Please select your home edition
Edition

RS Venture Connect Para Sailing Electronics wins Overall DAME Award

by RS Sailing on 16 Nov 2017
Alex Southon (Technical MD, RS Sailing) and Tom Reed (MD Scanstrut) with the Overall DAME Award at METS 2017 RS Sailing http://www.rssailing.com
The DAME Awards winners have been announced at METS 2017 trade show with the RS Venture Connect para sailing electronics pack taking the top Overall title.

Working in conjunction with Scanstrut and electronics expert para sailor Tom Harper, RS Sailing’s technical team have developed the equipment to provide simple installation, beautifully responsive electric ram steering via either joystick or sip/puff controls and with electronic mainsheet control a further option.

“This has been a complex and time-consuming project” says Jim Hood (aka Junior) of RS sailing’s technical team. “The award feels good; it recognises the hard miles and technical success. The benefit to the sailors will be the ultimate reward”

The electronic control equipment allows the RS Venture Connect to be handled by sailors with virtually any disability and builds on the boat’s remarkable Plug & Play equipment functionality. All para sailing adaptions, including twin side-by-side seats, joystick steering and control-lines console can be added or removed from the boat as required, meaning the same boat can be set up to suit everyone and used in all areas of a centre’s programme.



The rapid configuration versatility of the RS Venture Connect keelboat should broaden the availability of para sailing at centres around the world. The same boat can be used in everything from junior programmes to high disability para training and racing, spreading the investment cost and making purchase more easily justifiable. It makes the pathway from entry-level to para-competition significantly more attainable.

World Sailing have very recently voted to include the RS Venture Connect in its para programme and more information about this will be announced very soon.

Further details of the RS Venture Connect and RS Sailing’s international dealer network are at www.RSsailing.com. Visit www.Scanstrut.com for more information on the work they do.

Related Articles

A Fleet That Grew by Itself
An unexpected conversation with an RS Aero sailor whose club fleet has quietly exploded Paul Jackson called in to pick up a new toe-strap but the visit turned into one of those conversations that reminds you how fleets really grow: because sailors notice what works, talk to each other, and quietly make their own minds up.
Posted on 22 May
Macnamara's Bowl Returns
With Star-Studded Lineup in Women's Sailing An elite roster of international sailing talent will compete in the long-awaited return of the Macnamara's Bowl this weekend, with a line-up of accomplished female sailors gathering at Royal Lymington Yacht Club.
Posted on 24 Apr
Hit the Road with RS
Discover #RoofRackReady Boats! For many people, getting into sailing isn't about learning the skills or finding the right club - it's about logistics.
Posted on 22 Apr
Roof Rack Ready - Transporting Your Dinghy
If loading up feels simple, sailing becomes more accessible One of the biggest factors in how often people sail isn't always time, weather, or even location - it's transport flexibility.
Posted on 16 Apr
RS Games Travel Tips and news from RS Sailing
Advice on travelling from UK to Germany including boat transportation options Join the Travel Tips Webinar for advice on travelling from the UK to Germany including boat transportation options, ferry routes and towing rules. Watch the unboxing of the first RS CAT 12 in Australia. And much more.
Posted on 26 Mar
Join the RS Sailing party
Sailors in the Spotlight - Camping at the RS Games - RS Feva EuroCup Sailors in the Spotlight - Camping at the RS Games - RS Feva EuroCup - Demo Days - Customer testimonial - Meet the all-female RS21 crew.
Posted on 13 Mar
Peter Barton's 11 years leading the RS Aero Class
We celebrate his achievements as he hands over to Sammy Isaacs-Johnson After 11 years at the helm, Peter Barton steps down as RS Aero International Class Manager, handing over the role to Sammy Isaacs-Johnson.
Posted on 10 Mar
RS Sailing at the RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show
The whole team at RS Sailing can't wait to welcome you onto the stand The whole team at RS Sailing can't wait to welcome you onto our stand at the RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show 21st-22nd February 2026 at Farnborough International.
Posted on 17 Feb
RS Sailing Top Events in 2026
210 sailors already registered for the RS Games The countdown is on. Entries for the RS Games 2026 are officially open and the response from the global RS community has been nothing short of spectacular. Early entries are setting the tone for what promises to be the biggest celebration ever!
Posted on 2 Feb
RS Sailors Named Finalists
In the YJA Young Sailor of the Year 2025 Awards The finalists for the Yachting Journalists' Association (YJA) Young Sailor of the Year 2025 awards have been announced, and RS Sailing is proud to see two of the three shortlisted sailors are competitors in RS classes.
Posted on 27 Jan