Lough Erne Yacht Club

News > Jennifer LEYC Top Topper

Created: 6/28/2009 5:37:17 PM, Updated: 7/3/2009 9:34:19 AM

Great news, Sunday evening 28 June, is overall eighth place out of 54 boats for LEYC’s Jennifer Whittaker in today’s Topper Traveller Series.


There are five of these developmental RYA Topper Traveller events each season, hosted by select clubs, LEYC included but not 2009, to give young sailors experience of good competition among peers and on a variety of waters. This second one was hosted by Strangford Lough YC. Jennifer's scores were 8, 9 and 10.

Jennifer, age 14, happens this year to be the only young LEYC sailor selected for RYA NI Topper Squad winter training. We have had many others in this squad over the years since LEYC was among the very first clubs in Northern Ireland to gain RYA/Volvo Champion Club status, in a club seedbed scheme to grow Sailing’s future champions.

LEYC members, parents and otherwise, have invested much, funding boats and equipment and with invaluable voluntary work on youth sailing. To see resulting solid profit of growth, skills and confidence, and also Jennifer's excellent results in this case, is most gratifying - a worthwhile investment..

Earlier LEYC Topper sailors graduated to the larger Laser dinghy. Two, also in the RYA Laser youth squad, Ali and Ashraf Ghareeb, were at the weekend’s Connaught Laser Championship on Galway Bay. News is awaited.

Jennifer’s first 2009 event was the Ulster Topper Championships at East Down YC on 25-26 April. She achieved 15th overall out of 45 boats, scores 10, 10, 14, 18, with 19 & 27 discarded. Her second major event was the first of the 2009 Traveller Series at East Antrim Boat Club on Larne Lough. She came 8th overall out of the 30 that raced all 3 races, with race scores 6, 6, and 14. Very promising results.

Next weekend, 4 & 5 July, Jennifer goes west and past LEYC to the Munster Championship at Mullaghmore SC. Here's hoping for even more good results!

Michael Clarke, Webmaster