RS300 Class Update
by Steve Bolland 18 Dec 2014 18:15 GMT
18 December 2014
Richard LeMare chooses a bold colour scheme for his new RS300 © Steve Bolland
It's been an interesting and rewarding year for the 300 fleet in 2014. After moving away from the RS stable in early 2014 and into the loving and rather tender arms of The Boatyard at Beer there has been a welcome upsurge in interest in the class. The class was present at the RYA Dinghy Show in March with a new build on display, as will be the case again in 2015 (and it may be purple).
On the water there have been increases in turnouts across the board. There were 24 entrants at the RS Sprint Championships at Rutland in April (up 50% on 2013) and a record 35 competed in the Nationals at Prestwick in August (a 75% increase). Plans are in place to encourage continued turnouts of this magnitude in 2015 and beyond.
Overall, 39 different boats competed in the Grand Prix circuit with generous prizes donated by the sponsor, Magic Marine. Matt Jenkins from Sheffield Viking emerged the worthy winner after the closely fought series, encompassing events from Derwent Water in the north to Hayling Island in the south, went down to the wire.
The fleet-racing season drew to a close in early November and will start again in March with the Winter Championships at Hykeham SC near Lincoln. In the meantime, RS300s are making their presence felt in the GJW Direct Sailjuice Winter Series with entries in both the Draycote Dash and the Datchet Flyer. The latter event saw the first competitive outing of Richard LeMare's new flyer – it certainly raised a few eyebrows with its bold colour scheme. There are rumours within the fleet of the builder already receiving enquiries for matt black and charcoal grey colour schemes.
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