2021 RS400 Inland Championship at Grafham Water Sailing Club

RS400 start - RS400 Inland Championships 2021 © Paul Sanwell / OP Photography

The wet and windy forecast did its best to put off the 24 RS400s that attended the 2021 Inlands. The wind did not disappoint, but the Saturday could have done with a little more sun and a lot less rain!

Saturday had three races on an outer trapezoid course with a SSE wind which began with a moderate breeze which built throughout the day and as the rain came.

Barrie Thornton and Nick Hunt (I think) had a stint at the front of the pack as they played the shifts well in the final quarter of the first beat as boats got closer to the shore. However, unsurprisingly race one went to Nick Craig and Toby Lewis, with Jack Holden and Rob Henderson in second.

Nick & Toby - RS400 Inland Championships 2021 - photo © Paul Sanwell / OP Photography

Race two the wind had built and it got very sendy going down wind! Ollie Grove and Sam Waller had the pace from the off and led from start to finish with Barrie and Nick not too far behind.

Race three was tight at the front with the top six not far from one another on the first lap and Ollie and Sam managed to pull away from the rest of the fleet. Unfortunately for them their spinnaker halyard snapped on the first lap and so they had a mission trying to keep in front of the trailing pack of boats. This race was very much swings and roundabouts as the breeze had built further and many boats went for a swim on the final downwind leg, leaving places for the taking!

By this point Nick and Toby, Jack and Rob, and Chris Pickles and Matt Sharman were way ahead of the fleet and could enjoy the blast to the finish line (which wasn't always possible to lay with the kite up).

RS400 Inland Championships 2021 - photo © Paul Sanwell / OP Photography

Saturday evening was enjoyed with a few pints, nice food and as always pleasant company. Sunday started off with gentle winds which had shifted to the SW but we were fortunate to see the sun (the wind also built throughout the day). Boats that had breakages from the day before were fixed and ready to go! Race four Nick and Toby won but had a fight on their hands with Ollie and Sam with a few tacking battles throughout the race. Jack and Rob were never too far behind either so both teams had to be careful not to slow one another down too much.

Race five Ollie and Sam thought they had won only to find they were UFD and the hard work to keep in front of Jack and Rob was lost.

Race six was back to normal with Nick and Toby showing their dominance with another well-earned victory, by this point it was quite windy again and boats further down the fleet were making big gains if they stayed upright!

RS400 winners - RS400 2021 Inland Championships - photo © Paul Sanwell / OP Photography

Thanks to the RO for great courses and Rooster for sponsoring the event. We're looking forward to a great turnout at the Harken RS End of Seasons, the final event on our RS400 Rooster National Tour, 6-7 Nov at Rutland SC. Online entry here: https://www.rs400.org/championships/index.asp?eid=2092

Overall Results: