RS200 confirmed as 2015 Endeavour Championship boat
by Sue Pelling 30 Jun 2015 10:53 BST
9-11 October 2015
A wide crew-weight range makes the RS200 a good choice © LPB Aerial Imagery /
www.lpbaerial.com
The RS200 has replaced the Topper Argo as the Endeavour Championship boat for the 2015 event to be held 9-11 October at the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club.
The generous support of Topper Sailboats, suppliers of a brand-new fleet of Xenons and Argos for the annual Endeavour Championship for nine years, has come to a natural end, leaving the RS200 to take the role as the new Endeavour boat.
Unlike the Topper Xenons and Argos that Topper Sailboats supplied as ready-to-sail fleets however, competitors for this year's event will need to source their own boat on a charter basis.
Sally Campbell – RS200 class secretary – said the RS class association will be on hand to help however they can: "We are absolutely delighted that the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club has chosen the RS200 for this most prestigious event. We will do all we can to support the organisers and the sailors."
To ensure the racing for this Champion of Champions event remains as fair as possible, RS Sailing will supply each boat with identical suits of new sails and spinnakers, which will be offered at a significant discount to the owners of the boats following the event. In addition, Kingfisher will provide mainsheets and jibs for each boat.
Edwin Buckley, event organiser commented: "We are so grateful for all the invaluable input from Topper over the years. However, we are delighted that the new format will bring exciting changes to the event and we are looking forward to working alongside the RS200 class association, and RS Sailing who are offering support."
Matt Burge, current Endeavour champion said he couldn't think of a better class to replace the Argo: "On behalf of all competitors who raced at the Endeavour between 2005-2014 I'd like to extend a huge thank you to Topper, who through their extreme generosity in supplying identical brand-new boats each year, created the fairest contest of sailing possible between the different dinghy classes.
"The selection of the RS200 for this year's event is a sensible next-best alternative being strictly one-design, widespread (making borrowing one easier) and catering for a relatively wide crew-weight range. They are easy to sail and not overly technical to set-up, so competitors should be able to get up-to-speed relatively fast and negate any advantage held by those familiar to the class."
To assist those unfamiliar with the class RS technicians will also be on hand to help with rigging/set up throughout the Endeavour weekend. There will also be an RS class trainer in attendance.
Given the new format, a demand for suitable boats in the run up to the October event is likely. Plans for chartering therefore, should ideally be made as soon as possible following the completion of individual class championships.
An RS200 open meeting at the Royal Corinthian YC on 26-27 September – two weeks before the Endeavour Championship takes place – could tie in as a good charter handover location.
For charter assistance, contact Sally Campbell (UK Secretary) at .
Although the Endeavour Championship is by invitation only for the national champions of the UK's most popular dinghy classes, the organisers are keen to hear from any class association that would like to be considered.
Brief history of the Endeavour Trophy
The Endeavour Trophy is a solid silver scale model of the J Class yacht Endeavour presented annually to the Champion of Champions at the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club, Burnham-on-Crouch.
The origin of the trophy stems from Tom Sopwith's J Class yacht Endeavour, America's Cup Challenge in 1934. Following a pay dispute and dismissal of his east coast-based professional crew, Sopwith teamed up with 'Tiny' Mitchell, the Commodore of the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club at the time, to recruit amateur members of the club to form a crew.
Although Endeavour won the first two races against Rainbow, and lost the series, this was the closest England ever came to winning the coveted America's Cup.
In recognition of this achievement, Robin Judah – respected member of the RCYC –established a series of races for dinghy sailors in order to determine the overall dinghy champion of champions from the UK's most popular dinghy racing classes. Beecher Moore, former Endeavour crew, and marketing man behind the successful dinghy designer Jack Holt, joined Judah in his quest to run this event and presented for the overall winner, his solid silver scale model of the yacht.
The first invitation-only race took place in 1961 and the winners were Peter Bateman and Keith Musto, representing the International Cadet class. The event is now recognised as one of the ultimate achievements in British dinghy racing.
The competition is exceptionally challenging and those who qualify through winning their own class championship, are given the opportunity to race equally talented sailors in this unique, highly demanding two-day event on the River Crouch.
Given the diverse entry, which includes singlehanded, doublehanded, heavy and lightweight crews, and to ensure the racing is as fair as possible, carefully selected, strict one-designs are chosen for the event. The original idea back in 1961 was to use the club's own fleet of 15 Royal Corinthian One-Designs but they were considered too specialist and would have placed a perpetual limit on the number of entries. The first event was, therefore, sailed in Enterprises.
Since then numerous one-design classes have been used for the event including the GP14, Laser 2, Lark, Enterprise, RS400, Topper Xenon, and last year the Topper Argo. The 13ft (4m) Phil Morrison-designed RS200 is a smaller version of the RS400. It weighs in at 78kg and is an ideal choice to suit a wide crew-weight range.
Supporting partners
RS Sailing
Produce a wide range of award winning sailboats including the RS200 used for the 2015 Endeavour Championship. The company is based in Hampshire and is supported by a worldwide dealer network, and active class associations throughout the world. www.rssailing.com
Allen Brothers
Allen Sailboat Performance Hardware – designers, manufacturers and distributors of performance dinghy and keelboat fittings. www.allenbrothers.co.uk
Calltracks
The Calltracks tracking solution is a comprehensive and easy-to-use web-based system, which enables businesses to take better control of their sales and marketing activities. www.calltracks.com
Hyde Sails
UK managed and owned company, producing performance sails worldwide for dinghies and yachts for over 40 years. www.hydesails.co.uk
Magic Marine
Develop and produce technical dinghy and catamaran sailing gear worldwide. www.magicmarine.com
Lonton and Gray sail makers
Manufacturers of quality sails for dinghies, keelboats and Squibs, all made in the UK. www.lontonandgray.com