine wasn't enough to keep the junior fleet together. Many of them dropped out after the second race.
On Sunday, the sailors were met with a complete change in conditions. The sea was calm and the wind was barely there, causing a disruption in the pattern of results over the three races.
Results
Three locals won prizes at the competition.
Lúí Ivory got second in the 4.2 fleet while Niamh Lynch got third. Isabelle Passberger was the overall third youth female in the main fleet.
Bobby Driscoll of Ballyholme Yacht Club led the fleet throughout Friday and Saturday and claimed the overall title.
Royal Cork Yacht Club’s Liam Duggan maintained his second-place spot through the first four races to eventually come second overall, while clubmate Riona McMorrow Moriarty remained a strong contender throughout, taking third place overall and first junior female.
For a full breakdown of results, see the Sailwave website.
Up to 40 of the sailors who competed in the Topper Nationals are due to take part in the World Championships in Lake Garda from July 25th-29th.
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