RS700 Eurocup at Yacht Club de Carnac
by Richard Wadsworth 5 Jun 2018 07:22 BST
26-29 May 2018
RS700 fleet at 2018 Eurocup © Christian Chandon
The RS700s returned to the sunny beaches of Carnac to sail in the idyllic Quiberon Bay for the 2018 Eurocup Regatta, 26 – 30 May 18. The 14 UK travellers and 4 French sailors made up a strong fleet, with some extremely competitive racing; as demonstrated by the fact that there were 7 different race winners in an 8 race regatta!
With the competitors assembled, day one got underway with the race briefing and introduction to the race committee and judges. The RS700 fleet were slightly perplexed as to why there was a judging panel, as there hasn't been a protest in living memory; favouring self-regulation through 'constructive gentlemanly discussion' on the water (Theo!) or being invited to 'fall on your sword' after the race. At the brief the race committee explained that a storm was inbound and the first race would be postponed until it had passed. On cue, the thunderstorm began before the briefing had finished, and the competitors sheltered under the marquee as torrential rain engulfed the venue for over an hour. The rain cleared and the 6 fleets (RS700, RS100, RS200, RS400, RS500 and RS800) were released in a light but steady wind into the now sunny bay.
The first race saw a slight advantage handed to those heading up the left side of the racecourse, with Jerry Wales leading the charge in his new purple boat. After 2 laps Jerry had a comfortable lead over the chasing Mathieu Guihot and Colin Dacey as they headed across the bottom leg (from the outer loop) back to the committee boat. It soon became clear that reading the race instructions is quite important; as they had all sailed straight past the second committee boat that was set up as the finish line. Robbie Bell was the first to notice this and elevated himself from 6th to 1st place! A mad scramble then ensued with Cedric Fraboulet taking 2nd place and Christophe Vellen in 3rd. With the wind veering 90 degrees and rapidly dropping, the race committee raised 'AP' raised over 'A', and sent the fleet home for the day for some cool beer and lively discussion!
The thunderstorms had cleared overnight and day 2 got underway in bright sunshine and a steady F2-3 breeze. Race 2 saw Robbie showing good speed to lead the fleet with Jerry and Cedric in close pursuit, and the remaining pack in a tight position swapping formation. Gybing off early Robbie lost out with Cedric taking 1st place, Jerry 2nd and having taken a gamble with his kite on the last leg Richard Wadsworth took a lucky 3rd. Race 3 saw Jerry start to assert his considerable skill to take his first race win with Colin in 2nd and Robbie in 3rd. It was becoming clear to some of the sailors that going left up the racecourse was giving a significant advantage in terms of wind pressure and tide. Ian Swann played this perfectly in Race 4 and lead the fleet around the course for most of the race before being cruelly denied the win by the ever present Jerry on the last lap. Race 4 finished with Jerry taking his second win, with Ian S 2nd and Cedric in 3rd. During the post-match beers, many competitors were discussing the number and size of jellyfish that they frequently saw and hit; this came as a surprise to Richard who hadn't seen one all day on his journeys up the right hand side of the course. It turns out that even the Jellyfish didn't go right!
Whilst the forecast for day 3 looked similar in wind strength to the previous days, with wind had swung to the prevailing direction, and the sea breeze kicked in to treat the competitors to a solid F4. Regardless of position all the competitors were enjoying these racing conditions. Colin stretched his legs in Race 5 to take a well-deserved win, with Jerry in 2nd and Robbie in 3rd. Interestingly, Ian Nolan and Theo Galyer were in close contention in the chasing pack as they approached the final downwind mark, when a crossing situation lead to some 'lively on the water discussion' about the rules. This resulted in Ian N doing a turn and the Chairman considering fitting a swear box to Theo's boat. Some additional motivation was obviously felt by both sailors as Ian N went on to win Race 6, with Jerry in 2nd and Richard in 3rd, and Theo went on to win Race 7 with Jerry in 2nd and Robbie in 3rd. This was Theo's first race win at a RS700 event!
Whilst the sun was still shining, the wind forecast for Day 4 was not good and the competitors were held on the beach for some time, before the race officials released the fleet into a very light breeze. Whilst the author struggled to follow the on the water 'action' from his position sat on the beach with an ice-cream, it appeared the boats 'drifted from the right to the left a couple of times' with Mathieu taking his first win, followed by Robbie in 2nd and Colin 3rd. The RS700's were the only fleet to get a race completed before all the boats were sent home.
When the final scores were added up, Jerry Wales took a well-deserved win with a tidy collection of 1st and 2nd places that put him 7 points clear of Robbie Bell in 2nd place with Colin Dacey taking 3rd.
Carnac once again proved to be a fantastic venue for some competitive sailing in the sun, and the sailors and accompanying families massively enjoyed of their time in this beautiful French town and beaches.
The next UK RS700's Rooster Circuit events are the Summer Championship at Parkstone YC 23-24 Jun 18, followed by Lymington Regatta 7-8 Jul 18. Both of these have limited entry so be sure to sign up early.
This year's major event is the RS Games in Weymouth 16-19 Aug, which will host the RS700 European and UK National Championship - ensure you sign up early to get your early entry discount!
Congratulations to Jerry Wales for winning the RS700 Eurocup Regatta!
Full results can be found here.