RS 600 where now?

Luckily, there are plenty of candidates on this forum for whom smugness is a constant state of mind rather than something to be indulged in, but I am going to allow myself a delicious moment of schadenfreude, one worthy of iGRF. Some years back, RS used to support the publication of a quarterly, then twice yearly magazine. For those in the RS way of things, it was a pretty good publication and I was proud to be someone from the 'outside' who was regularly asked to write for it.
Then I made a BIG mistake. I wrote about the RS 600. Whilst not able to recall the exact words, my sentiments remain the same. I thought then and still think today that the 600 was one of the purest single-handers the sport has yet seen. It could so easily have seen the Contender off to an early grave and become 'the' established top non-spinnaker single hander. So far, so good, nothing for the fan boys to wet their knickers on there. But.... I went on to say that in the rush to get the RS 600 to market, that corners were cut. If more time could have been allowed for a longer term rig development programme, plus some other now intuitive other changes, it would have been Game, Set and Match to the 600. The boat it could have been would have stomped on all -comers.
Of course, for daring to suggest such a heresy, there was a storm of protest and I got a major wrist slapping, yet the viewpoint was perfectly valid and carried many points of merit. Now, those same sentiments are expressed again in the OP. Anyone who has dragged a Contender up and down the beach, then tried the same with a 600 will see immediately where I am coming from. As Ian Proctor said when talking about sailing dinghies, "weight is only of use in a steamroller".
I'd love to see some of those forgotten 600s given a new lease of life, with the idea of an open 'do what thou whilt - as long as it fits on the standard mast' being an excellent suggestion. Go on somebody, give it a go!!!

Originally posted by Dougaldog  If more time could have been allowed for a longer term rig development programme, plus some other now intuitive other changes, it would have been Game, Set and Match to the 600. The boat it could have been would have stomped on all -comers. Of course, for daring to suggest such a heresy, there was a storm of protest and I got a major wrist slapping, yet the viewpoint was perfectly valid and carried many points of merit.

Sadly Jeffers you are all too right there. I would actually go further and say that, at least in my book, that one of the fundamental problems facing the grassroots of the 'sport' (or activity, you chose) is that it lacks a voice. Recently there was a conference, here in the UK, that went looking at how the super events, Olympics, Yoof and the AC, could be used to motivate people to get afloat. As far as I am aware, no one with any connections to the grassroots attended and though I asked, quite firmly, for an invite it was clear that they didn't want oiks like me asking all the wrong questions. Last night was a programme on yet more dodgy doings at FIFA, a stain on the beautiful game. Now I am not saying that there is rampant corruption in the world of sailing, but one could point out that they seem to have season tickets on a very well served gravy train. For me, I'd rather keep that independence, even if it does get me into the merde now and then.

2547. No repeat no. That is not a UK centric view, that is my view and I am certainly NOT Uk centric. Some years ago now, I sat down to write the book that would become Hooked On, the story of the International Contender (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hooked-On-International-Contender-Story/dp/1848763182   wah.... it was only £15 quid new...). As part of the work that went into Hooked On, I had to consider the impact of the arrival of the RS 600. Now, because the boat is International, so the story had to be about the Contender where ever it was sailed. It is my contention, after all that research and writing, that had the 600 been really sorted, then supported, it would have eaten into the foundations of support for the Contender and as one boat prospered, the decline of the other would have just accelerated the process. As it is, the Contenders can thank the ISAF single handed Trials at Quiberon for their current position. There, the Contender, still with an alloy stick, came second to the boat that would become the MPS. The 600 was there, along with a 600 with a kite (now there is something for the OP to think about).As soon as the Trials were over, the 600 was 'old hat' in certain quarters as all the developmental energy was suddenly diverted into the boat which would become the 700 - and the rest, as they say, is history. Before you write off my views as being UK Centric, I'll remind you once more of the situation. The Contender had yet to go carbon and with a strong sense of conservatism, that exists through to today, looked quite likely of a continued stance that rejected change and development. Increasingly, the 600 WAS being seen on the bigger stage of sailing internationally, but the greater exposure it got, the greater the visibility of the flaws inherent in the initial package. Could a properly sorted version really taken off. My view, as one who was there, would have to be a 'possible yes'
Dougal/Isle of Wight

What Mags...more than in the video? You want pictures as well?
D

Originally posted by Dougaldog Sadly Jeffers you are all too right there. I would actually go further and say that, at least in my book, that one of the fundamental problems facing the grassroots of the 'sport' (or activity, you chose) is that it lacks a voice. Recently there was a conference, here in the UK, that went looking at how the super events, Olympics, Yoof and the AC, could be used to motivate people to get afloat. As far as I am aware, no one with any connections to the grassroots attended and though I asked, quite firmly, for an invite it was clear that they didn't want oiks like me asking all the wrong questions. Last night was a programme on yet more dodgy doings at FIFA, a stain on the beautiful game. Now I am not saying that there is rampant corruption in the world of sailing, but one could point out that they seem to have season tickets on a very well served gravy train. For me, I'd rather keep that independence, even if it does get me into the merde now and then.