Please select your home edition
Edition
RS Sailing 2021 - LEADERBOARD

RS Aero wins 2024 Olympic Men's and Women's One Person Dinghy Equipment trials

by Mark Jardine 3 May 2019 08:19 PDT
RS Aero - Equipment selection Sea-trials - 2024 Olympic Sailing Competition - Men's and Women's One Person Dinghy Events © Daniel Smith - World Sailing

The RS Aero has won World Sailing's Equipment trials (Sea Trials) for the 2024 Men's and Women's One Person Dinghy Event. The four boats tested were the D-Zero, Laser, Melges 14 and RS Aero.

The Evaluation Panel met multiple times via web conference and spent five days together between the 11th & 15th March during the Sea Trials hosted at the Real Club Naútico de Valencia, in Spain, evaluating the equipment options.

The Evaluation Panel developed a scoring matrix against which the equipment options were scored based on the evaluation criteria for the event. In this the RS Aero scored 80%, the Laser 69%, the Melges 14 54% and the D-Zero 52%.

The RS Aero was launched in 2014 after three years of development by Jo Richards and the RS Team.

RS Sailing's Alex Newton-Southon, CEO - Design & Technologies, said on hearing the news:

"RS Sailing is delighted that the RS Aero is the clear overall top scorer in the World Sailing Evaluation Panel report into Equipment for the Olympic Men's and Women's One Person Dinghy Event.

"We are impressed by the comprehensive report and thoroughness of the Evaluation Panel in conducting the process and proud of the recognition that the RS Aero received in all areas, including that the RS Aero exceeded all others in terms of quality and durability.

"We are passionate about the future, not just about RS Sailing, but also about the sport itself. We love sailing!"

The Evaluation Panel's summary on the RS Aero was:

The equipment is deemed suitable for Olympic competition. The boat was described as fun, fast and appealing with simple and well executed concepts which were appreciated by the MNA* sailors.

The light hull (30kg) requires sensitive boat handling and was considered by the sailors as having the potential to reward higher sailing skills.

The design is simple and well thought out for shipping, saving space when stacking hulls for transport. Its light weight and its size make it attractive and suitable for the youth pathway.

The hull is engineered with modern materials and production methods. All fiber is CNC cut, the quantity of material is optimized and proven to be effective and there are strict controls on the building processes monitoring the production to a high level of standardization.

Mass production is already established with a high-end quality product. Quality was recognized by the MNA sailors and considered among the highest in terms of value for money. The builder is in a satisfactory position to produce and deliver boats in a reasonable timescale.

The boat pricing information is credible, proposing an open book pricing, where the price is driven by a formula to be monitored by World Sailing accounting for all factors.

One of the most interesting summaries by the Evaluation Panel was point 4.6 Quality Evaluation where they concluded:

RS Aero's finished product exceeded all others in terms of quality and durability. The hardware and systems are well designed to function easily for the sailor and are proven in international competition. The spars are built to a specification and quality control standard that is producing consistent equipment for this international class. The lightweight hull is engineered with modern materials and modern composite building expertise bringing consistency of manufacture that is performing in the current marketplace. These have yet to experience Olympic competition however their World Championships were held in 2018 in high winds and waves at the London 2012 Olympic Venue with no breakage reported. The class has single source of supply for all parts. The hull production is single source in a high technology composite facility which is not exclusively building boats.

The next step is the World Sailing Mid-Year Conference where the World Council will vote on keeping the existing equipment or taking the advice of the Evaluation Panel. This takes place on the 19th May in London.

Read the full Selection of Equipment Evaluation Panel Report 2024 Men's and Women's One Person Dinghy Event report here.

* MNA Member National Authority

Related Articles

SailGP comes to Portsmouth!
We speak to the sailors ahead of the weekend The Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix | Portsmouth takes place this weekend, with the 12 teams competing in F50 catamarans close to the waterfront, where a massive grandstand has been built for the spectators. Posted on 18 Jul
A Q&A on the 2025 Corsair Nationals and the BBMHR
Peter Vakhutinsky and Andy Houlding discuss the 2025 Corsair Nationals and Buzzards Bay Multihull Re If you race, sail, or love multihulls and live in New England (or the Northeast), the Corsair Nationals and Buzzards Bay Multihull Regatta should be on your radar. Posted on 16 Jul
The Ocean Cleanup's 30 Cities Program
A look at The Ocean Cleanup and its the 30 Cities Program The cliche goes that one should avoid meeting one's heroes, as there's always a chance that the flesh-and-blood person might not live up to expectations. While I've never met Boyan Slat, I'd gladly take this risk. Posted on 15 Jul
Double Double
And the rest of the line is not toil and trouble, but quadruple, then another double… On the eve of the 100th Fastnet that has attracted some 464 entries, I heard of one entry in this record fleet that seemed so very apt. Not only because it includes the Commodore of the RORC, but because it combines two Brits and two Aussies. Posted on 13 Jul
Jazz Turner Video Interview
How she Faced Everything And Rose during Project FEAR I travelled to Brighton Marina to catch up with Jazz, talking about her own sailing, the challenges she faced during the circumnavigation, how the money raised will be used, and a glimpse of her future projects! Posted on 10 Jul
The Ocean Race Europe Video Preview
We speak to Phil Lawrence, Peter Rusch & Pip Hare to find out more The Ocean Race Europe will take place between 10 August & 21 September, following a debut event in the summer of 2021. The racing is in IMOCA yachts, the same as the Vendée Globe, but this time with 4 crew and an OBR who will document the action on board. Posted on 8 Jul
Foiling Frenzy at Fraglia Vela Malcesine
The Moth Worlds at Lake Garda are something else! The Moth Worlds at Lake Garda are something else! Regardless of where sailors are in their careers, or the reputation they have, everyone wants to be there and have a tilt at the title. Posted on 7 Jul
The oldest video footage of Moth sailing
A look back into our video archive, to when the name of this class first settled down We delve into our video archive to find the oldest possible videos that show Moth racing. Are these International Moths, British Moths... or was the name still Olive, Inverloch 11ft, National Moth or Brent One-Design?! Posted on 6 Jul
The power of tech
What is the cost of safety? How do you measure it? More importantly, how do you appreciate it? What is the cost of safety? How do you measure it? More importantly, how do you appreciate it? Posted on 2 Jul
Some thoughts on provisioning for distance sailing
A new perspective on provisioning and time spent at sea One of the great joys of distance racing unfurls the moment that the dock lines are untied. Suddenly, the myriad packing lists that inevitably define most trip-planning efforts become about as relevant as a tax return from eight years ago. Posted on 1 Jul
Doyle_SailWorld_728X90px_SY BOTTOMHyde Sails 2024 - One DesignPredictWind - Routing 728x90 BOTTOM