Topper Tales

Went down to Starcross in Devon, on the River Exe, to collect a Topper sailing dinghy yesterday with Hay. 

I'd been waiting all week for a set of roof bars so I could put the Topper on top of the Galaxy. Got the roof bars on Thursday, but some idiot had mucked up the order and a some crucial parts were missing. I managed to effect a jury rig which held tight. Just to be on the safe side, I limited my speed on the return to 55 MPH, so as not to put too much stress on the roof rack.

I was after a 2 person sailing dinghy that can be sailed solo and is light enough to put on top of a car. After getting some advice from my mates who sail, the Topper came out tops, so to speak. I was initially considering a Laser 2, but they're so damned expensive - Toppers are generally around £200-£400 and this one was a bargain at £175. I'm going to enjoy rejuvenating it.

Here's a pic of one in action.

It's a 2 person job to lift it, so I really need to get a launch trolley if I'm intending to go solo. The sad thing, however, is that I made an agreement with Hay that the windsurfer would have to go, as I don't use it as much as I'd intended.

Here's another Topper, fully rigged:

The reason for going for a dual boat is to teach by sons to sail, but that may be a forlorn hope.