Results / National Championship, part of the RS Games Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy - 23/08/2018

"RS600 sailors your briefing starts in ten minutes"... This was the call that heralded the gathering of 29 RS600 pilots to start three days of battle - with a promise of fresh breeze and sunshine.

From the old guard to plenty of new faces there was a massive buzz amongst the fleet as we set of for the first of three races for the day.

First race saw a 50/50 split in the fleet for the first beat with Richard Smith making great gains to reach the mark first... Where he stayed all race to take the first spoils of the day.

The breeze started to build noticeably for the second race, pin end was the place to be as the bulk of the fleet headed over there, splitting again for this first beat.

RS600 UK Nationals day 1 at the RS Games - photo © Alex & David Irwin / www.sportography.tv

Again, Richard came out on top as conditions started to take there toll with capsizes and a couple of breakages laying claim to a couple of boats (Special note to Chris Haslam who, in his first 600 event - and at just 17years old - managed to capsize, lose a rudder and replace it whilst upturned.... And managing to finish the race!

Race three and the breeze really was kicking up now and tired bodies made for a very testing race. Off the start and though the wind was up the competition levels hadn''t dropped and pushing of the line saw the best start of the day.

With white caps starting to form, Richard was ahead again followed, noteably, by none other than Clive Everest in his first 600 event in many a year.

So, at the end of day one, Richard Smith is clearly the man of the moment with a very close tussle for second with George and Clive tied.

For the eager RS600 sailors day 2 was a disappointing blow out. Having watched the other fleets blast around the harbour, the difficult decision was made to abandon the racing for the pub. This left it to the race officers to squeeze four races into day 3, which they managed without a hitch.

With Richard Smith looking almost unassailable in the lead, the battle was on for 2nd best.

The first start was fogged by a few sore heads from the typically big RS party the night before and saw the whole fleet push the line for a general recall. The race team marked their steely intent with a black flag for the next start.

The fleet fought hard for the pin end, however the right hand side was the place to be. Chris Hasslam, in his first RS600 nationals, pulled out an incredible lead that he was never in danger of relenting. Others could only chase for the scraps.

The wind shifted 30 degrees right and with the course reset within moments, the fleet lined up under another black flag. The infamous yellow-masted Michael Izatt showed his experience in the lead but was hounded by the boat''s designer, Clive Everest. Michael took his eye off the ball allowing Clive to show he can sail the boat he designed as well as anyone. A notable return to the mix for our class chairman Ian back to the pointy end of the fleet after a tricky first day. It was also great to see first timers staking a place in the top 10, with James, Chris and Liam showing promising speed for the future.

Race 6 was back to business as usual. The fleet split left and right and both sides on the course had their moment in the sun. The port lay line paid coming into the mark and Richard Smith lead, again making good on his yellow race vest. The breeze was building as was the pressure of getting a good result, so much so that George Smith decided on a slow motion capsize to cool off. Those looking for podium places pushed hard and were chased down by a very competitive pack. Liam Willis showing great progress to take 6th and all but secure the youth trophy.

You could see pained looks on faces as those hoping for glory attempted to compute the scores. The easiest score to work out was the lowest one and Richard Smith was rightly smug with one race to go.

The final race of the day was arguably the most hotly fought. Those fighting for the podium all covered each other out to the left, over-standing the windward mark by a mile. The first mark was a carnage of port and starboard. Clive came out worst, unable to find a spot round the mark but discovering that there were no easy pickings in the middle of the fleet. A tight race ensued with great speed from Ian Jubb to hold off George and Jamie Mawson, giving Richard something to think about.

With the final results on the board the painful mental arithmetic was over and the fleet could pack up with tired smiles.

The RS Games was most certainly an event of numbers. Over 1300 sailors from 30 countries with thousands of volunteers. There were some big numbers for the RS600 fleet too.

The first new boat in 10 years was on display, courtesy of some serious hard work from Alex Newton-Southern at RS sailing. Our new national champion was also at the first and tenth national championships, as was his boat, number 608. The top 8 sailors could likely boast 60 years or more RS600 sailing experience between them which means likely a thousand capsizes. And for nearly half the fleet this was their first ever championships in an RS600.

Those numbers are a display of what a great boat the RS600 is and that this is no longer a resurgent class but once again a competitive and exciting fleet. New boats, new sailors and free swimming lessons all in store for next season.

A massive thank you again to all the organisers from the RS association, the Weymouth and Portland Sailing Academy team, all the sponsors for their support and to all those who came. Special thanks to Ian Montague who has done a fantastic job as class chairman. See you all at Rutland for the end of season event.