RS Aero Spring Championship 2026 at Island Barn Reservoir Sailing Club

Aero 7 overall winner Sammi Isaacs-Johnson starting to windward of David Cherrill, with Richard Bullock a little too close to ODM (mark X) - RS Aero Spring Championship at Island Barn © Kate Symons

A perfect forecast of an 8 knot westerly, increasing to 12, allowing Island Barn to use its full east / width of 1 km, promised a good days racing. The class was probably a little tired from The National Champs a week earlier and the entry was only 15 after last years 21. We will strive next year to get 25 entries, including more from the home club.

The course was a rectangle of 4 movable marks, which provided an inner loop, windward / leeward, course and an outer loop, windward / leeward, course, with interconnecting reaching legs.

We gave the Aeros 5 and 6 the outer loop the Aeros 7 and 9 the inner loop. The A7s and As started together and the 9s and 6s started together 4 minutes later.

This procedure gives a committee-boat-helpful, class-separated finishing sequence over a single finish line of Aero 7s, then A5s, then A9s, then A6s. A good arrangement for a single committee boat to run what in reality is four open meetings in one event.

Visitors came from as far as Lymington and Itchenor.

Aero 9 overall winner Tim Hire shown here winning Race 1 - RS Aero Spring Championship at Island Barn - photo © Nick Marley

Race 1. The A7s and A5s got away to a clean start. Sammy Isaacs-Johnson (A7), our enthusiastic visitor from Claires Court School, had a good race-long tussle with Richard Bullock from Itchenor, Isaacs-Johnson scraping in first, with Bullock second.

In the 9's the class act of Tom Hire (Lymington) also led from start to finish, with Island Barn's Andrew Barnett never more than 2 boat length's behind. Class captain Gareth Griffiths (Island Barn) finished an uncharacteristic last in the 9s. Nationals fatigue perhaps.

Fergus Anderson, a youth sailor from Thorpe Bay was first A5 and Ben Pullen (Restronguet) finished first in the A6's.

Race 2. James Eberlein from Hythe and Saltwood, 7th in Race 1, had a brilliant starboard end start, and was rewarded with a 1st A7, with Bullock second again. Isaacs-Johnson had a poor start and never recovered, finishing fourth.

In the A9s, Hire and Barnett repeated their race 1 tussle, with Hire again coming out top, Barnett second.

Anderson won the A5s and Pullen was first in the A6s.

At a magnificent lunch prepared by our Michelin standard catering team, the sailors unanimously voted for an extra race, as we were running ahead of schedule.

Hiking lesson from Tim Hire on the layline approaching windward mark - RS Aero Spring Championship at Island Barn - photo © Kate Symons

Race 3. Sophie Stockton from Claires Court, the only female at the event, had a terrific tussle with club-mate Isaacs-Stockton in the A7s. Leading from the start, she covered his every tack and was rewarded with a win, her clubmate finishing a close second.

In the 9s Griffiths had obviously had a stern chat with himself over lunch. He started at the committee boat end on a rare right wind shift, and held his lead to the finish, to spoil Hire's run of firsts. Hire started at the unfavoured pin end and worked his way through the fleet to second.

After the right shift the wind swung twenty degrees left half way through the race, making the beat a port tack fetch. Those that saw it coming, including Stockton and Griffiths had gone left and profited handsomely.

Anderson won the A5s and Pullen was first for a third time in the A6s.

The Race Officer shifted the entire course anti clockwise to suit the new wind direction and we moved into the two deciding races.

Race 4. The wind had also increased on the shift, favouring the heavy weights. In the A7s Isaacs-Johnson executed a full speed pin start. And being on the left benefited from a still backing wind. He scored his second win, with home sailor Paul Halliwell finishing second.

In the A9s Hire's power gave him victory over Griffiths, with Barnett third.

In the A5s and A6s. Anderson and Pullen continued their run of firsts.

Race 5. Tim Hire had already won the event in the A9s but there was still all to play for in the A7s.

Isaacs-Johnson was not in his usual bullet-proof form and a first from Bullock and a poor Isaacs-Johnson result would give Bullock an overall win. Bullock started brilliantly but Isaacs-Johnson did turns for a start line foul..

So we had Bullock first and Isaacs-Johnson last as the race progressed. Isaacs-Johnson now showed his true skills, overtaking six boats to take a third behind Bullock, who had done his bit faultlessly with a first and Stockton second. Tough luck on Bullock but great skill from Isaacs-Johnson, whose third place gave him a 1 point overall advantage over Bullock. Great racing and thank you for giving us a thrilling final race.

In the 9s, the fight was on for second place between Barnett and Griffiths, but an injury forced Barnett to to retire, gifting Griffiths second overall.

How to finish a tack and stay on the lay-line in a gust, by Aero 9 overall winner Tim Hire - RS Aero Spring Championship at Island Barn - photo © Kate Symons

Congratulations to Lymington's Tim Hire for decisively winning the Aero 9 event and Sammy Isaacs-Johnson for narrowly winning the largest fleet, the Aero 7s. The small fleets of Aero 6s and Aero Aero 5s were won respectively by Restronguet's Ben Pullen and Thorpe Bay's Fergus Anderson.

5 Rig Results:

6 Rig Results:

7 Rig Results:

9 Rig Results: