RS400s at the Harken RS Sprints, Rutland Sailing Club
by Paul Hilliar 1 May 2023 05:54 BST
22-23 April 2023
The Harken RS Sprints came to Rutland over the weekend April 22-23 April 2023 and the RS400s brought 18 boats to the party. With it being a multi-class RS event, there was plenty of boat yard banter and old friends to catch up with. The RS sailing family really is special in that regard.
The first day was all about qualifying for the Sunday Gold/Silver fleet racing and the fleet was split into four groups (red/blue/green/yellow) for six races - each group racing each other twice with races lasting about 25 minutes.
With 8-20 knots of wind, some giant wind shifts and no discards, the racing was super tight but you just couldn't keep the best sailors from rising to the top and at the end of day one it was Mike Simms and Jack Holden just leading from Ollie Groves and Esther Parkhurst. Those two boats were well clear, with third through to seventh separated by only three points.
Positions at the end of day one were then converted into points for day two.
Sunday arrived with wind outperforming the forecast and being mercifully stable (for most of the day at least). The fleet was now split into Gold/Silver with nine boats in each fleet and the standard of racing was outstanding.
In 6-12 knots Groves and Parkhurst were clearly the fastest boat early doors, winning the first three races and looking dominant with Simms and Holden fast but not close enough. But then the wind shifted right and the course was reset after an abandoned race. With the windward mark set closer into the bay, the final three races saw three different winners and it all went down to the final mark of the final race - Groves and Parkhurst doing just enough to win by a single point.
The top two of Groves and Parkhurst, and Simms and Holden were the class acts of the fleet and were well clear. Third through sixth were separated by only four points! It's worth reflecting on just how competitive the gold fleet racing was - the top three from the national championships finished 8th, 5th and 4th.
In the silver fleet Steve Restall and Chris Stubbs dominated the early races and did just enough to hold off the consistent Jamie Morgan and Anna-Louise Glendenning on a tie break.
It's hard to describe just how hectic and close the racing was but also how it was a load of fun. Special mention for the race management from Rutland SC, which was absolutely outstanding. They kept seven fleets rolling around a well-set course without too much inter-fleet interference. Bravo. Thank you to event sponsor Harken and to RS400 national tour sponsor Rooster.
Overall Results:
| Pos | Sail No | Helm | Crew | Club | Round Robin | R7 | R8 | R9 | R10 | R11 | R12 | Pts |
|---|
| Gold Fleet |
|---|
| 1st | 1362 | Ollie Groves | Esther Parkhurst | Beaver SC | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 16 |
| 2nd | 1505 | Mike Sims | Jack Holden | Chichester yacht club | 1 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 17 |
| 3rd | 1535 | Tom Halhead | Paul Hilliar | Llandegfedd SC | 6 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 33 |
| 4th | 1449 | Jamie Calder | Keith Bedborough | Dalgety Bay Sailing Club | 4 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 33 |
| 5th | 1528 | Christopher Eames | Rachel Tilley | Queen Mary SC | 5 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 36 |
| 6th | 1511 | Hamish Gledhill | Ross Southwell | West Riding Sailing Club | 3 | 4 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 37 |
| 7th | 1235 | Sam Pickering | Emily Heath | Chichester Yacht Club | 8 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 9 | 42 |
| 8th | 1376 | Sam Knight | Chris Bownes | Bartley SC | 7 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 43 |
| 9th | 854 | Sam Watson | Geoff Edwards | Nantwhich & Borders SC | 9 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 58 |
| Silver Fleet |
|---|
| 1st | 1189 | Steve Restall | Chris Stubbs | Rutland SC | 4 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 14 |
| 2nd | 1537 | Jamie Morgan | Anna‑Louise Glendenning | Rutland SC | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 14 |
| 3rd | 1192 | Jack Munnelly | Liam Vass | Chichester Yacht Club | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 19 |
| 4th | 1363 | Ross Ryan | Oliver Ryan‑Moore | Notts County sailing Club | 3 | 4 | 5 | OCS | 4 | 4 | 5 | 35 |
| 5th | 1513 | Neil Parkhurst | Ian Parkhurst | Beaver Sailing Club | 5 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 35 |
| 6th | 1450 | Nick Eaves | Greg Pace | Bartley SC | 6 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 7 | DNC | DNC | 48 |
| 7th | 1435 | Matthew Sheahan | Ellie Sheahan | Warsash | 7 | 8 | 8 | OCS | 8 | 3 | 6 | 50 |
| 8th | 1547 | John Hobson | Rebecca Ogden | Notts County | 9 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 6 | DNC | DNC | 53 |
| 9th | 1355 | Paul Reynolds | Matthew Reynolds | Notts County Sailing Club | 8 | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | 68 |
