Sailing

Sailing my Topper at Chew Valley Lake

I am a member of both the Chew Valley Lake Sailing Club (CVLSC) and the Chew Valley Lake Association of Disabled Sailors (CLADS).

I sail most Saturdays throughout the summer down at CVLSC (April until October).

My favourite boat is my Topper, which I have great fun sailing (and capsizing). I’ve entered a few competitions and come round about last!!! But it is all good fun.

The  Topper  is a really good boat to lean to sail and race; it is easy to rig and requires very little maintenance. Because the Topper made from injection moulded polypropylene it is very light and small enough to transport on a roof rack of an average sized family car. I have transported my Topper on a roof rack on my 2 door Ford Focus, without any problems.

Sailing my Topaz Omega Sport

As well as the Topper I also own a Topaz Omega Sport, which is also manufactured my Topper International.  The Omega is a somewhat larger boat and can take up to 6 crew, although we find that 3 to 4 is the most comfortable, any more than 4 then it does start to feel a bit cramped on-board.

The Omega has 3 sails (main, jib, and genika).  It is quite a responsive boat and can be quite a handful to sail, especially when the genika is up!  We have had her over many times.  But it is a really fun boat to sail.