Please select your home edition
Edition
Cyclops Marine 2023 November - LEADERBOARD

RS21 Inland Championships at Ullswater Sailing Club

by Lucy Jameson 28 Mar 2022 16:12 BST 26-27 March 2022
RS21 Inland Championships at Ullswater © RS Sailing

The inaugural UK RS21 Inland Championships and SB20 Inland Championships took place at Ullswater Yacht Club over the weekend. With six RS21 teams and three SB20 teams, the weekend was set to be fun-filled kick off to the season for all.

RS21 sailors included local Ullswater teams helmed by Harriet Pullman and Edmund Clarke, Budworth SC team helmed by Russell Page, Scottish Student Sailing team with students from both Aberdeen and Glasgow University, 49er FX coach Tom Walker and Octavia Owen known for her Match Racing expertise.

With the start time scheduled for 1200 on Saturday and what consistently showed to be a very light and fickle wind weekend the race team really had their work cut out for them. Totally undeterred PRO David Clarke proved his knowledge and understanding of the local area and postponed the first start holding sailors on shore.

With the breeze expected later in the day, this also prompted a change to the schedule with the decision made to reduce the race time from 4 x 45 minutes races to shorter races working around the unpredictable breeze.

Finally at 1500 race 1 was under way in light shifty breeze. The wind kept going around making it possible for more races and so in a building breeze the fleet enjoyed some tight racing finishing at 1700. After a total of a phenomenal 7 races in various states of fickle winds it was Budworth Sailing Club helmed by Russell Page leading by 1 point to Tom Walker in second and local Edmund Clarke from Ullswater in third.

Back on dry land sailors enjoyed a beer and race debrief on the veranda of the Yacht Club while being treated to the most spectacular of sunsets over the lake.

Sunday's forecast was expected to deliver much the same as before, so the 1100 start was postponed and sailors, again held ashore. Once the breeze started to fill teams all jumped into action rigging boats, getting ready to go however the wind disappeared as quickly as it came. With boats rigged this gave teams the opportunity to react quickly and so it was a waiting game for the next lot of pressure to come in.

Sure enough an hour later the fleet headed out to the racecourse to enjoy one quick race before the wind died again. The race team held out hope that there may be another opportunity to get races in but unfortunately it was not to be.

With Race 8 going to Budworth SC Russell Page and team it secured their victory and are crowned the 2022 RS21 Inland Champions.

Russel Page commented that the racing was great, the boats are great fun to sail, with a lot of power and momentum. When asked what boat Russell and his team usually sail, he explained that his team made up of his daughter and two friends from the club all come from the RS200 fleet and so transitioning to the RS21 keelboat meant that Russell and his team took time between races to discuss and plan racing ahead, work out positioning and roles within the boat.

Tom Walker comes from double handed Skiff sailing and commented that the transition from skiff to RS21 was pretty easy as the styles of boat are very similar. Tom added that the big bonus of having three other friends on board with all the camaraderie and chatting between racing, but then the serious teamwork while racing, really made the event and sailing the boat a lot of fun.

A big thank you must go to the team at Ullswater Yacht Club for making this event possible and to David Clarke and team for the perseverance and determination to get racing done.

The RS21 UK National Championships will be part of the RS Games from 21st - 24th July. There are just two build slots available before the event or charter boats are available. Check out www.rs21sailing.org for more details or contact RS21 Activity Manager Jack Fenwick -

Overall Results:

PosSail NoHelmR1R2R3R4RSR6R7RSPts
1st265Russell Page222113‑4112
2nd266Tom Walker3332211‑415
3rd263Edmund Clarke1(RET)43322318
4th264Octavia Owen511(RET)443220
5th267Harriot Pullman45‑64655534
6th262Robin Francis645(RET)566638

Related Articles

RS21 UK & Ireland Cup 2025 Round 1 at Warsash
The fleet to get back on the water and into race mode The 2025 RS21 UK & Ireland Cup kicked off in fine form with Round 1 hosted in Hamble-le-Rice over the weekend of 12-13 April. As the first event in a six-round series, excitement was high across the fleet to get back on the water and into race mode. Posted on 15 Apr
RS Fest Miami 2025
Miami, nicknamed the magic city, really did dial up the magic this weekend RS Fest Miami 2025 promised a true celebration of all things RS, and it didn't disappoint! The RS Tera, RS Feva, RS Aero, and RS21 fleets, absolutely sent it racing around Biscayne Bay, and they celebrated in style on shore at Coconut Grove Sailing Club. Posted on 2 Apr
RS Fest Miami 2025 - The celebrations have started
Sailors across North America and Europe have travelled to Miami to relish a long weekend of sailing Sailors have been taking part in the pre-regatta clinics, gaining class-specific tips and polishing up their boat handling skills in preparation for racing to start tomorrow. Posted on 27 Mar
Just 10 days until RS Fest Miami 2025!
In true RS Sailing style, the socials onshore promise to be just as fun as the racing on the water RS Fest Miami is a three-day regatta, celebrating the RS Sailing racing classes in North America! Posted on 18 Mar
British Keelboat League bonanza at Rutland
Solent University team take victory, with Burnham first club The latest round of the British Keelboat League 2025 saw eleven teams competing at Rutland Sailing Club over a weekend of brisk and brilliant close racing. Posted on 20 Feb
Gdynia to host 2025 Youth Match Racing Worlds
The championship will use the RS21 one-design racing keelboat World Sailing is pleased to announce that the Polish port city of Gdynia has been chosen to host the 2025 World Sailing Youth Match Racing World Championships. Posted on 7 Feb
Enter now for British Keelboat League at Rutland
You can #rockupandrace this February in supplied RS21s Entries are live for teams to #rockupandrace at Rutland Sailing Club with the British Keelboat League. The club will be welcoming teams from across the Midlands and beyond over the weekend of 15-16 February 2025. Posted on 24 Jan
RS Sailing at boot Düsseldorf
What's On The Stand? This year's exhibition marks a significant milestone for RS Sailing, highlighting the brand's continued growth, commitment to the sailing community, and three decades of innovation in the sport. Posted on 18 Jan
A Year of Celebration, Competition, and Community
RS Sailing reflects on an incredible year As we reflect on an incredible year, RS Sailing extends a heartfelt thanks to all the dedicated members of the racing community, from those organizing small local regattas to the passionate competitors and volunteers involved in events. Posted on 24 Dec 2024
Festival of Sails 2025 Program Announced
The Geelong Waterfront will be buzzing for three unforgettable days The Festival of Sails is back for 2025, and this year's program promises to be bigger and better than ever! From world-class sailing action to an exciting line-up of music, food, and entertainment, the Geelong Waterfront will be buzzing. Posted on 12 Dec 2024