BALLYHOLME Yacht Club’s Leo West-Hurst produced one of the best performances in the club’s history as he clinched third place at the Topper World Championships in Quiberon, France.
Hosted at La Société des Régates de Saint-Pierre in Quiberon, situated on the north-west coast of France, the championships gathered a fleet of 176 boats across the 5.3 and 4.2 classes.
The venue, which also functions as the French National Sailing Academy and Olympic training base, drew competitors from various nations, including China, Great Britain, Latvia, Spain and Ukraine.
To begin the week, sailors faced two days of qualifying races, enduring extensive delays onshore, before spending more than six hours on the water as they waited for the sea breeze to fill in over the Breton Peninsula.
The opening days of the championship were defined by the notoriously shifty and challenging conditions of the region, which demanded exceptional tactical skill and immense patience from the young competitors.
From the first gun though, Leo showed great resilience and patience and was sailing well at the sharp end of the 134 competitors in the Premier 5.3 class.
The highlight of qualifying would come in the final race on Tuesday, where he recorded an impressive race win, with a 50-second margin over his nearest competitor, earning him the second-place bib heading into championship racing.
Over the final three days of the championship series, Leo’s patience and consistency became the defining hallmarks of his campaign.
Across the initial six races, he steadily maintained his position within the podium places, further solidifying his position with a firstplace finish in race six.
Leo entered the final day of competition strongly positioned for a top-three finish, against an elite international field.
With podium positions still hanging in the balance on the final day, light winds permitted only a single race, which ultimately secured his third-place finish, concluding the regatta as the top-placed Irish competitor in the premier fleet.
The remaining members of the Ballyholme squad also demonstrated superb form, concluding the regatta with outstanding performances across the board.
Emma West-Hurst, 14, competing in her fourth World Championships, qualified for the gold fleet and displayed fantastic consistency across the week to finish an impressive 20th overall and sixth-placed girl.
Thirteen year-old Caroline Byrne delivered a sensational debut on the world stage, finishing 26th in the gold fleet and 10th girl overall, with her best result coming in race six, where she recorded an impressive eighth place.
In the Silver Fleet, Max Boyd fought his way to 22nd with two impressive top-10 finishes in the final championship races.
Meanwhile, the club’s youngest representatives, 11-year-olds John- Myles Crossan and Freddie Robinson, successfully completed their first Topper Worlds campaign in the 4.2 fleet, signalling a bright future on the global stage.
Heaping praise on the club’s young stars, Ballyholme Yacht Club commodore Colin Robinson said: “These sailors represent the future of our club. Most of them started out in our grassroots ‘Dolphins and Sharks’ programme.
“To see them transition from learning the basics at Ballyholme YC to standing on a world podium in France is a testament to the dedication and commitment of everyone who helps develop the skills in young sailors, including those at RYA NI and Irish Sailing”.
Attention now shifts to the British National Championships on the Olympic waters of Weymouth this weekend.
Leo and Emma West-Hurst, Caroline Byrne and Max Boyd will look to carry forward the momentum from France, before returning to Northern Ireland to compete in the RYA Youth Championship at Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club next month.
