RS Aero New South Wales State Championships at Georges River Sailing Club
by GRSC RS Aero fleet 19 Nov 21:27 PST
14-15 November 2020
The RS Aero NSW State Championships 2020 were held for the first time at Georges River Sailing Club over the weekend of 14/15th November, on the beautiful waters of Botany Bay.
There were 19 entries consisting of sailors from Balmoral, Georges River, Royal Prince Alfred and Avalon Sailing Clubs, with one joining us all the way from Largs Bay in South Australia too.
For many new sailors joining the fleet this was their first regatta in the RS Aero and we hope it was one to remember. To help keep those memories fresh, we were lucky enough to have Jon West Photography covering the event. There are some great photos available online here.
The excellent race officer set challenging but fun courses with the 6 scheduled races easily achieved over the weekend. The fleets had a great first day of racing with a light-medium 12-15 ESE breeze on the Saturday with plenty of fuel left in the tank for the following day. The breeze was much softer on Sunday, although the waves caused by the run out tide meant that a few competitors decided it would be a great day to have a swim!
Gary Ratcliffe from GRSC set the scene on the first day with a trio of first places in his RS Aero 7. Mark Hooper from GRSC was also on top form in his RS Aero 9.
Overnight, as is the RS Aero way, Gary provided tips to the other sailors which made day two closer through the fleet. The first five places in the RS Aero 7 fleet were a fiercely competed affair with the points tight. A general consistency in results was seen across all the fleets, with the feedback from the competitors saying they had a great time, with some excellent close racing.
Finally, a big thanks to the Race Officer, Andrew McLachlan, GRSC for hosting and to all the volunteers that made this event such a fun, memorable, and competitive regatta.
Next up for the New South Wales RS Aeros is the next leg of the NSW Travellers Series hosted by Balmoral SC in Sydney Harbour on Saturday 5th December. Australian RS Aero events list available here.
Overall Results:
| Pos | Sail No | Helm | Club | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | Pts |
|---|
| RS Aero 7 |
|---|
| 1 | 3095 | Gary Ratcliffe | Georges River SC | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| 2 | 3051 | Rob Brewer | Royal Prince Alfred YC | 3 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 12 |
| 3 | 2693 | Justin Bakker | Balmoral SC | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 16 |
| 4 | 3054 | James Maslin | Georges River SC | 6 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 17 |
| 5 | 3094 | Mark Conry | Largs Bay SC
SA | 2 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 19 |
| 6 | 2496 | Andrew Robertson | Balmoral SC | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 31 |
| 7 | 3052 | Malcolm Phillip | Balmoral SC | 10 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 4 | 9 | 39 |
| 8 | 2042 | Michael Savery | Balmoral SC | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 39 |
| 9 | 1286 | Barry Higgins | Georges River SC | 9 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 40 |
| 10 | 2 | Robert Condon | Balmoral SC | 13 | 12 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 52 |
| 11 | 3066 | Nick Collis‑George | Balmoral SC | 4 | 6 | DNS | DNC | DNC | DNC | 54 |
| 12 | 30 | Robyn Ratcliffe | Georges River SC | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 56 |
| 13 | 2916 | William Hooper | Balmoral SC | 12 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 57 |
| 14 | 3100 | Kylie Symonds | Georges River SC | DNS | DNC | DNC | 13 | 13 | 13 | 69 |
| RS Aero 9 |
|---|
| 1 | 188 | Mark Hooper | Georges River SC | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 2 | 1196 | Glenn Attrill | Avalon SC | 2 | DNF | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 13 |
| 3 | 2490 | Simon Reffold | Royal Prince Alfred YC | 3 | 2 | DNF | 2 | 5 | 2 | 14 |
| 4 | 3086 | Richard Shaw | Balmoral SC | DNS | DNS | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 18 |
| 5 | 1386 | Cameron Shaw | Georges River SC | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 18 |