RS200 EaSea Tour at Warsash Sailing Club

RS200 EaSea Tour at Warsash © David Swift

Having visited Warsash SC only for work reasons in the past, I was looking forward to visiting for a sail. Would it live up to the great YouTube videos posted by the club?

The short answer is "yes", although we could only sample the delight on one of the two scheduled days due to gales on the Saturday. I'm told the club and its army of volunteers did a great job of filling everyone's day (and evening) with suitable nourishment and good company.

Sunday brought one of those days that will stick in the memory - 25 knot (perhaps more depending where you look and how loud you say it) gusts, an inconsistent Solent chop and a racecourse full of opportunity due to the perfect course position East of Calshot. The RS21s and J70 fleets to the South would have had to handle far more tide, so well "booked" Warsash SC!

Having watched our somewhat bulkier contemporaries in the RS600 and RS400 fleets execute their starts, our first race got under way. A compromised start was better than hitting a bad wave upwind, meanwhile the shifts in the breeze kept teams on their toes. It is very difficult to properly concentrate on both at the same time, however Ollie Evans and Zoe Nieveen set the tone for the day.

Having rounded the windward mark on mine/Bex's transom, Ollie and Zoe showed a mastery of the boat and conditions to glide past downwind and then extend for the remainder.

Sailing the "inner loop" of the trapezoid meant that the first ¾ of our races were as we're used to in the RS200s, however the added excitement of some reaching to complete the last lap was the cause of some consternation and confusion. As far as I know, everyone sailed around the buoys they were supposed to.

Well done everyone.

In the second race of the day, Ian Martin/Emma Hivey were unfortunate with a couple of waves off the start line - There was frequently a touch of starboard bias, so there was a bit of a scrum to contend with and so it was very hard to avoid becoming awash.

However, a well timed tack out to the right hand side, some honest hiking and a bit of wind whispering brought dividends for Ian/Emma. Naturally, that was the last we saw of them as they galloped away.

Ollie/Zoe settled serenely into second place.. until the final reach... Having followed Ian/Emma's example of holding the kite, a colossal puff whacked both boats downwind of the rhumb line and frantically dousing canvas to get to the finish line. A battle ensued to retain positions as Bex and I, and Ben Whaley/Isobel Stewart hounded after the leaders, having dropped our chutes prior. Ian/Emma and Ollie/Zoe showed their class and composure to hold onto their hard earned places by a whisker, however this incident was a sign of the breeze to come for the rest of the day.

While the leaders were fortunate to ride this puff along the reach, the chasing pack were suddenly faced with the need to gybe to lay the final mark. While some fell victim to the now EVEN windier conditions, racing largely remained hard fought until the finish. What a boat the RS200 is.

Races 3 and 4 saw a somewhat diminished fleet (a sensible decision bolstered by a fine showing from the Warsash SC galley and bar team) enjoy hard fought beats and delightful sleigh rides downwind, now with the added complexity of clumps of weed to dodge.

Special mention goes to Jamie Harris/Ellen Main who stormed to victory in the final race.

Shoreside during the RS200 EaSea Tour, RS400 Southerns & RS600 Rooster National Series at Warsash - photo © Mark Turner

Very well done to Ollie and Zoe on their overall win, and to all competitors and volunteers on what was a great example of the quality of racing and shoreside banter available on the RS200 regional circuits.

Warsash, I look forward to my next visit!

Overall Results: