Noble Marine RS800 UK National Championship at Weymouth & Portland Sailing Academy - Overall

RS800 Champions © Digital Sailing

Day three of the RS800 nationals dawned with a more familiar and more reliable South Westerly driven by a gradient wind, albeit slightly overcast.

But before the racing could commence the fleet was held hostage by the class AGM, postponed after racing and dinner took priority on Friday afternoon. Lots of enthusiasm for the class was expressed, ideas on improving events, and palpable excitement for the biannual pilgrimage to Garda for the 2023 Europeans.

A side effect of the AGM was that yours truly [Tom Morris] ended up as the new Chair, a role to be shared with Hugh Shone. Thanks was given to the outgoing chair Dan Goodman who has piloted the RS800 through some turbulent years.

RS800 Twin Trapeze Blur - photo © Digital Sailing

Three races were held in the building breeze. Luke and Emma McEwen moved past Tom Morris and Guy Fillmore in the first to extend a comfortable lead on the second run. Fresher breeze brought new boats into the picture down the final run and a battle to hold kites to the finish resulted in Rob Gullan and Tom Partington, and Cameron and Darrol Moss coming in third and fourth respectively.

After a general recall and reactionary deployment of the U-Flag the second race started and again saw Tom and Guy lead only to be passed, this time by Rob and Tom. Another game of who could hold the kite longest ensued on the bottom reach, with Rob and Tom flinching first, dropping then being made to pay for their conservative sailing by Tom and Guy who held longer and passed to take the gun.

After finishing it turned out that Rob and Tom had picked up a UFD, so the final leg drama had been for show only. This bumped Ben Palmer and Dicken McClean up to second and allowed Joe Bradley and Louis Johnson to claim their first podium of the event.

RS800 Green Kite Flat - photo © Digital Sailing

The third, and what transpired to be the final race of day three brought full twin wiring conditions and glorious sunshine. Again, Tom and Guy led at the windward, but this time it was Joe and Louis who mounted the strongest challenge, making a pass on the second beat, before coming up a little short on the starboard lay and paying the price with two extra tacks.

Still in touch, Joe and Louis went aggressive on the final run, choosing to gybe set in search of a passing lane. Unfortunately, the role of the dice backfired and allowed the McEwens and Rob and Tom to find pressure further out to sea and sneak by for second and third leaving Joe and Louis down in fourth despite such a strong race.

Saturday evening was the RS Games BBQ, where class stalwart Ralph Singleton was a popular winner of the very generously raffled Hyde Sails RS800 spinnaker. Cue music, drinks, dancing, and bar talk about the expected big 20 knot three race day to finish off the championship.

RS800 winners podium - photo © Digital Sailing

Saturday night's bar chat was all about a three-race day in 20 knots, where 2nd place would be contested between Rob and Tom and the McEwens with a potential match race to bring the boy's UFD back in to play. Further intrigue focused on the four-way battle for fourth, with Ben and Dicken, Joe and Louis, James Penty and Eddie Grayson, and Cameron and Darrol Moss all separated by only two points.

When Sunday came reality proved different. The 20 knots had become 25. Three races had become two (confirming Tom and Guy's championship). Luke and Emma are wiser than to match race in 25 knots and with the two boats happy to get around in scoreboard order little changed at the top.

Even the four-way battle for fourth was soon whittled down to two as first Eddie and James and then Joe and Louis succumbed to gear failure. This left Ben and Dicken in charge, and they led the father-son duo of Cameron and Darrol in both races to clinch fourth overall.

RS800 Spinlock 1999 Prize - Ben Palmer and Dicken Maclean - photo © Digital Sailing

As is so often the case, the real stories of dare and do came from outside the podium rush. For many day four will last long in the memory as one of the windiest days on championship record, with the attrition rate similar to infamous Eastbourne waves of 2019.

Some highlights were Tracey and Freddie Covell, recently recovered from pre-start capsize, finding themselves in perfect position to port tack the fleet, leaving those supposedly racing for top positions with blushes on their faces. The mother and son team went on to record their championship best finish of sixth, mixing it with far more seasoned teams.

Another notable performance was Blake and Brett Tudor, who after taking a battering on the sail out found their composure to join the fleet for the second race and were rewarded with a series best result themselves. This young sibling team will be worth keeping an eye-on, with the RS800s off to their home club of Brightlingsea for next year's Nationals (7- 10 September 2023).

RS800 winners - Prosecco Spray - photo © Digital Sailing

Finally, Bryan Ormond and Anna Prescott, one of, if not the lightest team in the event, capably got their skiff round the course in the big airs to pick up the endeavour prize. Normally a reward for the back half of the fleet given to the boat completing all races with the highest score. Yet here, such was the toll of the final day's breeze and UFDs that Bryan and Anna's tenacity also saw them finish an extremely credible twelfth overall.

A special shout out must go to Jubby and son Tom, who might have also picked up the Endeavour had it not been for a harsh UFD penalty incurred after getting stranded upside down the wrong side of the line in the pre-start of the penultimate race.

The Spinlock 1999 Award for the first boat with sail number lower than 1118 went to Ben Palmer and Dicken Maclean. This is the fourth year Spinlock have supported the RS800 Class Association to encourage older boats to compete at the top level. The winners came fourth overall and won a Spinlock RigSense.

The RS800 class now looks forward, with two more circuit events at the Grafham Inlands (1-2 October) and then the RS End of Season Regatta the following month (5-6 November). Post Covid we have the difficult task of rebuilding attendances. It's perhaps obvious that sailing an RS800 makes one incredibly attractive to prospective partners, but the somewhat undesirable side of this has been that our attendances have been disproportionately affected by the resultant weddings and arrival of offspring.

We are looking at in detail at ways to add value to our events, but the overarching strategy for 2023 is to see fewer literal marriages and more of a figurative marriage of great social programmes, tips and tuning seminars and the usual exhilarating racing. Stay tuned for more details!

RS800 Wedding Cheer - photo © Digital Sailing

Well done to all our competitors for racing so hard across a gruelling nine race regatta.

Thank you to our super event sponsors: Noble Marine, RS Sailing, Rooster, Hyde, Spinlock and Fernhurst Books.

Thank you to WPNSA for hosting us so splendidly. And biggest thanks to our smashing race officer Tom Rushbridge and his super team for hosting such high quality racing in some properly difficult conditions.

RS Games videos are available daily.

RS800 Wedding - photo © Digital Sailing

Overall Results:

Hyde Sails spinnaker: Ralph Singleton and Nuala Sellwood
Endeavour Trophy: Fernhurst books voucher, 2 x Rooster cap: QMSC Bryan Ormond and Anna Prescott
1st Silver: 2 x Rooster voucher: HISC Tracey and Freddie Covell
Spinlock 1999 Prize for boat with sail no lower than 1118: Spinlock RigSense, 2 x Noble cap: HISC Ben Palmer and Dicken Maclean
1st Master Crew: Rooster voucher: RLYC Emma McEwen
1st Master Helm: Rooster voucher: RLYC Luke McEwen
1st Youth Crew: Rooster voucher: HISC Louis Johnson
1st Youth Helm: Rooster voucher: Lyme Regis SC Cameron Moss
1st Lady Crew: Rooster voucher: RLYC Emma McEwen
1st Lady Helm: Rooster voucher: HISC Tracey Covell
6th place: 2 x Rooster cap, Crew's Union coin: Societe Nautiqué Larmor Plage Gilles Peeters and Chloe le Roux
5th place: 2 x Rooster cap, Crew's Union coin: Lyme Regis SC Cameron and Darrol Moss
4th place: 2 x Rooster cap, Crew's Union coin: HISC Ben Palmer and Dicken Maclean
3rd place: 2 x Rooster voucher: RYLC Luke and Emma McEwen
2nd place: 2 x Rooster voucher, Crew's Union coin: HISC Rob Gullan and Tom Partington
RS800 2022 National Champions: 2 x Rooster voucher: HISC Tom Morris and Guy Fillmore

from left Clare Sargent (RS Class Association Secretary), Nuala Sellwood and Ralph Singleton RS800 winners, Simon Hawes RS700 winner, Tom Rushbridge (Race Officer) - photo © Sally Campbell