Therefore I am pleased to announce that the 2011 Topper World Championships will be held at the National Yacht Club (www.nyc.ie) in Dun Laoghaire (pronounced Dunleary) in Eire from Sunday August 14th until Friday August 19th 2011. A full programme of racing and shore based events will be published shortly.
The team at the National Yacht Club are in detailed discussion with local hotels and Irish Sea ferry operators so that the very best deal can be offered to the sailors and their family and supporters. Since these discussions have not been completed, competitors are recommended to delay making any bookings at present. The club will publish information about accommodation and ferries in due course, and details will appear on the international web site.
The 2010 World Championships was a bit of a blur to me, and I was very pleased to be elected as President of the International Topper Class Association and would like to thank all those at Fraglia Vela Malcesine for the wonderful event that they were able to organise. They have once again set a standard against which all other events will be measured, and it is my intention to work with the National Topper Associations to ensure that all future events are well managed afloat and ashore and that sailors and their family and supporters leave every World Championships looking forward to the next year’s event. I also want to ensure that the dates for the next three events are published so we can have a proper handover at the closing ceremony and more importantly so that sailors can make their plans and budgets for their time within the Topper Class. It is my intention therefore, by March 2011, to publish the dates and venues for the World Championships up to and including 2014.
To ensure the future success of the International Topper Class we need to demonstrate that the boat is both fun and highly competitive. This message needs to be spread to other countries where there is a gap in the progression of junior and small adult racing boats. I would like to invite National Topper Associations and sailors to make suggestions as to how we spread the word to the world about the fun we have within the “Friendly Class”.
Bill Brassington
President, International Topper Class Association
October 31st 2011
