ITCA (GBR) Girls Only Topper Training at Warsash Sailing Club
by Roger Cerrato 26 Mar 2024 15:39 PDT
24 March 2024
ITCA (GBR) Girls Only Training at Warsash © Roger Cerrato / Kyle Wood
The Topper Class in the UK is very proud of it's enviable reputation for being welcoming and inclusive. At most of our events you'll see a good mix of male and female sailors battling it out on the racecourse or training together with a collective focus on improving. Occasionally however it's good for the girls to have some time to themselves hence the "Girls Only" training camp held at Warsash SC on Sunday March 24th.
14 sailors signed up for the day with a mix of 5.3 and 4.2 rigs including one who'd never sailed on the sea! With the breeze up at around 20 knots for the morning session coaches Islay Goodman and Amy Barr in conjunction with the local helpers decided to keep the sailors in the relatively sheltered waters of the River Hamble.
The vicious gusts coming across from Hamble village caught a few sailors out and there was the occasional quick swim as the morning progressed. By midday the fleet were tired and hungry so we headed back to WSC's Lobster Quay.
Over lunch we were joined by British Sailing Team ILCA6 sailor Matilda Nicholls who gave an engaging talk about her sailing pathway to date.
With a moderating wind and building ebb tide rushing out of the Hamble the decision was made to head out to Cat Head Bay for the afternoon session. It was certainly a lot choppier in Southampton Water and keeping speed upwind was key to making good progress on the windward leeward course.
On the downwind legs the coaches encouraged sailors to experiment with different techniques for surfing the waves with some great results and plenty of smiles!
The day ended with a slow but rewarding beat back into the River against the tide. Perseverance was key but eventually all made it back to Lobster Quay for debrief and cakes.
All in all a great day of fun and friendship afloat and ashore, one that we hope can be repeated again soon!