Volvo Noble Marine RS Vareo Nationals at Dovey Yacht Club - Overall

Day 2 of the RS Vareo nationals at Dovey © Doris O'Keefe

Day 4 of the RS Vareo nationals at Dovey © Doris O'Keefe

Thursday – Day 1

Race 1 - After two hours of sailing to the race course in the open sea and waiting for the RS300s to start under black flag the RS Vareos raced their customary windward leeward course in light shifty breeze race. Race one was won by last year's National Champ Matt Yallop with Andy Howard 2nd and Paul North 3rd.

Race 2 - Nick Crickmore showed his colours with Paul 2nd and Andy third. Nick got a significant lead on the beat due to a nice shift in the wind strength on the right hand side of the beat. Leading results from day one: Andy and Paul joint leaders with 5 points each.

Friday – Day 2

More light winds outside the bar.

Race 3 had the steadiest wind of the day allowing completion of 2 full laps with Nick keeping close cover over Matt most of the way round to take first again. Andy never far behind got third.

Race 4 started in more wind during which Matt got away. Andy excelled as the wind dropped to get ahead of Nick but did not manage to catch Matt who took the win. Andy was third again.

Race 5 less wind made it difficult to progress against the short chop upwind with Matt / Andy / Nick finishing order again. Matt was overnight leader with 8 points, Nick and Andy both with 10 points following.

Saturday – Day 3

Massive waves and wind encountered outside the bar today.

Race 6 – Cheryl Wood found good speed to lead at the windward mark from Matt and Nick. Offwind Cheryl took a deeper course with spinnaker and Matt went higher with his to try to take the lead, but got swallowed by the ocean attempting to gybe. This sobered the others into stowing their spinnakers for the remainder of the run (and the second run later).

Nick looked set to pass Cheryl when she capsized upwind but she retained her lead due to a speedy recovery and took the Race 6 win, with Nick the only other finisher. With numerous breakages including Cheryl's boom shortly after finishing the Race Officer directed the fleet ashore after the one race. The RS Vareos packed away for the day not realising potential for further racing in the estuary later. Cheryl back in contention!

Sunday – Day 4

With no improvement to conditions outside the bar, 2 races took place in the estuary. The competition was getting intense with the normally well-behaved fleet being to subjected to a black flag.

Race 7 - over 3 laps with Matt showing good speed upwind but Nick regaining the lead on the runs and Andy never far away, Nick took a small lead towards the end to win with Matt just regaining 2nd from Andy on the line.

Race 8 - Nick and Matt playing winner takes all - Matt got to the windward first with Nick sandwiched between Cheryl and Andy behind. Nick gybed off and managed to regain a close 2nd to Matt for the second beat for a gybing duel for the trophy. Matt pushed far right for the final split but found some rocks to put him over allowing Andy, Cheryl and Chelsea to pass and Nick to win the final race of the event making Nick Crickmore the Volvo Noble Marine RS Vareo National Champion 2015.

Thanks to everyone at Dovey YC, in particular Race Officer Rupert Tildesley, for putting on a great championship and also to the generous sponsors Volvo and Noble Marine. There are some videos at 1drv.ms/1dVFCdX

Next year's Nationals are at Llandegfedd SC 27-29 Aug 2016. The next RS Vareo event is the RS Vareo Gul Inland Championship at Llandegfedd SC 19-20 Sept 2015. This event will include the Bart's Bash race! Go to the RS Vareo website for all the event and boat information: uk.rsvareo.org

Prize winners:

National Champion: Nick Crickmore
Master: Paul North
Grand Master and Concessional: Andy Howard
Apprentice (competing in their first RS Vareo Nationals): Chelsea Jackson
First Lady: Cheryl Wood
Fidelis (having competed in at least 3 previous RS Vareo National Championships): Nick Crickmore
Special mention must be made of Chris Coll who only started sailing this year.

Overall Results:

My RS Vareo Nationals by Paul North

Having dipped my toe in for one day at last year's Nationals at Grafham (only 40 minutes up the road, so easy to get to – I came 8th of 8!) I was keen to enter this year, especially when I heard it was at Aberdovey which is such a beautiful location.

I've had my RS Vareo for about 20 months and chose it because of the huge fun it provides while being pretty stable. I'm a member at Milton Keynes Sailing Club so usually sail on a small ex-gravel pit with a usable area of about 250m x 450m. We race "around the cans" and it's not often I can get a decent stretch with the spinnaker but it's so enjoyable when I do! I'm a very average sailor, gradually improving, aged 54.

My goals for the Nationals were:
1. Have fun and enjoy 4 days of sailing on the sea with lots of space to use the spinnaker.
2. Learn from the rest of the fleet about boat set-up, sailing techniques etc. Until 2 weeks ago I was the only RS Vareo sailor at our club.
3. Get re-acquainted with the people I met last year.
4. Try to get the spinnaker up and down without something wrapped around me or jammed under my feet!

The event was combined with the RS300 Nationals and sponsored by Volvo and Noble Marine. Volvo held a raffle to provide 4 sailors with a car for the event and I was lucky enough to be one of the winners. A beautiful big blue XC60 with all the toys was delivered to me on the Tuesday before the event with a tow bar and full tank of fuel. The delivery man took me through all the controls and it was ours until collected on Monday after we returned home. My wife, Moira, and daughter, Emma (22), came with me and Moira fell in love with the car!

With a 200 mile journey we travelled on Wednesday and following a beautiful drive through the mountains arrived at Dovey Yacht Club around 3pm. We were efficiently shown where to park the boat and registered our arrival, receiving a big pack of sailing instructions and other info, together with some tourist info for the family. I also received a numbered band for my trolley so that I could just shout out "thirty one" to the beach team and my trolley would appear for me – great system. Most people arriving that afternoon (including me) declined the opportunity of a "shake out sail" in the estuary as there was a pretty stiff wind blowing.

We checked into our accommodation at the Dovey Inn (across the road from the boat park) and I rigged the mast ready for the following day. Several of the other RS Vareo sailors arrived that afternoon: some I knew, some new faces.

The original forecast of a cold and dull Thursday dawned instead as a beautiful almost cloudless sky and a light breeze, the temperature eventually rising into the low 20s. I finished rigging the boat and chatted with the rest of the fleet as they arrived through the morning. We ended up with 7 in the fleet after Nick Crickmore made a very last minute decision to attend and registered on the day (turned out to be a good decision as he went on to win!).

There was a short briefing by the race officer at 12.30 then we were ready to change and get onto the water. The racing was to be held "over the bar" beyond the entrance to the estuary in open sea. When asked how long it would take to get to the start line, the estimate was given as around half an hour depending on wind and tide (but that they would wait for stragglers before starting the racing).

At 13.00 the horn sounded as flag Z was raised on the yacht club (I now know what flag Z looks like). This was our permission to launch and to inform us that racing would start in no less than 60 minutes. It was very exciting launching the boat amongst 6 other RSVareos and 29 x RS300s. A team of trolley dollies quickly removed the trollies and we began the long sail out to the start. With the tide coming in and the wind against, it seemed best to tack close to shore rather than go out into the stream but it was SLOW. By the official start time of 2pm for race 1, most of the fleet was still a long way off! In the end it took around 2 hours to get to the start. Once there, a light breeze was blowing and I had time to have a quick practice getting the spinnaker up and down while we waited for the last of the fleet to arrive.

The RS300s started ahead of us so we kept out of their way as they went through their 5 minutes procedure only to have to wait again following a general recall – twice! We all cheered when they got away third time and it was our turn. I had a reasonable start and in the light winds we quickly spread out across the course. Competition courses for RS Vareos are simply upwind then downwind – you beat to a buoy on the horizon (it seemed a long way!), round the buoy leaving it to port, hoist the spinnaker then zig zag downwind to a pair of buoys marking the leeward gate. On the last lap having passed through the gate there is a dog-leg to port to cross the finish line.

After a long slow beat with several tacks I somehow I managed to get to the windward mark in third place just behind Cheryl with Matt (last year's winner) well in the lead. The safety boat at the mark informed us the course was shortened to 1 lap so we would finish after the downwind leg. I hoisted the spinnaker and set off after Cheryl trying to work out the best tack to be on. It was close as we approached the gate and I was so busy looking at her that I didn't see Andy sneak by on the inside to take 2nd from us. The wind had more or less died and I decided to drop the spinnaker as it was hindering more than helping and crossed the line about a yard in front of Cheryl to take 3rd – I was stunned!!

Following a short break race 2 was on. I decided my tactic in this race would be to watch what happened at the RS300 start and copy them!! This time they were away first time and after only a very short distance sailing on starboard tack most of the fleet tacked and headed off to the right side of the course – so that became my plan, they must know what they're doing I thought!

I didn't have a great start (must practise that) I quickly tacked and headed off to the right, Nick joined me and I think Andy a little later but the rest of the fleet carried on out left as far as I could see. I arrived at the windward mark in second behind Nick and again we were told the course was shortened. With the spinnaker hoisted I followed Nick down the course and looking over my shoulder once again saw Andy sailing a more direct route and gaining. This time the wind held up and I managed to hold on to second place. And that was then end of the day's racing. We headed for home but the wind dropped even more and it was long and slow trip back to the beach. With about 200 yards to go I was called by my daughter who was walking along the estuary and was going faster than I was! We finally arrived around 7pm (which should have been dinner time). The boat was quickly put in the park and covered, then after a quick shower and change we headed to the yacht club for dinner and a quiz.

Heading back to the B&B we stopped by the results board and I was astounded to see I was the leader as the winner of each race had come 5th in the other. I have a photo of that sheet and will treasure it!

We awoke on Friday to another beautiful day and had the boat rigged and ready on the beach for the hooter and Z flag at 11 releasing us for the racing to start at 12. With the breeze and tide a little more favourable we got out to the race area in better time but just as I arrived the horn sounded two blasts and a red and white striped pennant flag was raised on the committee boat. I had no idea what this meant but guessed because of the groans from other sailors around me. I asked the nearest who confirmed it meant racing was postponed until the wind strength increased.

An hour later and the wind was much better and strengthening so racing commenced. This time the beat was into stronger winds and I found it harder going! I got to the windward mark in 5th then hoisted the spinnaker. Sailing down the wind in an increasing swell was great fun with lots of little moments of surfing down the front of a wave. Halfway down the leg I was overtaken by Chelsea who although she was sailing with the storm sail had a significant weight advantage downwind being so light. (This I discovered chatting to the others that evening, on the water I couldn't understand what I was doing wrong!) I regained 5th on the beat and managed to hold on during the second downwind leg and across the line although it was close with Chelsea catching me all the time.

The second race of the day (race 4) was pretty much a repeat of the 2nd. By the time we started the final race the wind was again dropping and this time Chelsea beat me to the windward mark leaving me in 6th at the turn. I knew I would be unable to catch her if I followed so gybed and headed down the other tack in the faint hope that a wind shift might give me the advantage – no chance! So I finished the day with 5, 5, 6 and was lying 4th overall at the halfway stage, just a point in front of Cheryl.

That night the rain came and went, Saturday dawned with a hefty breeze blowing from the West under grey skies. We were changed and ready for the Z flag just before 11 when the news came that there would be a delay. With the tide still ebbing and wind blowing strongly in the other direction the usual gap over the sand bar was filled with breaking waves and "chop" and we couldn't get out to the race area. A 45 minute delay was announced while we waited for conditions to improve. Things had not improved enough so a further hour delay was announced. The wind was backing a little towards the South West but still blowing strong. We ate some lunch then the release was given and we headed for the beach.

Once again we were battling against the tide but this time into a strong wind as well and it was hard work to make progress up the estuary towards the sea. Once near the bar the waves were really building and I had a very exciting time powering over 4 to 6 footers and tacking in between. By this time I was at the back of the fleet heading for the start and later discovered that 2 of the other RS Vareos had tacked back and forth across the estuary but decided it was too hard to make progress and retired. I made it over the bar but had to retire before getting to the start following 3 capsizes and a damaged mast. Only one race was completed in really punishing conditions and only Cheryl and Nick of the RS Vareo fleet managed to complete the course! Racing was then abandoned and the fleet sailed home. I later learned that the wind was blowing 25 knots over the committee boat.

That night was party night in the yacht club. Following an excellent lasagne and sticky toffee pudding a local band provided entertainment and I understand that drinking and merriment wen on into the small hours with the RS Vareo fleet holding their own in the yard of ale drinking!! Me? I went to bed soon after 10 and slept like a baby!!

Sadly my boat was not repairable at the event so I was unable to sail on Sunday. With the wind still blowing well (but not as strong as Saturday) 2 races were held inside the bar in the diminishing estuary as the tide went out. Nick sailed well winning both races and took the title.

Once the racing was finished and boats mostly packed up there was a short trophy ceremony in the bar of the club house. Despite failing to score in 3 races, with 2 discards from the 8 results I finished in 5th place and won the Masters trophy for 1st helm over 50 – amazing!!

My huge thanks to the rest of RS Vareo fleet, Nick, Matt, Andy, Cheryl, Chelsea and Chris. There was a great feeling of camaraderie and the help and support being offered by everyone was fantastic. I now know about some things to tweak on my boat, I know some better ways to sail and have some new friends who I'm looking forward to sailing with next year.

Also, thanks to all at Dovey Yacht Club who put on a great event and looked after us very well.

The RS Vareo is a great boat and I thoroughly enjoyed sailing with others on a big piece of water with waves! If you sail an RS Vareo please come to some of the events next year, and if you can only make one, come to the Nationals!