West Country Boat Repairs RS200 SW Ugly Tour at Exe Sailing Club

West Country Boat Repairs RS200 SW Ugly Tour at Exe Sailing Club © Henry Hallam

The West Country Boat Repairs RS200 SW Ugly Tour rolled into Exe Sailing Club for what turned out to be a properly breezy day of RS200 racing!

With a strong wind blowing and some increasingly steep waves rolling through the racecourse, conditions were certainly at the more exciting end of the spectrum. Thirteen boats took to the water, and with the breeze shifting around and plenty of opportunities for big gains - and equally big losses - there was never a dull moment.

Upwind, the left-hand side of the course generally seemed to be the place to be. Tacking on the shifts and keeping the boat moving through the waves was key, with plenty of places changing hands on each beat. Downwind was a rather different story. There were gains to be made on either side, and deciding whether to gybe out early and get the boat surfing across the waves, or hold on for the better pressure, became one of the big decisions of the day.

Race one saw Henry and Rose Hallam take the win. Behind them there was plenty going on. Jeremy and Becca Stephens put together a storming final leg, making some serious overtakes right up to the finish line to grab second place. David Sweet and Anna Mason also showed some impressive pace downwind, making the most of the waves to charge through the fleet.

Race two belonged to John Teague and Ryan Bush. The pair put together an excellent race to take the win ahead of Henry and Rose, with Joseph Tubb and Amelie Curtis coming home third. John and Ryan were sailing together for one of their first events as a pairing and, having never sailed together before, and not even having stepped foot in a boat for a year - they delivered an impressive show of teamwork.

As the breeze continued to blow, race three saw Henry and Rose take another win, but Kyle Brown and Madeline Strugnell were on the move. Kyle and Mads produced a brilliant downwind leg, absolutely storming through the waves and making some big gains to come home third. Paul and Harrison Smalley put together another solid race to take fourth.

By race four, the conditions had taken their toll on the fleet, with eight boats remaining. Henry and Rose rounded off their day with a third race win, while Paul and Harrison took second and John and Ryan third. David and Anna continued their strong day with fourth, while Jeremy and Becca completed the top five.

Henry and Rose Hallam took the event overall on three points, with John Teague and Ryan Bush second on six points after a consistent day, while new to the tour pairing Paul and Harrison Smalley completed the podium in third, with a special shoutout to Harrison as the youngest member of the fleet by far! Jeremy and Becca Stephens took fourth, with Kyle and Madeline rounding out the top five.

A special mention also has to go to Huw Beverley-Jones and William Reeves, who were sailing their first 200 event away from their home club. They battled their way around in some pretty substantial conditions - and, importantly, kept the boat upright! Even a broken rudder couldn't take away from a very impressive first away event.

Perhaps the biggest achievement of the day, though, was simply keeping the racing going. Despite the fierce breeze, steepening seas and generally pretty full-on conditions, the RS200 fleet stayed out and raced all day. With another RS event taking place just around the corner at Brixham struggling with the conditions, it was a pretty good demonstration of just how tough the 200 fleet can be!

A massive thank you must go to Exe Sailing Club, the race team and safety crews for getting four excellent races away in some challenging conditions, and, as always, to West Country Boat Repairs for their continued support of the South West Ugly Tour.

There is now just one stop left on the 2026 West Country Boat Repairs SW Ugly Tour, with the fleet heading to Chew Valley Lake Sailing Club on Saturday 24 October for the tour finale. Four races are scheduled and there is still plenty to play for - see you there!

Overall Results: