CONGRATULATIONS TO YOUR 2023 RS800 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS TOM MORRIS AND GUY FILLMORE!
Well done to our sixty sailors from right across Europe for making the most of beautiful Garda for racing their RS800s. Thank you very much Circolo Vela Torbole for hosting the fleet so well!
See your amazing event vid "Probably the best sailing in the world: RS800 Euros" here
Fab photo gallery by Emilio Sabtinelli here , lovely winner photo thanks to Anna Prescott
Day one vid from CVT here
Day two video from CVT here
Day four vid from CVT here
See Tom’s daily interviews here:
See Go Pro footage from our sailors here:
Phil Walker and John Mather flying day one
Stuart and Chris Doe Go Pro zooming day two
Daily reports here:
Day five and final report by Luke McEwen
You will find the relevant Y&Y link to each day's report below the author's name
RS800 European Championships 2023 at Lake Garda – Day One Report
After a pleasant sunny weekend greeting old friends and meeting new ones, the 30-strong RS800 fleet from six nations were raring to get racing at Circolo Vela Torbole, our third visit to this super-friendly club and great sailing venue at the North end of Italy’s beautiful Lake Garda.
Conditions for the first day were ideal, with the afternoon Ora thermal wind building from the South to a good 15 knots, strong enough to set pulses racing but kind enough to break us all in gently to twin-wire action around the race course. The committee laid their self-propelled GPS marks, a great innovation for Garda as it is about 400m deep, with a good length course in the middle of the lake.
The first start got away cleanly right on time at 1pm with just two boats U-flagged. Ralph and Ollie Singleton played their classic party trick with a huge port flyer and headed for the Western cliffs ten lengths ahead of the field. Reigning European champions Tom Morris and Guy Fillmore took the traditionally safe starboard end and tacked bows-out on the Singletons to lead the right-hand pack towards the cliffs. Meanwhile Steve Brown and Phil Bairstow, Xavier Broise and Chloe Le Roux, Maria Stanley and Tommy Darling were all sniffing out a bit of pressure and a wind bend on the left hand side, which proved to be hugely decisive, putting the three of them in a commanding lead at the windward mark. Once the rest of the fleet realised what was happening, the race became a rinse-and-repeat, same side upwind and downwind. Maria and Tommy built up a huge lead before snapping their kite halyard at the last gybe, but somehow still managed to hold on to 4th at the finish just behind the new top three of Luke and Emma McEwen, Phil Walker and John Mather, and Tom and Guy.
In the second race, the committee gave us an extra lap, banking on the Ora staying strong enough, which it just did, dropping to about 12 knots at the finish. This time it was Phil and John who crept into the lead with a close battle all the way round with Tom and Guy, and Luke and Emma, the deciding factor apparently being how high you could point to squeeze out the boat behind on the long port layline – clearly Phil and John’s strength as it turned out. Maria and Tommy claimed another 4th, with Gilles Peeters and Heloise Baize placing a good 5th with great pace after their first race UFD.
With only two races scheduled today, racing was done by 3pm and everyone came ashore with big smiles. Tom ran a very helpful debrief for all the sailors with tips on tuning and technique, followed by a tasty snack and Aperol spritz in the sunshine served by the friendly CVT bar team. The sailors reconvene at the club tonight for a big barbeque, ready for a potential three-race day tomorrow.
By Luke McEwen
Up on Y&Y here
RS800 European Championships 2023 at Lake Garda – Day Two Report
Another day of perfect skiff sailing conditions at the RS800 European Championship at Circolo Vela Torbole. Flat water and a consistent 15 knots meant that the racing was tight all the way through the 30 boat fleet. With the race course set in the middle of the lake, both corners looked favourable for potential gains.
In the first race, the events’ leading four boats chased the breeze on the left hand side. However, local legends Geoff Carveth and Lez Dhonau led the fleet to the first mark having won the right hand side. Tom Morris and Guy Fillmore, and Phil Walker and John Mather were the earliest to gybe and took the lead in the pressure under the cliffs.
After showing that the right hand cliffs looked to be a gain feature Maria Stanley and Tommy Darling won the starboard end and led the fleet out to that side. After gybe setting and heading back to the same gain feature Maria & Tommy showed the fleet exactly where the layline wasn’t, overstood by 10 boat lengths and handed the lead to Tom and Guy.
The afternoon breeze was falling away in the last race and it was a high risk strategy to chase the gain features on the corners of the race course. Luke and Emma played the shifts up the middle, sailed the shortest distance to the mark and led the fleet the whole way round, extending their lead with great pace in the marginal downwind conditions.
It is the Crews Union tonight so look forward to tomorrow’s report to find out if everyone makes it home / makes it to the race course / stays with their sailing partner, after a night of drinking and complaining about how annoying helms are!
By Tommy Darling
Up on Y&Y here
RS800 European Championships 2023 at Lake Garda – Day Three Report
After a crazy hail storm the night before to further cool down the water and with many nursing sore heads from the crew vs helm dinner, there was only time for one race on the 3rd day of the RS800 Europeans.
In typical Garda fashion, about 30 seconds after the start, 95% of the fleet were on port heading towards the cliffs on the right. Geoff Carveth led the charge with Phil Walker and John Mather, Tom Morris and Guy Fillmore, and Luke and Emma McEwen in hot pursuit.
Tommy Darling and Maria Stanley rolled the dice on the left but with some blistering speed somehow managed to not get buried as pretty sure the right hand side was working.
Over the course of two laps Tom and Guy’s relentless pace earned them a well-deserved win, with Phil and John second, and Luke and Emma third.
The fleet is now looking forward to a big dinner a the club tonight and an early alarm tomorrow to race in the morning breeze.
Ciao!
By Phil Walker
Up on Y&Y here
RS800 European Championships 2023 at Lake Garda – Day Four Report
Setting my alarm for 6:30 this morning was not what I’d expected this week but alas, that’s what I found myself doing last night. The aim was to utilise the morning Pelèr in order to catch up on our lost race yesterday and that’s exactly what we did. There was much chuntering between some of the heavier teams as we rigged up about the strength of the breeze but it actually turned out to be proper twin wiring as we launched. As we began racing however it became patchier and it all went pear-shaped for James and myself after rounding the first leeward gate in 3rd in a big hole. The rest of the fleet made huge gains on us and the top guys we rounded with somehow managed to escape the becalmed state we’d found ourselves in with ease. After much swearing and discontentment with our sailing abilities we headed out to the cliffs alongside Geoff Carveth and Lez Dhonau in what seemed like the best course of action. Only to realise far too late that the windward mark had been repositioned and we’d sailed twice as far as we needed to. As we beam reached back to the mark we watched as the guys we’d rounded the gate with start hoisting kites about a kilometre away and resigned ourselves to a discard. Enough about our plight. The race finished with Phil Walker and John Mather taking the victory, Maria Stanley and Tommy Darling taking second, and Tom Morris and Guy Fillmore taking third.
The afternoon was why we come to Garda. The Ora came in the best it had so far this week and we enjoyed champagne sailing conditions for two races. The stronger breeze seemed to separate the fleet more than previous days however in the first race it was the usual suspects leading the way with Maria and Tommy posting their first bullet of the championship after Tom and Guy started halfway up the beat and got U flagged. Phil and John took second, and Luke and Emma McEwen third. We took fourth after a last lap battle with Fred Lord and Louise Gale rounding off the top five with their best race so far.
In the final race of the day we had the privilege of experiencing another Ralph Singleton port flyer (how do we keep letting him get away with these!?) culminating in a tenth and his and Ollie’s best result of the championship up to now. But it was Gilles Peeters and Heloise Baize who rounded the windward mark in pole after hitting the left hand side of the course hard. Despite their best efforts they couldn’t hold back the rampaging Tom and Guy who eventually hunted them down on the last lap to take the win. It was an excellent race for Gilles and Heloise in second and their best result so far. Luke and Emma rounded off the top three.
It’s all still to play for with only seven points separating the top four (watch out guys, we’re only 24 points behind!). Tom and Guy lead heading into the last day, can they hold on to win their first Garda Europeans? With two races scheduled tomorrow it’s fingers crossed for the same conditions as today and let’s finish the championship with a blast!
By Eddie Grayson
Up on Y&Y here
RS800 European Championships 2023 at Lake Garda – Day Five and Final Report
Lake Garda delivered its best for the final day of the RS800 European Championships, with sunshine and a good Ora breeze for plenty of twin-wire action. With two races left in the series and only seven points separating the top four boats, the podium places were still very much up for grabs and there were many more battles being fought throughout the 30-boat fleet. It was destined to be the hottest day of the regatta both for weather and racing action.
Every day the race team from Circolo Vela Torbole laid our course in a slightly different place on the lake, taking advantage of the GPS-controlled marks to keep the tacticians on their toes. This time the leeward marks were almost on the North shore of the lake, where many of the windsurfers play. The lake narrows from this point Southwards, concentrating the wind along the Western cliffs but a wind bend on the East side meant it was not obvious which way to go.
Reigning champions Tom Morris and Guy Fillmore, with a narrow two-point lead, hit the right hand side hard off the first start to lead the race to the finish, chased hard by Chris Feibusch and Cam Mitchell in their best race of the series, who were eventually overhauled by Phil Walker and John Mather, with James Penty and Eddie Grayson taking a well-deserved fourth. Tom and Guy’s win meant they clinched the championship with a race to spare.
Meanwhile the battle for third overall was heating up with Luke and Emma McEwen taking a spin after their spinnaker touched Maria Stanley and Tommy Darling during the gybe-hoist. Maria and Tommy sportingly rinsed their mast at the leeward gate to let Luke and Emma catch up for a photo finish.
The final race got even more exciting when the wind shifted hard left just after the four-minute gun. Some optimistic attempts to cross the fleet on port resulted in a big pile-up at the pin end – after several previous port-flyers by Ralph and Ollie Singleton, the fleet was well used to shutting that gap on starboard. The more prudent port-tackers ducked a few transoms to find a clean lane out to the cliffs on the right side, Phil and John showing the way with Tom and Guy on their hip, while Luke and Emma won the pin on starboard but with an extra tack to get back onto port came in third at the windward mark to secure their place on the podium. Phil and John sailed brilliantly to claim their third race win and close the gap to two points between gold and silver.
As we planed back to Torbole, overtaking windsurfers and wing foilers, we reflected on a great week: top competition, many friendships made and renewed, six nations represented (Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Great Britain, Italy and Switzerland), excellent race management and of course lots of pizza, prosecco and gelato. The usual pre-regatta worries of “will Garda deliver” and dodgy forecasts were forgotten in almost wall-to-wall sunshine, other than the biblical storm on Tuesday night during the Crews’ Union dinner. Even those Brits who came out unlucky with fines from the French customs officials at the Channel Tunnel were smiling by the end of the week (hopefully they can get their money back too).
Phil and John deserve a medal for seamanship as their windward shroud pin fell out on the beat and they somehow managed to get it back in, without losing second place in the race, let alone breaking the mast which is the usual outcome from such a mishap. Hero of the week is surely Jean Schweizer who cool-headedly rescued crew Josiane when she got stuck under their capsized boat. And class co-chairm Tom Morris (“El Presidente” in Italian) not only showed us the way round on the water but also ran a popular daily de-briefing to answer everyone’s questions on how to make an RS800 go fast, as well as buying a beer for anyone whose GPS top speed beat his own each day (not many as it turned out!).
The team at Circolo Vela Torbole were great hosts, laying on pasta or an apero after racing most days. Jessica in the office and Giovanni on the waterfront were always helpful. We’re all looking forward to returning to Garda in 2025 after next year’s European Championships in France, which also promises to be a great event.
Report by Luke McEwen
Y&Y report here