RS600s in the Harken RS End of Seasons Regatta at Rutland Sailing Club
by Jamie Mawson 7 Nov 2022 13:48 GMT
5-6 November 2022
A respectable fleet of eight boats - the third largest fleet - gathered at Rutland SC on 5th November for the final stage of the 2022 Rooster National Tour.
There was all to play for with George Smith and Jamie Mawson tied on points for the overall series title.
Race one started in a gusty 12 knot breeze, on a short line shared with the RS300s. Jamie made it around the windward mark first, leading for the first lap closely followed by George. On the second lap, George deployed his superior upwind speed to reel in and eventually pass Jamie, with Jamie Watson taking third.
George made no mistakes to lead race two from the start, in an increasingly gusty wind that touched 20 knots at times. Simon Hibbert was second round followed by Jamie M, until a capsize down the run. Simon recovered well to pull back to third, but by this time George and Jamie M were clear ahead, finishing in that order.
Race three was almost an action replay of race two, with George, Simon and Jamie M rounding first. George pulled away, leaving Simon and Jamie to fight out for second, with Jamie just nosing ahead on the final run.
Sunday dawned with a thick fog and no wind, which despite the forecast failed to materialise. After an extended delay on shore, the race officer decided to abandon, as if on cue the fog lifted and a light breeze filled in about twenty minutes later! The prize-giving was held in glorious conditions, with George taking a well-deserved win for both the event and series. Thank you to Harken for generously sponsoring the event. And thank you to Rooster for sponsoring our RS600 Rooster National Tour.
Overall Results:
| Pos | Sail No | Helm | Club | R1 | R2 | R3 | Pts |
|---|
| 1st | 988 | George Smith | Bough Beech SC | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 2nd | 1001 | Jamie Mawson | Notts County SC | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| 3rd | 938 | Simon Hibbert | Notts County SC | 6 | 3 | 3 | 12 |
| 4th | 761 | Jamie Watson | Thornbury SC | 3 | 4 | 5 | 12 |
| 5th | 850 | Neil Cooney | Carsington SC | 4 | 6 | 4 | 14 |
| 6th | 670 | Will Russell | Grafham Water SC | 5 | 5 | 7 | 17 |
| 7th | 810 | Jake Willars | Notts County SC | RET | DNC | 6 | 26 |
| 8th | 958 | Chris Owens | Pembrokeshire YC | 7 | DNC | DNC | 27 |
| 9th | 885 | John Tailby | Notts County SC | DNC | DNC | DNC | 30 |
2023 is shaping up to be a good year, with new sailors in the class getting competitive, new boats being built and a return to the popular venue of Stone for the Nationals. That's it for RS events but we hope to see as many boats as possible on the SailJuice circuit this Winter.
See the dates for 2023 here