The Topper Ireland Traveller Series made a welcome return to the Royal Cork Yacht Club on Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th October, attracting a fantastic turnout of young sailors from clubs around the country.

The weekend began with a dedicated training day on Saturday, where 27 sailors enjoyed glorious autumn sunshine and near-perfect learning conditions. While the morning started with very light winds, the breeze gradually filled in throughout the day, allowing sailors to build confidence and develop their skills across a series of specially designed Topper Skills Circuits.

The training programme focused on key areas of racing and boat handling, including tacking and gybing drills, figure-of-eight boat handling, starts and acceleration, mark roundings, and balance and boat speed challenges. Sailors rotated through each station, working hard to refine techniques, improve consistency, and build race confidence ahead of Sunday’s regatta. The sessions provided plenty of learning opportunities, with sailors challenged to think, react, and improve throughout the day.

Sunday brought a larger fleet, with 42 sailors taking to the water for the regatta. Conditions were noticeably fresher than the previous day, providing exciting racing and rewarding those sailors who could combine good boat speed with smart tactical decisions. Racing got underway shortly after midday and the race team successfully completed four races, delivering a full and competitive series for all fleets.

Event Results

Youth Male

1. Leon Joyce
2. Bobby Sheridan
3. Hugo Butler 

Youth Female

1. Julie Kearney
2. Sinead O’Sullivan
3. Ava Statham 

Junior Male

1. Leo West-Hurst
2. Ross McDiarmuid
3. John Keating 

Junior Female

1. Stephanie Rock
2. Penny Doig
3. Alannah Whelan

4.2 Male

1. Jack Ryan
2. Daniel Long
3. Oran Collins

Congratulations to all sailors who competed over the weekend. The standard of sailing continues to rise across the fleet, and it was fantastic to see so many young sailors embracing both the training opportunities and the competitive racing.

Thank You

Events such as this can only happen through the tremendous support of volunteers, sponsors, clubs and families.

A sincere thank you to Topper Ireland and the Topper Ireland Committee for their continued support and commitment to developing junior sailing throughout Ireland.

We are especially grateful to our wonderful sponsors, SOTA Prosthetics & Orthotics, and its owners Lucy and Mike Fouhy, whose support was invaluable.

A special thank you to Bernard and Pauline FitzPatrick for providing and operating the committee boat, and to Daragh and Trish Connolly for supporting the event with the mothership, and to our Race Office Ross Deasy, and assistants, Maritta Buwalda & Bill Applebe, who provided us with great racing. 

To our coaches, Shane Collins, Jenna Reid, Ellen Bruen, Isha Duggan & Max Dillon, who imparted their knowledge & expertise to our sailors on Saturday, thank you. 

To our outstanding safety team, led by Jimmy Nyhan and advised by Marcus Worth, thank you for your incredible commitment throughout the weekend. From preparing safety boats and laying marks to supporting sailors on and off the water, your professionalism and dedication ensured the event ran safely and smoothly.

Thank you also to our fantastic shore team; beachmasters, registration office, hot-chocolate makers and safety check volunteers, whose hard work behind the scenes kept everything organised and running efficiently.

Finally, thank you to the Royal Cork Yacht Club, the bar and dining staff, and the marina crew for their warm hospitality and support throughout the weekend.

With excellent training, competitive racing, fantastic weather and a brilliant atmosphere ashore, the Topper Ireland Traveller Series event at Royal Cork Yacht Club was a memorable one for sailors, parents and volunteers alike. We look forward to welcoming everyone back again soon for another event on the Traveller Series calendar.