ANDREW Brown's busy sailing season reaches dizzy heights this month.

The Warrington Under 16s Sports Personality of the Year will be defending his world title in Italy as well as competing in two national championships.

It is a transition year for the Appleton 15-year-old, who has started to outgrow the topper class of boat and is moving into the laser class.

But Brown, who is currently second in the Topper GB Nationwide Traveller Series, is still hoping to enjoy success over the next 29 days.

His tough run of events starts with the Topper GB Nationals at North Berwick on Sunday.

He finished second in the event last year and should be a top-five contender over the six days with favourable winds.

The Budworth Sailing Club ace will fly south the following weekend for his first attempt at the Laser GB Nationals.

Brown will be seeking to gain valuable experience at laser level in Weymouth and maintain his position in the national youth squad, with a placing in the 30s from 250 boats to be considered creditable.

He will return to Warrington from Dorset for three days before flying out to Lake Garda for the defence of his Topper World Championships title with racing to take place from August 26 to 31.

Brown fended off competition from 159 competitors from 10 countries to seal the crown at Lake Garda last year, with his overall results during 2006 making him the best single handed junior sailor in the UK.

The Royal Yachting Association's 2006 young sailor of the year goes into August action on the back of top-eight placings in the third and fourth rounds of the Topper GB Nationwide Traveller Series during July.

The very light winds were not to his advantage but he came home fifth at Paignton and eighth at Chew Valley, dropping him to second overall with the final rounds to come at Paignton in September and at Hastings in October.

He has already tasted victory in one major event this year, fending off competition from more than 300 boats to win the Topper GB Inland National Championship at Grafham Water Sailing Club in Cambridgeshire.

The season is showing that Brown continues to go from strength to strength as he pursues his dream of competing at Olympic level.