Topaz Sailing System
The Topaz Sailing System project has been a monumental success story. Designed by sailing legends Ian Howlett and Rob White, builders White Formula and Topper International; the team's pursuit of excellence in design and construction has ensured that the Topaz attracts sailors of all ages and abilities.

Describing the Topaz as a Sailing System means quite simply that the boat can be set up to satisfy the requirements of the sailor or sailors on the day. The Topaz Sailing System is a truly wide appeal, value for money sailboat that anyone can master quickly yet which offers many stages of advancement. The Topaz delivers versatility without a hint of compromise. She offers a variety of sailing options, ranging from a simple yet thoroughbred singlehander to a pedigree 'new generation' gennaker sailboat. With graduated steps in between, the choice is yours. The Topaz Sailing System provides fast track sailing from beginners basics through to complex techniques - a System that matches the requirements of modern families and forward thinking sailing schools and holiday companies.

Quite simply, the Topaz is a landmark design offering the perfect combination of simplicity and thrills to a new generation of sailors.

TOPAZ UNO PLUS

The Topaz UNO PLUS is a simple and deeply rewarding fun-boat with great stability and ease of handling. The UNO PLUS can be sailed with a single sail. And with the addition of a jib you have the best value two person sailboat on the market. The UNO PLUS is a real winner for young families and it has proved to be our best selling option.

Newcomers will feel comfortable with the UNO PLUS from day one.

Absolute beginners will be sailing singlehanded or with friends within an hour. The huge curvaceous self-draining cockpit is deep and safe providing more space than any other small boat. There is comfortable room for two - an onboard instructor or you and a friend. The additional buoyancy required by the Sailing System and a higher freeboard than on competitors designs ensures that two people can enjoy perfect sailing without the boat taking on water over the transom or the bow nosediving.

The Topaz is brimming with bright ideas and qualities that make sailing safe, simple and readily accessible to everyone. Take the simple two-part plug in mast and mastgate system, proven features from the Topper dinghy, they take all the drama out of erecting a mast singlehanded. The sail can be easily reefed around the mast when the wind increases - or to reduce the sail area for teaching very young children to sail with confidence. The centre mainsheet and high boom make for trouble free tacking and gybing. The high tech rudder lifting system which allows the blade to be set and locked in any position at the flick of a wrist and the profiled daggerboard are also established features of the award winning Topper.

Simplicity is key with the Topaz UNO PLUS. She is easily rigged in a matter of minutes and she is stable and easily controlled by even the youngest newcomer. The Topaz UNO PLUS is a great introduction to sailing and when you consider the progression available in the Topaz Sailing System, this is surely the definitive small teaching boat.

TOPAZ UNO RACE PLUS

The Topaz UNO RACE PLUS has been designed for the more adventurous sailor who demands that extra bit of performance. She is everything you want from a hiking sailboat. The UNO RACE PLUS is sensationally fast yet you are in total control. Painstaking development means that the UNO RACE PLUS is powerful and responsive yet unbelievably easy to sail.

Rigging remains simple, the only alterations to the UNO PLUS rig are a powerful sail and a high-tech extra-length rudder blade. The larger 6.9 square metre Mylar mainsail is fully battened and a fuller sail shape cranks up the speed whilst retaining controllability. The sleek epoxy racing rudder blade offers low drag and added control to enable you to enjoy all of that extra power.

It is as we progress up through the various Sailing System rig options that we begin to really appreciate some of the exceptionally high-tech fittings and features that come as standard on all Topaz. The neat 4:1 centre mainsheet system feeds through the high specification centre mainsheet jammer. This is fitted as standard on all Topaz and is the same fitting used on many of the top-end modern high-performance racing sailboats.

The Topaz also comes complete with a shock absorbent hull plate as standard. Developed from the famously robust Topper dinghy, the hull plate system protects the hull and daggerboard should you run aground.

The rudder system will also kick-up to protect the blade in the event of impact.

The UNO RACE PLUS is a superb performance sailboat and gives you the freedom to really indulge yourself.

TOPAZ UNO RACE X

The Topaz RACE X adds a new and exciting option for singlehanded or two crew sailing. The power source is the large but controllable fully battened 6.9m2 mylar main sail and a big race jib as with the UNO RACE PLUS. But the icing on the cake for this little pocket rocket comes in the shape of a full-on 9.0m2 asymmetric gennaker.

The gennaker system is supremely efficient and even young sailors can raise or lower the gennaker on a single line launch as smoothly as the professionals.

You can always keep the powerful gennaker under wraps until you are ready to unleash the ultimate adrenalin rush. But once you’ve experienced the power and control the RACE X provides with the kite up you won’t want to miss out ever again.

The recent Yachts and Yachting test concluded that the RACE X will deliver “seriously fast sailing for the club sailor right through to a professional sailor. The asymmetric system is simple, easy to use and easy to rig and takes the boat to yet another level only found in boats costing twice the retail price.

Market leading holiday company Sunsail have reported back that their Topaz RACE X are constantly on the water and never on the beach at their centre in Colonna in the Caribbean. In fact they go on to say that this boat, more than any other, is being sailed by virtually every client that goes on their holidays proving the huge appeal yet accessibility of the new RACE X rig. They are so impressed that they have ordered Topaz RACE X to go in all their centres.

TOPAZ TRES

The Topaz TRES offers sailors of all abilities the excitement of high-performance sailing. The TRES utilises a unique second mast position to provide the perfect rig balance for two handed sailing.
This is a unique feature of the Topaz Sailing System. Slot in the aluminium deck beam, tapered single spreader mast, add the trapeze and powerful fully battened rig and you’re ready to go.

The Topaz hull is designed to be stiff and light making it ideal for a full-on modern three-sail rig. Additional built-in buoyancy and a higher freeboard than on competitors designs ensures that two people can enjoy perfect sailing without the boat taking on water over the transom or the bow nosediving.

In the three sail set-up with a modern, highly advanced rig, fully battened mainsail, retracting pole and single-line hoist and drop gennaker system, the Topaz is every inch a top racing boat. Gennaker sailing is a real buzz. It is easy to underestimate the sheer exhilaration of sailing the Topaz TRES. When you are out on the trapeze, gennaker launched and fully powered up, few sailing experiences will come close.

The powerful battened main and ample gennaker provides bags of excitement and performance without spoiling the concept of user friendliness by going over the top. Sail and rig positions are perfectly positioned and easy to adjust. The large and uncluttered self-draining cockpit provide a spacious and stable platform for helm and crew.

In high winds the mainsail reefing system is a welcome feature and the option of a furling jib means that the TRES can be transformed into a singlehander in minutes. A quick pull on the single-line gennaker system launch and the TRES takes off with blistering acceleration. Yet the loads on the gennaker can easily be managed by young sailors even in a big breeze.

Even though the TRES may well be seen as the perfect introduction to high performance sailing it has many years of progression built-in. For most crews there may well never be a need to move on.