Adding value for ALL RS sailors
- Sets the rules to give great one-design and handicap racing - enhancing resale values
- Organises websites, race reports, news, social media - keeping you informed
- Organises racing events with fantastic social scene - improving your Class’s popularity and value
- Organises training events - helping you get the most from your boat
- Liaises with the builder, RS Sailing - ensuring the quality and specification are what owners want
- Negotiates excellent discounts from the RS Sailing Store, including sail discounts, and many other companies
- Encourages new people to get involved - giving a better experience for everyone
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- It is run by volunteer sailors with back-up by part time professional administrators
- The sailors make the plans and decisions - without having to do all the leg work
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- The cost is tiny compared to your benefits, working out at just £3.75 per month for Full Membership, £3 per month for Club Membership or £2.08 per month for Youth Membership
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- One event membership is available for all events except National and major championships, for use by those borrowing a boat, intending to only sail in one RS Class Association event etc. Click here.
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ROUND THE ISLAND IN A RS400
Round The Island in an RS400 with
James Downer and Paul Tyson
After a few drunken talks and a debate on how to raise some money for charity the idea of sailing round the Isle of Wight was put forward to us. That was it, the challenge was set and we both decided that to make it more fun we would race around the Island anti-clockwise with another 1,800 other boats as well.
So on Saturday the 20th June Paul and Jim set off from Gurnard at 0700 to start with class 0 at 0730, which was incredibly exciting and hectic. But a lack of wind and foul tide for an hour led to slow progress which didn’t really get any better until we drifted to Yarmouth where we met a nice 10 knot Westerly to get us out of the Solent.
The back of the Island was just the most amazing sailing. With the boat planning down long seas and peaking with a top speed of 17.5 knots, along with the option to cheat the tide in the shallows, we were flying and making very good ground on all of the boats around, catching and overtaking boats 3 times our size. But unfortunately off of St Catherine’s we buried the bow of the 400 and managed to sail through the Kite bringing the fun to an end. The rest of the run to Bembridge was a tedious two sail run at speeds of about 6 knots, a lot less than the 12 knots we had been averaging. Still it gave us a good chance to practice our downwind wave technique, something you get very little chance to do in an asymmetric.
When we got to Bembridge ledge the wind had died altogether. We drifted around for 20 minutes until we spotted some breeze in the shallows and we were off again, although very slowly at first. At Seaview, there seemed to be no one in front of us, and an armada of yachts catching us from behind. It felt like we were winning the RTI and was an incredible feeling. It was a long slog beating against the tide up the Eastern Solent but we found some fun in racing a couple of Melges (apart from us, the smallest boat around at the time) up through Fishbourne towards the finish.
We finished off of Cowes at 1740, ten hours and ten minutes after starting, managing to beat an Open 60 who started at the same time as us by three minutes which gave us the biggest grins. It was a fantastic experience and all for a worthy cause.
In total Paul and Jim managed to raise more than £1400 for the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance Charity. A life saving service that relies entirely on donations to keep it in the air. www.hampshireandiowairambulance.org.uk
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