Results

Congratulations to our 2025 National Champion Nigel Wakefield from Netley SC and Lymington Town SC!

In a standout Championships at the iconic Mounts Bay Sailing Club, home of our new Class Chair Mostyn Evans and wonderfully organised by his wife Pippa, Nigel worked hard to claw back the lead from a strong early start by Chew's Andy Jones.

Congratulations to Nigel and to all of our prize winners and RS100 competitors - the biggest turnout for years, 27 boats racing! . 

Thanks to our PRO Marcus Wilkinson and all of the wonderful Mounts Bay volunteers from the tally team to the trolley team, the race and safety crews, the bar and galley teams and those working behind the scenes on results and organisation and of course Pippa, to our title sponsor Noble Marine and to our Official Chandlery partner the RS Sailing Store, as outgoing Class Chair, David Smart says "Mounts Bay is probably the most picturesque Sailing Club in the country and also the most friendly"

Full results and prize winners list below.

Photo gallery from Lee Whitehead, Photolounge here.  Come back in a week or so and you'll be able to search all the photos by sail number, making it easy for you to find your boat and order prints/files. 

Videos here, also by Photolounge, more, plus edited versions to follow.

Daily and overall reports below.

RS100s - Day 4 and Overall, by David Smart

After the wind and waves of Day 3, the sailors (and their tired limbs) were delighted to be greeted by a gentle Northerly breeze and sunshine. However, with the wind off the land, it was going to be shifty, which would reward those that kept their head out of the boat.

Race 1 saw a clear advantage to those that went left, with an enormous lift to the windward mark. That saw Leighton King first round, followed by Andy Jones and David Smart. Jaye Rickards was approaching in fourth but tried to tack into a non-existent gap and took some gelcoat off the side of Huw Powell’s boat. Oops! Nigel Wakefield came through on the run and on the next beat it was a closely fought battle tending to favour the boat on the left. However a port/starboard incident after a communication breakdown between the Chew boats of Jones and Smart led to a 360 for Smart who was then re-energised. At the finish Wakefield won followed by Smart ahead of Jones and King.

With the left having paid handsomely in Race 1, a number of boats tried to replicate the left is best approach. This included Clive Eplett who took the pin end – literally – by hitting it! He did his turn and ducked the fleet on port, only to delightedly discover that right was the way to go this time. He and Mark Harrison rounded first and second never to be challenged, with Alex Davies third and Steve Main fourth.

The fleet returned to the beach to find the welcome sight of trolleys waiting in order and a pasty to help the boat packing in the sunshine. Mounts Bay is probably the most picturesque Sailing Club in the country and also the most friendly.  The fleet thanks Mounts Bay SC for putting on such a wonderful championship and especially the PRO Marcus Wilkinson for delivering 9 cracking races.

Congratulations to Nigel Wakefield from Netley SC on becoming the RS100 2025 National Champion. He demonstrated great consistency in all conditions.

Second was Andy Jones from Chew Valley Lake SC followed by the strong wind specialist Huw Powell of Red Wharf/Netley who revelled in the Saturday conditions.

Silver fleet was won by Alex Davies (Netley) and the Ladies prize was taken by Maggie Ayre (Chew Valley Lake).

The next event on the National Tour is the Inland Championships at Chew Valley Lake SC on 8/9 November.

RS100s - Day 3 by Nigel Wakefield

Wow, what a day! This is why you come to Mount's Bay. "Epic" was the word most used. There were no sailors claiming to have sailed in bigger waves. Even the Race Officer got seasick.

Newbie Alex Davies powered through the mountainous rollers to take his maiden race win. He led a Netley SC charge, Netley taking the top 8 in the race. Nils flew the flag for the lightweights in 2nd, and Jeremy Troughton 3rd. There were only 15 finishers; notably, event leader Andrew Jones had a nasty capsize and failed to finish.

Mike Green and Huw "big boy" Powell had a good scrap in race two. The deciding moment was the final run. Both gybed a bit early for the downwind gate. Mike stayed hot, whereas Huw worked deep to avoid two extra gybes in rapid succession. Mike stacked it on the last gybe, handing Huw victory; apparently, there was whooping.

Race 3 saw Huw Powell leading again. Huw had a wrap in the kite at the last top mark. Mike Green sneaked through but swam at the gybe. Leighton King was then second but 30m from the line, also swam, letting Jeremy Troughton through for a 2nd.

Special mention to the six boats that kept their rigs dry, including between races. Dave Smart, Jeremy Troughton, Huw Powell, Jaye Rickards, Mostyn Evans and Alex Davies.

A huge thank you goes out to all of the MBSC safety boat crews and committee boat volunteers for braving the chop all day and assisting with rescues across all the fleets. Thank you to the beach crew for being ready with trolleys (and not to mention tally treats) for those of us who came in early from races throughout the day. Such a fantastic team- we feel very looked after!!

A huge effort today from all the sailors who braved the conditions and from the club to get in 3 races! Now onto the final day - who will take the crown of National Champion?

RS100s - Day 2 by Andy Jones

After a frustrating, but beautiful day bobbing around in an unstable and light wind on day 1, day 2 dawned with the promise of sunshine and 9-11knots all day. Given the forecast, Mounts Bay didn’t disappoint, with the race team getting four cracking races in.

Race 1 kicked off with Nils Joliffe quick out of the blocks, challenged by Mike Green and a chasing pack pulling clear from the fleet. Racing was never more than a few boat lengths apart but Nils kept control and crossed first, with Nigel Wakefield and Andy Jones pulling through to 2nd and third on the final run ahead of Mike Green and Alex Davies.

Race 2  saw Andy Jones led out from the start to head Clive Eplett and Nigel Wakefield. With Jones away in first Eplett looked secure in second down the final run,  until Wakefield caught him napping at the final leeward gate to drive over and snatch second place.

Race three followed a similar pattern, with Jones and Wakefield clearly enjoying the wind and pulling well clear, and Mike Green again to the fore in third.

The final race of a tiring day saw a large group from the right-hand side of the course lead into a very tight windward mark rounding. Leighton King rounded in the lead, followed by Nigel, while behind Huw Powell, approaching on port, failed to find the gap he needed ahead of Jones and a tight group of other sailors. The run saw Wakefield climb to first and Jones through to second, positions they held to the finish with Nils finding a way past Leighton to complete the podium.

Overall after day 1 it’s all to play for and with 3 races planned on Saturday, in forecast stronger winds, the fleet may shake yet up again.

RS100s - Day 1 by David Smart

The fleet headed out in what looked like a promising breeze, but once at the race area, it proved light and shifty.

After a few hours of waiting and an attempted start sequence, the class rep and the race committee agreed the conditions just weren't stable enough for fair racing. With AP over A hoisted, the fleet headed back ashore.

A short limerick by David Smart sums up the day...

There were sailors galore at Mounts Bay
Looking forward to a glorious day
But the wind didn't blow
The flags didn't show
But Duncan was sung Happy Birthday

Four races are now planned for Friday, assuming the wind plays ball!

RS100s - Day 2 by Andy Jones

After a frustrating, but beautiful day bobbing around in an unstable and light wind on day 1, day 2 dawned with the promise of sunshine and 9-11knots all day. Given the forecast, Mounts Bay didn’t disappoint, with the race team getting four cracking races in.

Race 1 kicked off with Nils Joliffe quick out of the blocks, challenged by Mike Green and a chasing pack pulling clear from the fleet. Racing was never more than a few boat lengths apart but Nils kept control and crossed first, with Nigel Wakefield and Andy Jones pulling through to 2nd and third on the final run ahead of Mike Green and Alex Davies.

Race 2  saw Andy Jones led out from the start to head Clive Eplett and Nigel Wakefield. With Jones away in first Eplett looked secure in second down the final run,  until Wakefield caught him napping at the final leeward gate to drive over and snatch second place.

Race three followed a similar pattern, with Jones and Wakefield clearly enjoying the wind and pulling well clear, and Mike Green again to the fore in third.

The final race of a tiring day saw a large group from the right-hand side of the course lead into a very tight windward mark rounding. Leighton King rounded in the lead, followed by Nigel, while behind Huw Powell, approaching on port, failed to find the gap he needed ahead of Jones and a tight group of other sailors. The run saw Wakefield climb to first and Jones through to second, positions they held to the finish with Nils finding a way past Leighton to complete the podium.

Overall after day 1 it’s all to play for and with 3 races planned on Saturday, in forecast stronger winds, the fleet may shake yet up again.

Noble Marine RS100 National Championship Prize Winners 2025

Congratulations to our 2025 National Champions Tim and Heather Wilkins from Gurnard Sailing Club!

In a standout Championships at the iconic Mounts Bay Sailing Club, Tim and Heather showed remarkable skill and consistency, with 7 bullets in a massive range of conditions to secure a convincing win.

Congratulations to Tim, Heather and to all of our prize winners and RS500 competitors. With 30% of the fleet made up of youth and junior sailors aged from 16-22 the fleet is in fantastic shape for the future and with the standards of sailing demonstrated, the 'more established' members of the fleet won't be able to rest on their laurels!

Thanks to our PRO Marcus Wilkinson and all of the wonderful Mounts Bay volunteers from the tally team to the trolley team, the race and safety crews, the bar and galley teams and those working behind the scenes on results and organisation, to our title sponsor Noble Marine and to our Official Chandlery partner the RS Sailing Store for helping make this happen - everyone had a great time!

Full results and prize winners list below.

Photo gallery from Lee Whitehead, Photolounge here.  Come back in a week or so and you'll be able to search all the photos by sail number, making it easy for you to find your boat and order prints/files. 

Videos here, also by Photolounge, more, plus edited versions to follow.

Daily and overall reports below.

RS500s Day 4 and Overall, by James Curtis

Day four dawned with aching bodies from day three and a glassy bay. The boat park was still full of stories from the races the day before, with more ups and downs than UTMB. (read the report below) But there was racing to be had. Tim and Heather Wilkins had a good lead out in front, but from 2nd down it was all to play for. 

The breeze filled in as forecasted from the North West with flat water and 8-12 knots. Marginal planning conditions and enough shifts to get the inland sailors excited. 

After watching the 600s fight for the pin we were up for race eight. As a reminder, Tim and Heather only needed to be consistent to retain their title, so of course they went for a port flyer. The rest of the fleet mindful of the U flag nearly let them get away with it, but they couldn't quite cross and had to tack and truck out to the left with the rest of us. 

It was nip and tuck up the first beat, with at first the right-hand boats looking good then the top left working and everyone rounding the first mark within 25 seconds. It was planing conditions to start with, but as Luke and Will gybed first and led the charge to the left, it dropped into a soak mode. Paul and Fresh, having rounded in fourth or fifth, pushed into the right corner and managed to lead into the bottom marks, followed by the chasing pack. 

Up the next beat it was all about staying in pressure and finding the shifts, with the breeze slowly dropping the modes downwind became more marginal. Heavier teams had to drop into a soak down the middle while the lightweights who they'd left in their dust yesterday planned into the distance. 

The third beat was more of the same with the opportunity to make significant gains by getting the right side of the shifts, heavyweights Mike and Ollie had managed to stay in touch on the run despite Mike falling out the boat again (another broken toe strap?) and managed to find some winners on the right to round in fourth. 

Paul and Fresh kept the pressure on Tim and Heather, who managed to hold on for the win and the title, with Emma and Luke coming in Third and bringing the battle for the rest of the podium down to the wire. 

RACE THREE

With the pressure off on the racecourse but on the competitors, it was a tense start line. The bias had switched to the boat end and it was important to get out of the traps quickly. Edd and Ian who were by this point either second or third started below the bunch and got off the line well with Paul and Fresh and Emma and Luke above them. More snakes and ladders up the first beat with the left always looking like it had a bit more pressure angles that made you want to go right. At the top Paul and Fresh had managed to get out ahead with Robin and Orla rounding just behind. 

The wind had flicked right so after an early gybe we were laying the left end of a very large gate. It was a drag race from this point onwards. Peter and James had taken the first gybe out so they were at the top of the port takers trying to soak down onto the fleet, but an island-sized bit of weed stopped them in their tracks. After a bit of jostling, we all rounded now in the tail end of the 600 fleet who had started before us. 

Emma and Luke managed to hook into a nice right-hander and made gains going out to the left-hand side while it remained very tight amongst those ducking and crossing on the right. They were second at the top behind Tim and Heather who had done a nice job of working the middle right. 

The next run was more of the same with a long port gybe, but this time some extra pressure tempted some of the lighter teams into trying to heat it up, luckily for this heavy boy, it wasn't quite on. The breeze from behind had compressed the fleet, though and it was very close for the top six or seven at the bottom.

We were now into the back of the 100 fleet who had started a lap after us. Paul and Fresh did well picking their way through and along with Edd and Ian were now challenging the leaders with the overall points looking super close. 

The final run of the championship was a cagey one, with the last push to the finish after the bottom gate seeing some luffing and double gybes to get down to the line. 

Emma and Luke crossed first, only to not get a hoot, their start had been a bit too good. This left Tim and Heather to take the bullet and seal the title in style. Paul and Fresh claimed second, which might have been enough to claw themselves onto the podium. 

Once the scoring was done though, it was Emma and Luke who claimed second overall, then two points back Edd and Ian pipped Paul and Fresh for third on count back. 

A close end to a brilliant four days of sailing in Mounts Bay which will be remembered for a long time both for the sailing and for the momentum it feels like there is in the class. 

There is a new UK committee who have some big plans for the coming years. Almost 25% of the fleet were under 18 with the age profile of the class now looking more and more like the big European fleets. 

We've got a Worlds next year in Travemünde where a big UK fleet will travel for the parties and the international sailing and then we're going to bring it all back home with a UK Worlds in 2027. It's a good time to be a 500 sailor! 

RS500s Day 3 (day 2 of racing), the RS500s Take On Towering Seas at Mounts Bay by Heather Wilkins

Mounts Bay delivered a dramatic and unforgettable day of RS500 racing, as competitors were met with some of the most testing conditions of the season. With a solid 20-25 knot breeze, sailors set out from the relative shelter behind St Michaels Mount to be greeted by heaving seas that resembled rolling mountain ranges more than coastal chop. The combination of strong winds and large waves demanded full concentration and skill, making it a day where simply staying upright, and not getting washed off the side of the boat was an achievement in itself.

The race committee managed to run a full schedule, and the sailors were all grateful for the efforts of race and safety teams, as they had a. long, rolling lurching day on the water. 

The first race got underway with ah clean start, all teams looking to maximise straight line speed over the huge waves and avoid hitting a breaking wave face-on. Peter and James set down a marker for the day, enjoying the robust conditions to arrive first at the top mark, followed closely behind by Edd and Ian who had also been looking forward to a breezy day. Heather and Tim were close behind in third. Downwind is where it got really interesting. Surfing down steep faces, boats tore downwind at blistering speeds — challenge was to pick a safe place to gybe and still be on layline for the leeward gate, and this was executed well by the leading pair. By the end of the race a super close finish saw Edd and Ian pipping Peter and James on the last gybe before the finish. Heather and Tim finished third. A close pack followed with leading female helm Emma and Luke just getting the better of Paul and Fresh, with Luke and Will coming in sixth.

Next race, race 6 of the series, saw very similar conditions. This time Edd and Ian were fastest up the first beat, with Tim and Heather close behind. This time a slightly late gybe from Edd/Ian saw them having to heat it up to make the leeward gate, just as a HUGE set of waves came rolling through, resulting in a swim for them and catapulting Tim and Heather into pole position, which they held the finish despite being pressed hard all the way by the charging team of Peter and James. 

By race three (7th of the series) tired muscles were starting to tell and a few teams opted to head for an early shower, choccy bar, pastie, cup of tea or anything else comforting and warm! Out on the racecourse, it was rapidly becoming survival and endurance conditions. This time Emma/Luke were really fast off the blocks, leading comfortably the whole first lap and looking super assured in the boat, impressive for the relative newcomers to the class. However the end of the second upwind leg and a bad tack saw them hunted down and overtaken by a chasing pack, led by Edd/Ian and Tim/Heather, who rounded the top mark virtually neck and neck. A different approach to the last downwind leg saw Edd/Ian going hot and fast, with Heather/Tim opting to surf low, gybe early and generally minimise risk. It was a photo finish at the end, with Tim/Heather just surfing down over the line before a Charging Edd/Ian at the other end. 

Despite the wild conditions, the fleet showed remarkable resilience, despite being tired and cold, the sailors were unanimous that this was a most epic days' sailing. Mounts Bay served up a proper test, and the RS500 fleet rose to meet it.

The leaderboard now sees Tim and Heather in a comfortable first, but a close battle for silver with one point separating Emma/Luke from the advancing Edd/Ian. A lighter wind day is forecast for tomorrow, and plenty of other close racing battles still to fight out!

RS500s Day 2 (day 1 of racing), by Luke McEwen

Day 2 of the Noble Marine RS500 Nationals was another fabulously sunny day but this time with a perfect 12 knot southeasterly blowing into Mounts Bay.  The competitors were raring to go after yesterday’s disappointingly unstable wind which meant today was the first day of actual racing, with a fourth race added to the schedule. 

Taking advantage of the scenic beach launch for a photo opportunity with the castle behind, all the 500s lined up for a Le Mans start out to the race area, the biggest challenge being to get through the formidable wind shadow of the Mount.

The first race got away on time at midday.  The racing was close to the finish, with not much separation through the fleet in tricky waves upwind and good surfing downwind.  There was a band of slightly more pressure on the left side of the course which generally favoured that side.  Emma and Luke McEwen led for the first half of the race but couldn’t hold off the pace of multiple World Champions Tim and Heather Wilkinson upwind.  Edd Whitehead and Ian Mairs took a well deserved third.

After the hour-long 3-lap first race, the competitors were happy to see 2 laps signalled for the subsequent races.  Tim and Heather were hot out of the blocks at the favoured committee boat end to lead the race from start to finish.  Luke and Will Bradley were even hotter, a bit too hot in fact, so they fell foul of the U Flag.  Paul Cullen and Fresh Abendstern sailed a strong race to defend second from Edd and Ian, successfully navigating around the tail end of the RS100 fleet particularly at the narrow leeward gate and judging well when to switch to a low mode as the wind softened on the last run.

In Race 3, James Curtis could feel proud of his training prodigies from Wednesday, as Emma and Luke and Bob and Isla Preston rounded the first mark in first and second and held those places to the finish.  Tim and Heather were unusually absent from the front, having banged right on the beat and then capsized on the run.  This time Luke and Will capitalised on their great speed to take third.

For the final race of the day the wind kindly piped up again giving great racing and allowing Tim and Heather to flex their speed muscles again with a solid win ahead of Emma and Luke and Luke and Will.  The fastest speeds of the day though were recorded on the reach to the beach, with the Mount in front lit up by glorious evening sun.  Peter and James Curtis were very relieved to break their main halyard on the way in rather than on the first start tomorrow.

The wonderful beach and tally team were waiting patiently for us with our trolleys and delicious chocolate brownies.  With aching muscles after 6 hours on the water we were not 100% disappointed to see that the tide had risen too far for the planned Inaugural RS500 Beach Cricket Championship, postponed to tomorrow; instead Heather conjured up tasty rolls for the whole fleet. 

With a discard now applied, Tim and Heather are looking strong counting 3 bullets but it’s still all to play for with six more races over the weekend.  The forecast is showing a bigger onshore wind tomorrow and lighter offshore winds on Sunday, so plenty of variety.  For the majority of the 500 fleet who have never sailed at the legendary Mounts Bay SC, a day like today will be etched in our memories for a long time.

Noble Marine RS500 National Championship Prize Winners 2025

Congratulations to our 2025 National Champion George Smith from Bough Beach SC!

In a standout Championships at the iconic Mounts Bay Sailing Club, George showed skill and consistency in a full range of conditions to secure a convincing win.

Congratulations to George and to all of our prize winners, thanks to our PRO Marcus Wilkinson and all of the wonderful Mounts Bay volunteers from the tally team to the trolley team, the race and safety crews, the bar and galley teams and those working behind the scenes on results and organisation, to our title sponsor Noble Marine and to our Official Chandlery partner the RS Sailing Store for helping make this happen - everyone had a great time!

Full results and prize winners list below.

Photo gallery from Lee Whitehead, Photolounge here.  Come back in a week or so and you'll be able to search all the photos by sail number, making it easy for you to find your boat and order prints/files. 

Videos here, also by Photolounge, more, plus edited versions to follow.

Daily and overall reports below.

RS600s Day 4 (day 3 of racing) and Overall by Will Russell

After an adrenaline thrilling day yesterday, the RS600 fleet were very happy with the prospect of 10 knots of wind in flat water from the north west! Around 10am, the bay started to fill in beautifully, so the fleet launched as planned for 2 races. As the locals had warned, the north westerly wind would prove to be shifty and tricky to get right, making our inland sailors feel right at home. Going into the final two races, there was lot to be gained and lost with our second discard coming into play once we had completed one of the races. With this in mind, George Smith was keen to protect his lead and decided to dance around the start line with Jamie Mawson from the minute the class flag went up. With a lot of pin bias, it got pretty busy down at the pin, with a few hitting the line hard, prompting the race officer to say it was incredibly close to being too hard. A good majority of the fleet hit the left side of the beat pretty hard, with a few trying to break away and find clear air on the right - which worked out to be a pretty good choice in the end. Jamie got stuck in the mix while George was able to get up front with Ben Willows. Towards the end of the final lap, Jamie had got himself up to 4th, but George was comfortably ahead in the lead.

Going into the second race of the day and final race of the Championship, George had comfortably secured his nationals win, with Jamie comfortably in 2^nd, assuming nothing dramatically went wrong now he could discard his DNF and DNC from yesterday, so the battle for 3rd was on. Matt Banbrook, Rich Bone, Tim Cutsforth and Will Russell all went into the final day with minimal points between them, with all but Will having bad results to discard. Off the line, Will hit the line fast and quickly made his way to the favoured right-hand side. Tim did something similar, allowing him to round the windward mark in first, Jamie Mawson in 2nd and Will Russell in 3rd. As they sailed across the reach and onto the run, the 3 were confused as to what the 3rd mark actually was, as a metal mark was perfectly placed in the middle of the run, conveniently the same size and colour as the actual mark! Will worked out the difference as they got closer, but Tim and Jamie started to round it and aim for Mark 4 before Will kindly reminded them they still had half the run to do first! After this little mishap, the chasing pack behind also seemed to get confused as a load of them all squeezed past the same metal mark before realising they still had further to go. 

Going onto lap 2, Jamie was ahead, with Will and Tim neck and neck, Tim rounded ahead, so Will tacked off to get some clean air, before heading back to the right-hand side. Rich Bone was managing to escape from the chasing pack but wasn’t quite close enough to be part of the action. Rich decided to tack off but nearly got himself disqualified by sailing through the 100/500 leeward gate. Realising his close error, he had to waste time dodging the gate before he could continue, making the fight for 3rd even more up for grabs now. It was now looking like it was down to Will or Tim to grab it, both with similar results on the table due to their consistency. Rounding at the top, Will managed to squeeze ahead of Tim by sticking to his gut of hitting the right-hand side, even though he misjudged the lay line and had to do a quick double tack to get himself round the mark. George had now got himself into the mix and was rounding the windward mark with Will. Other than George nearly binning it on his gybe at mark 2, nothing eventful happened as lap 2 concluded. 

Onto lap 3, Will had the upper hand on Tim who was chasing behind. To make it harder, Will went for the tightest rounding he’s ever had to shut the door on Tim and went into a high mode all the way to the lay line. Jamie and George had both tacked off quite early, but Will was confident that the right would pay again with the compass numbers looking promising. Tim tacked off, to clear his air and joined the other two on their way to the left. Once the fleet got to the top, Will had jumped ahead big time, with a comfortable margin between him and the other 3 who were all quite close together. Rich Bone had also caught up after doing a similar strategy to heading to the right while the others went left. Now Will just had to take it down the run and through the finish to get the win, which would help him jump up the leaderboard. Jamie worked his way towards Tim with his super low downwind technique, but couldn’t quite get him on the line, getting Tim 2nd and Jamie 3rd. With that, Will managed to jump up into 3rd place, with Tim into 4th, and Rich in 5th overall, with only a few points between them all!

As the fleet returned to shore, they were greeted by a Cornish pasty and huge smiles all around, the perfect finale to an outstanding event.

Thanks to our PRO Marcus Wilkinson and all of the wonderful Mounts Bay volunteers from the tally team to the trolley team, the race and safety crews, the bar and galley teams and those working behind the scenes on results and organisation, to our title sponsor Noble Marine and to our Official Chandlery partner the RS Sailing Store for helping make this happen - everyone had a great time!

RS600s  Day 3 (day 2 of racing) by George Smith

Day 3 dawned with a mixture of trepidation, excitement and anxiety as Mount's Bay delivered what it is famous for, seriously big waves. The forecast had some on the shore worried and as it turned out with good reason. It proved to be an attritional and challenging day on the water. The waves at times were monstrous although fortunately the wind peaked at around 20kts. 

The first start was tight at the boat end with George Smith leading across to the left hand side of the course. It was a race for minimising manoeuvres and the biggest gains were to be had getting the long lay line call right (if you could see the mark at all!). George led round the windward mark chased by Jamie Mawson and Matt Banbrook. The top reach was a mixture of playing it safe and keeping the boat fast enough to sail around the waves, and the run was about keeping the bow out of the water. With everyone playing it relatively safe there was little room for positions to change with George taking the win from Jamie and Matt in 3rd. Tim Cutsforth continued his good form to finish 4th with Richard Bone in 5th. 

The next race felt even wavier than the first, if that’s possible. Again, the boat end was busy at the start and the fleet made their way across to the port lay line to minimise manoeuvres. A few over stood the long port lay line, struggling to see the windward mark or indeed the motorboat hovering next to it. George rounded 1st and stretched out a lead onto the 1st run which was fortunate as he was caught out gybing and had a quick swim. The rest of the race followed a similar theme with lap two being a wavy trip up to the starboard lay line to minimise tacking. Unfortunately gear failure ended Jamie’s day though fortunately he and the boat made it back to shore relatively undamaged. George took the win from Matt in second and Richard Bone posting another 3rd place to bolster his good results from yesterday’s racing. 

There were some tired and nervous sailors waiting after race 2 to find out if they would be in for a 3rd race. The question was answered with the raising of the orange flag. A fair few had decided they’d seen enough or succumbed to gear failure by this point. The final start of the day was again tight at the boat with George just squeaking past the transom of the committee boat. Matt Banbrook hit the line at full speed and lead out to the left. Matt and George converged at the top mark on opposite tacks with Matt choosing caution and deciding to duck behind. Caution proved to be a sensible mode for the reach and subsequent run. George death rolled, rather painfully, at the wing mark allowing the chasing pack through. Matt sailed a very controlled race to take his first nationals win from Tim in 2nd and Neil Cooney in 3rd. Notable mention to Casper Barton who finished every race of the day with his small rig posting a very respectable 7th in the final race.

The sailors were gratefully met back on the shore by a small army of helpers from the beach team and very welcome sugary treats at the tally board. Today will certainly go down as one of the more memorable nationals days and may just make it into 600 folk lore! Tomorrow looks like all change again with a light northerly breeze that is bound to be shifty. 

RS600s Day 2 (day 1 of racing) by Jamie Mawson

Improved conditions of 10-12 knots greeted the sailors as they arrived at Mounts Bay for day 2, keen to get some races in after a frustrating, but beautiful day yesterday.

After a clean start, George Smith was first to the windward mark. Jamie Mawson managed to get in front down the run, but mistook the start mark for the leeward mark, losing the lead.

George took the win from Richard Bone in his brand new boat, with Jamie working back up to third.

George led race 2 comfortably from start to finish, with Jamie getting second ahead of a consistent Richard.

In race 3, Jamie made no mistakes this time to lead all the way round, with George in second and Will Russell third.

Race 4 was tight at the top with Jamie rounding just ahead of George. Despite closing the gap upwind, Jamie managed to keep ahead to the finish, with George taking second ahead of Adam Watson.

Similar battles took place throughout the fleet, with many competing in their first RS600 Championships.

After a long day in perfect conditions, the fleet headed in, to the welcome sight of home-cooked brownies, as many looked for opportunities to carb-load ahead of what looks like a much tougher day tomorrow.

Prize winners