RS800 Rooster National Tour at Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy

Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy © WPNSA

With a forecast of 18-20 knots and expectations that it would build the International 14s got in a first race whilst the RS800s were briefed.

Racing started bang on time with Monique Vennis-Ozanne and Hugh Shone, Tim Gratton and Arthur Henderson, Martin Orton and Ian Brooks, and Alistair Hodgson and Ella Spain all hitting the line at speed and following the Int 14s left up the first beat. Positions were extremely close at the first mark but, whilst Tim and Arthur harried Monique and Hugh throughout the race, they stayed just out of reach to the end of the race. Martin and Ian finished third with Alistair and Ella coming in fourth.

With the wind appearing to build, pensioners Martin and Ian headed for the shore leaving the others to battle it out in the second and third races. In practice the wind moderated for these races with occasional vicious gusts. Tim and Arthur battled hard with Monique and Hugh but the latter always stayed slightly ahead.

Race 3 was particularly close, but a capsize at the leeward mark for Tim and Arthur let Monique and Hugh take three firsts for the day. Alastair and Ella sailed well and were always within a capsize behind Tim and Arthur. The race officer showed good sense in the third race shortening the course at the windward mark leaving a short reach into the dinghy park for the weary competitors.

Monique and Hugh once again won the prize for the fastest packed boat as Hugh had to leave for a family holiday (a recce of Carnac for future events). This left three boats for Sunday.

The forecast on Sunday was, if anything, slightly stronger than for Saturday but nevertheless the Int 14s decided to bring forward their Prince Of Wales National Championship race and the RS800s fitted three races in within this one triangle and sausage race.

The sail out to the start was epic and hearts were beating fast by the time the three remaining RS800s hit the start line simultaneously. After a frantic first leg on starboard in 20 knots, with boat speeds varying dramatically as the groove was found and lost, Martin and Ian pulled out - proximity to the dinghy park outweighing the adrenaline rush of the first beat.

They say that with great age comes wisdom and when the pair began to de-rig they discovered that their forestay was holding on by two strands... so had they continued sailing in the prevailing conditions a dismasting would have been the likely outcome.

On the water Alistair and Ella continued to sail well keeping the boat upright, but just did not have the speed of Tim and Arthur round the course for the remainder of race one and for the next two races held in 14-26 knots. Despite their lack of practice, Tim and Arthur mastered the conditions and powered to three race wins on the Sunday.

This gave them the event win with Alistair and Ella just pipping Monique and Hugh to second overall.

A big thanks to WPNSA for hosting us. Whilst we were a small fleet sailing alongside the Int 14 National Championships we were extremely well and enthusiastically looked after on the shore and the race committee did a fantastic job turning races around quickly and setting brilliant courses in tricky, but epic, conditions. Testament to this on the Sunday was a first race start time of 1100 with provisional results published at 1337 after three races!

Those that didn't attend missed a great meeting, with many full-on downwind rides.

Thank you to our RS800 Rooster National Tour sponsor Rooster.

Next event on the tour is Lymington Dinghy Regatta 19-20 July. You can enter online.

Overall Results: