We’ve been guiding guests on to the water for 40 years now, showing them the ropes (literally) and watching them find the confidence to simply mess around in boats.
Back in 1986, when we opened our first beachclub in Greece, our kit was very different. From our first day 40 years ago, to now, we’ve been passionate about offering brilliant, accessible dinghy sailing holidays. Here, we look at just how far the kit we use every day has come.
We chatted to one of our main dinghy suppliers, Topper, about the evolution of dinghy sailing, and how that’s improved for professionals and new sailors alike.
Jon Manners, from Topper, says the below:
“Funnily enough, it was forty years ago that the legendary Topper dinghy was launched, so Topper and Neilson share a birthday!”
“The original Topper remains popular to this day and is now a recognised international racing class and an integral part of the RYA youth pathway to the Olympics.”
“The next significant breakthrough in terms of sailboat design came in the 1980s with the introduction of affordable, high-performance, one-design racing dinghies such as the ISO, Buzz, Laser 4000 and the 29er, which all came with powerful rigs, an asymmetric spinnaker, and trapezes.”
“As some of the new generation of high-performance racing dinghies became more and more extreme like the 49er and 18ft skiffs, Topper recognised that there was a need to have a range of boats that could be used by beginners as a pathway into performance sailing.”
“So Topper developed an ultra-modern range of dinghies and catamarans under the Topaz brand name.”
“The innovative construction method delivers hulls that are stronger, lighter, stiffer and more durable. These boats are ideal for learning to sail, teaching and for family recreational sailing because they are so affordable and durable while remaining lightweight and fun to sail.”
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