ITCA Spring Newsletter 2014
Hab auf Bitten von Andreas den Newsletter mal in einen Blog-Artikel konvertiert (War ein ganz schöner Kampf).
Wer ihn direkt geschickt bekommen möchte, meldet sich an bei Subscribe to the ITCA newsletter today auf www.itcaworld.org.
– uwendler
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Zhik International Topper Class World Championships 2014
Online Entry and the Notices of Race are now available for the Zhik International Topper World Championships 2014. A leaflet on the event is available on the ITCA Website.
The Event Website is packed with useful information about the Championships.
The
Entry Fee is £235 per sailor. The Worlds Entry fee will be reduced to
£205 if you are entering both the Worlds and The British Nationals,
which take place 3 – 7 August at Pwllheli.
The
ITCA is seeking volunteers for the event, both on and off the water.
Key roles include Beachmaster, Results Assistant and Race Office
assistant. If you can help in any way, please contact the International Secretary, Michelle Hill.
If you haven’t booked your Accommodation yet, a list is available here. A limited number of non-electric motorhome spaces are available at Clwb Hwylio Pwllheli; contact the International Secretary to reserve a place.
A
big thank you to Zhik, our title sponsor, Harken, the Official
Hardware/Technical Partner, and Firmhelm Chandlery for their sponsorship
of the event.
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Keep up to date with details on the World Championships through our Facebook page.
Should you have any queries about the 2014 World Championships, please contact the ITCA Secretary, Michelle Hill.
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In This Edition
News from:
2014 Worlds
Thailand
Germany
New Zealand
Ireland
Great Britain
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Presidents Corner
It
is amazing that as I write this we will be entering the fourth month of
the year, where has it gone and why so quickly? The Christmas and New
Year holidays have only just finished and now we are entering into the
Spring and shortly it will be Summer. Looking forward to the spring and
summer of course has its benefits, the dry suit can disappear, the cold
mornings breaking the ice from the Topper and the constant rain fade
into a distant memory. Of course, my apologies to those in the Southern
hemisphere, who have that to look forward to! The spring and summer is
the time for regattas, competitions and long leisurely sails drifting
in the evening breeze as the sun falls towards the horizon. These are
memories to look forward to, whatever your expectation, whatever
your ability, sailing the Topper when and how you want to.
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I know that many sailors are now finishing their winter
training and starting a series of races during the summer, culminating
in National Regattas or Championships. Good luck to all of you. Many
sailors will feel that they will never win a race, that they spend all
of their time at the back of the fleet. Well I can tell you that many
of your supporters will start by looking at the bottom of the results
sheet, then as if by magic, you will appear half way up and soon near
the top. Practice and experience does work!
So
what about the World Championships? I do not need to remind you all
that the International Topper Class Association is a family and like a
family we are always pleased to welcome new family members, realising
that some of those new members are still learning their skills. The
Zhik International Topper Class World Championships this year is the
opportunity for new members to come along to meet others who will be
doing the same as you will be, some better, some the same and some
perhaps not so well, but to us, you are all just as welcome.
The
International Topper is a great boat for training, racing and just
mucking about in, why not let us know about your stories, we would love
to hear them.
Bill Brassington
President
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2013 Phuket Youth Week in Thailand
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Organised
by Phuket Youth Sailing Club (PYSC), 28 sailors from Phuket and
Sattahip between the ages of 6 – 18 years old took part in the inaugural
Phuket Youth Week Training Camp & Regatta 2013. The two-day regatta
sponsored by The Sponsorship Experts – PP(SEA)CL and Topper Sail Phuket
produced some exciting and close racing across the four divisions.
Under the watchful eye of Principle Race Officer K. Sutee Poonpat from
the Royal Thai Navy, there was great racing between the two Topper
fleets – Topper Junior and Topper Youth.
In the Topper Junior fleet, after seven tight races the first two
sailors were on equal points, with Salawutt Kullaatt declared the
winner, courtesy of having more first place finishes. Nattapong
Yoangngam took second place with Cartoon Juladej third.
Two
top sailors from Sattahip joined the Topper Youth Fleet and again we
saw some very close racing. At the conclusion of racing, again there was
nothing separating the top two sailors on points. The honours went to
Phuket sailor, Teerapong Tohkratoak, who secured the Topper title as
winner of the last race, with Sattahip sailors Akkarapong Jjunyim and
Jarapong Meeyousamsen were second and third respectively. Click here to see the full article and a gallery of photos.
Plans are underway for sailors from Thailand to attend the World Championships this year. We look forward to welcoming them!
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Topper Sailing in Germany
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A
very successful series of Topper Events was held in Germany in 2013.
Well done to Christoph Stalla, Udo Wendler and Holger Heimbrodt who were
placed 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the overall series.
A schedule of 4 regattas has been scheduled for the 2014 Sailing
Season, beginning with the Bratwurst Regatta 26 - 27 April in Yacht Club
Andsbach-Gunzenhausen. For further details please see ITCA Germany's website or Facebook page.
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Topper in New Zealand
Rozy
and Peter Barton have had long associations with the Topper Class.
They have recently relocated to the Bay of Islands, New Zealand and are
pleased to have taken a Topper along with them! They hope to pick up
the Topper 'mantle' there and form a Class Association in due course.
One
of Peter’s ambitions is to sail his Topper through The Hole in the Rock
on his 80th birthday in a couple of month's time! That is a thirty mile
sail which is a lot less than the 60 miles he sailed round the Gilbert
and Ellis Islands nearly 40 years ago.
Good luck to Rozy and Peter; we hope you have settled in well!
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Topper donated to Indian Sea Cadets
There
has a very positive reaction to the Topper in India from sailors,
parents, and organisers. The Topper programme in India has brought many
sailors back on the water as well as introducing first time sailors
into an exciting sport. The number of Toppers in India has been
steadily growing.
The
Indian Sea Cadets were the grateful recipient of a Topper sailboat
donated by Roger Proctor MBE. Not only will it help the Sea Cadets but
also it will hopefully open the eyes of many other people to the Topper
in India. We hope the new boat will be a great addition to their fleet!
The
Indian Sea Cadets is a voluntary youth organisation instilling values,
skills and responsibility in young boys and girls through nautical and
allied training. Members are mostly from disadvantaged backgrounds.
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See the Topper in action in India in this video from the 5th Monsoon Regatta, the Largest Yachting Championship in India, at Hyderabad.
Congratulations
to Vishnu Sujeesh, India's first Topper National Champion, and all
sailors who took part! We look forward to welcoming Indian sailors at
this year’s Topper World Championships in Wales.
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Irish Sailing Association Youth Sailors of the Year
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World
Champions Liam Glynn and Finn Lynch have been named joint winners of
the Irish Sailing Association Youth Sailor of the Year award.
Liam
put in a string of remarkable performances throughout 2013, crowned by
his win of the Topper World Championships in Loctudy, France. Liam is
the first Irish sailor ever to win the Topper World Championships.
Finn
won Gold in the U21 Radial World Championships in 2013. Finn began his
sailing career in a Topper and has had numerous successes, including the
Silver Medal at the Youth Worlds 2012. For more details see the
article on the RYA Northern Ireland Website.
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 Photo: Aidan Tarbett |
The
Topper season in Ireland has begun with Topper Traveller 1 held in
Carlingford Lough Yacht Club on Sunday 30th March. The full schedule of
Irish Events is available at the IRL Topper Website, with the Irish Nationals scheduled for 4 - 6 July at Waterford Harbour Sailing Club.
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Crewsaver Winter Regatta
160
Topper’s entered for the 2014 Crewsaver Winter Regatta at Weymouth
& Portland National Sailing Academy in March 2014. As well as
National Squad members and regular National Series racers, an impressive
number of new competitors registered for their first large fleet event.
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After
the long winter break, competitors were keen to get back onto the race
course and threw themselves into the first race. The wind speed and sea
state presented challenging conditions on both days and many sailors
chose to reef their 5.3 sails or compete in the more controllable 4.2.
The strong north easterly breeze and waves tested the boats and helms to
their limits. Three races were completed on Saturday and the WPNSA
galley did a roaring trade in curries to warm up competitors and parents
after packing up in the dinghy park
Sunday
was equally breezy and the fleet left the beach in flights before
heading for the race area. Unfortunately with wind speeds consistently
gusting over 27 knots, the fleet had to return to shore after completing
their first race.
All competitors impressed the race team with their enthusiasm, commitment and sportsmanship.
See the full article and results here.
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