Second RC1000 Regatta in Plymouth
by Paul Gibbins 24 May 2022 00:49 AEST
21-22 May 2022
The second RC1000 Regatta raced in Plymouth the weekend of 21/22 May. Conditions were a little calmer than Regatta 1, with light southerly winds dominating the weekend.
The Plymouth based IRC fleet remained largely unchanged, a mix of 30 - 35 ft cruiser racers, all rating very close together. This is the heart of class: close competitive racing in the south west Devon, where rules of the Class allow boats with with an IRC rating of 0.990 to 1.015, where over 60 minutes the rating from top to bottom gives a difference of 1 minute 30 seconds on corrected time.
Race Officer Jerry Lock and his team from the Royal Western YC made the most of the light conditions, squeezing in 4 races on day 1 in case day 2 proved just too light, but the fleet were fortunate, with 6 races squeezed in before the 1400 Sunday cut-off. Despite the very light breeze, the sun shone bringing the temperature up a little indicating a glimpse of Summer. Plymouth often has to rely on onshore breezes at the height of Summer, but it never lasts long, so any racing has to happen pretty efficiently. With slightly fewer boats on the water, 8 boats lined up on Saturday for some more very close racing. Sunday brought very similar conditions, but overall the conditions suited 'Altura' achieving a 1st overall, with a great result of 4 bullets out of 6 races. 'Men Behaving Badly' made some massive improvements to remain consistent and getting a 2nd, and Steve Andrew's 'Sunfire' finishing with a 3rd.
Matt Blakeston, tactician on board 'Altura' said, "this is a great result for us, the conditions suited us extremely well, we worked hard to keep the mistakes to a minimum, crucial in this fleet." Neil Cash, Skipper & Owner of Altura, said, "I'm absolutely delighted with the result. The team were superb, with great boat speed and fantastic boat handling on the corners. Once the breeze filled in, it was champagne sailing for sure. The conditions really suited 'Altura', but there is some serious competition in the Class and we had to work very hard not to make mistakes to get the result."
Overall Results:
1st Altura
2nd Men Behaving Badly
3rd Sunfire
Full results can be found here...
The RC1000 Class is now in its second year, sponsored by Salcombe Gin and supported by local businesses: AllSpars, Ullman Sails, PR Marine Systems, The Chandlery Plymouth, Stoneways Insurance, the Royal Western YC and Paul Gibbins Photography. With an established committee, the RC1000 continues to develop solid foundations to grow and create close competitive yacht racing in south west Devon.
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