RS300 class at the Sailboat Deliveries Eurocup 2026 at Fraglia vela Riva

Sailboat Deliveries RS300 Eurocup at Garda © Fraglia Vela Riva / ZGN

Disclaimer - this report is long. We've had a brilliant time and there's too much fun to condense into anything shorter!

Renowned for predictable and stunning sailing conditions, racing on Lake Garda has become something of a pilgrimage for many dinghy sailors. Some go as far to say it's "even better than Rutland". 2026 then was the year that the RS300s put their money where their collective mouths were and set off on a crusade inspired by promise of pizza, beer, and stunning sailing.

12 sailors and families successfully made the journey, though a notable mention goes to Paul Watson, who's boat cover disintegrated before leaving the UK and now rests in bins across the European continent. The Emsworth contingent had a disjointed trip after their lead driver, Luke South, took a wrong turn into a quarry pit after the Red Bull had started to wear off.

After a quick driver change, they joined the rest of the group which were in various states of readiness. Even Mark 'Sparky' Newton was seen hurriedly applying his sail numbers in a pattern only the great Picasso would recognise. The most exciting arrival was the return of Richard Le Mare in his all-purple boat, fresh out of the workshop following some TLC.

All signs pointed to a worrying lack of wind for the annual Riva Cup hosted by Fraglia Vela Riva. So, when an afternoon Ora breeze turned up on practice day, everyone was keen to get whatever experience they could.

Sailboat Deliveries RS300 Eurocup at Garda - photo © Fraglia Vela Riva / ZGN

Ian Jubb, local(ish) legend, provider of all things alcohol based and boat transport (not simultaneously) helped everyone launch with at least some of their dignity intact. Conditions were epic. An 18+ knot southerly, sunshine and awesome views made this an experience to remember for all. Jamie Fewings of Bowmoor led the practice race until Pete Mackin of Y Felinheli got his geography mixed up and led the rest of the fleet round the wrong mark. This single lap was still 12km round!

There were swims through the fleet with a notable nosedive from Ben Green and even Paul Watson deciding that the water by the gybe mark at Torbole looked quite appealing.

The real entertainment was coming back ashore though, where a sturdy 25+ knot breeze was blowing straight onto the slipways. Most untied the mainsheet or dropped sails and made it safely in. However, Alex Collins displayed excellent seamanship in reducing windage. Having dropped his sail, he then capsized to windward of the rocky harbour wall prompting the local marina police RIB to launch, sirens and blue lights blazing (yes, really).

Having done their best to add some Italian pizazz to the situation, they did manage to coax Alex's boat over towards the slipway where he righted it and discovered he only had half a mast left. The hull was lifted out by a helpful mix of sailors that had given up trying to hide their sniggering.

The merriment continued that evening in town where both the RS300 and RS600 contingent drowned the pain of sore legs in limoncello drunk from none other than the Sailboat Deliveries Mini-Boom-of-Doom (boom of minor inebriation?).

The three races sailed on Thursday provided yet more entertainment for the uninitiated. The weather hadn't delivered the classic Garda sun. Instead, it was wet and cool, with a moderate breeze. Dave Acres won the first race which got away after a delay caused by some very keen and shouty 505s that needed a general recall. The RS300 starts were a much quieter affair - unless you're Tom Moore.

Tom crashed into the pin end RIB whose GPS controlled trolling motor resisted his attempts to escape and left the RIB driver unable to hide his laughter. Luke South made it an Emsworth 1-2 and Ben Green came in a deserving third.

Sailboat Deliveries RS300 Eurocup at Garda - photo © Fraglia Vela Riva / ZGN

The second race was uneventful but rainy and won by Pete Mackin, followed by Paul Watson putting Y Felinheli atop the scoresheet. The third race, however, started amidst loud bangs and rumbles echoing across the lake. Experienced 300 sailors would be forgiven for thinking these were a natural by-product of a certain member of the fleet's exploits at Bella Napoli Pizzeria the night before.

The bolts of light striking all sides of the lake were terrifyingly reassuring. In seriousness, this race felt dodgy. It was shortened after just two legs with Richard Hanby in front followed by a surging Rob Baker and most of the fleet huddled around the much taller DYAS boats on the way in, hoping to be spared from a dose of Jupiter's fury.

Day one ended with Rich Hanby, Pete Mackin, Dave Acres and Paul Watson separated by just 2 points with no less than half the fleet having finished in the top 3 in at least one race.

The rain hadn't relented by Friday morning and the wind was gone. AP was displayed until mid-afternoon and the fleets eventually launched for a 1600 start, some of the sailors having sunk a few beers already to aide their judgement. Racing got under way though with Richard Hanby taking the first bullet of the day from Dave Acres and Tom Moore.

Another mention between races goes to Ben Green for inadvertently playing chicken with a ferry and losing. The final race of the day was won by Luke South who sailed excellently to take the win away from Hanby and Mackin. Hanby had still managed to extend his lead at the front of the leaderboard, chased by Acres, Mackin and South.

Friday night was a boozy affair for many and for some included tasting the wares of a very enthusiastic wine merchant before a night of card games, red wine and limoncello (or cheeky cellos if you're Rob Baker).

For the final day, the fleet launched in a confused daze onto a very quiet lake. Some weren't understanding why they were launching into nothing, the rest were probably still drunk. The local seers proved their worth though as the first race got under way in a light breeze after a short delay. Sparky had another go at mating with the pin end RIB, even getting the steamy affair caught on camera by the event photographer.

Tom, meanwhile, had learnt from his earlier pin-end infractions and went on to win this light wind race ahead of Hanby and Acres as the lake turned to glass.

This is when the magic of Lake Garda kicked in. No more than 15 minutes later, a southerly breeze was on the horizon and soon covered the racecourse in 5 knots, then 10, then 15. Magic. The final two races of the event were glamourous. The quickly reset start line had a little bias and that left Tom Moore with the opportunity of a lifetime - cross the fleet on port at Garda.

Did he do it? Perfectly! He was caught by some heavier helms though which he expertly infuriated with his ridiculously high pointing ability. In fact, Mackin was so incensed that he blasted through underneath, desperate to head for the cliffs and soared past the lay line.

Sailboat Deliveries RS300 Eurocup at Garda - photo © Fraglia Vela Riva / ZGN

You think that's bad? Luke South was using Mackin as a gauge of when to tack back and was a few hundred yards further over! Both managed to reach back in, red-faced, just ahead of Hanby and Acres who thought it was all quite hilarious. It was even funnier though when South did the same thing on the very next lap. The top three were Hanby, Acres and Mackin, with South coming in 8th.

With that, Hanby had already secured the event win, Acres looked confident in second whilst Mackin in 3rd and South in 4th had an outside chance to upset the order. The final race got under way without any spectacular overshooting and with South and Mackin again first to the top of the course. But the pair were quickly caught by Acres and Hanby who would go on to finish in that order ahead of South and Mackin. So, the podium remained unchanged.

At a very energetic prize-giving Alex Collins was awarded the Endeavour prize, Rob Baker was our mid-fleet hero in his gulf racing liveried boat, and Dave Acres won the Masters prize. Snazzy trophies were awarded to our top three, Peter Mackin in 3rd, Dave Acres in 2nd and Richard Hanby our worthy winner, discarding his only finish outside the top three.

Every event on the RS300 calendar continues to demonstrate the depth of talent in this fleet. 8 of 12 boats finished in the top 3 in at least one of the 8 races. Overall podium spots were up for grabs to the very end. To put it bluntly, if you want close, exciting racing and hilarious fun on and off the water, get yourself an RS300. I certainly haven't laughed so much at a sailing event in a very long time. Thanks to Fraglia Vela Riva and Sailboat Deliveries for making sure we all had a brilliant time.

After packing up, sailors and partners convened for pizza and to discuss the week's embarrassment, including signing this year's "get better soon" card. The summary of oopsies provided below are just a sample of the antics this great bunch get up to...

Richard Le Mare - forgetting he'd come to Garda to sail and missing two races.

Alex Collins - recovery antics on practice day despite driving ships for a living. Not wanting to give way to a foiling passenger ferry on the basis that "power gives way to sail."

Jamie Fewings - Actually wanting to sail a lap another 4km longer than the 12km one we sailed on practice day.

Mark 'Sparky' Newton - Hilariously poor sail number positioning (you had to see it). Crashing into pin end boat.

Ben Green - Nearly crashing into a ferry despite horn blasts.

Rob Baker - Borrowing a GoPro and only managing to take three selfies of a confused face, rather than any video.

Tom Moore - Crashing into pin end boat (did a better job of it than Sparky).

Paul Watson - Leaving bits of his top cover in no less than eight countries.

Luke South - Crashing into Dave Acres, crashing into someone else. Overstanding marks by a hundred metres twice in the same race. Getting lost and driving into a quarry. Probably something else too.

Pete Mackin - finishing third and having to write this report. Otherwise, an absolute saint, obviously.

David Acres - Crashing into Luke and removing two hats with his sail in the process.

Richard Hanby - Getting a bit keen on the start line and causing a crash (can't remember who with, could be same incident as above). Saying he's slow on the runs, then sailing past me on said runs.

If you made it this far in the report, well done and thank you. We've had a brilliant time. Now do yourself a favour, get in touch with us, try an RS300 and join us on the circuit!

Sailboat Deliveries RS300 Eurocup at Garda - photo © Fraglia Vela Riva / ZGN

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