Please select your home edition
Edition
Craftinsure 2023 LEADERBOARD

RS700s at the Stokes Bay Skiff Open

by Matt Carter 4 May 2023 12:37 BST 29-30 April 2023

Eleven RS700s gathered at Stokes Bay as is tradition for the first event of the year on our RS700 Rooster National Tour.

There were some nerves within the fleet ahead of the event with expectations of a very light forecast. We needn't have worried because when we arrived on Saturday morning we were treated to beautiful Spring sunshine and a nice Easterly breeze that picked up to 14 knots throughout the day.

The fleet jostled for position on the beach amongst the RS800s, B14s and Musto Skiffs, launched and put kites up for a comfortable sail to the committee boat. The RS700s started with the Musto Skiffs making position and timing on the start challenging. The starboard line bias and strong W to E tide didn't help spread the fleet along the line.

Race one saw Tom Porter show great speed both up and downwind which he kept up for the whole weekend. Tom was pressed hard by local Richard Wadsworth and Matt Conner but held them both off for three laps to take the first race win.

The wind slowly built and reached 14 knots by the second race. The race was dominated by Richard Thurlby, another local, who led for three laps until he wrapped his kite on the final gybe and let three boats through. Tom again showed great pace and managed to find a way through the Mustos. Matt Carter managed to get past Tom upwind and guiltily passed Richard Thurlby on the final leg to take the win. Tom stayed ahead of Rich Wadsworth to finish in third.

By the third race the fleet were regretting wearing the Summer wetsuits and were shivering hard while waiting for the final gun. We set off with the wind moderating slightly. Tom showed great pace again but couldn't get past Nathan Steffenoni who disappeared over the horizon to take his first ever win on the Rooster Tour. Tom came in second consolidated a great first day, followed by Matt Carter.

We retired to the bar to catch up on the long Winter, tell tales of the day and share the agony of a particularly dodgy quiz!

The fleet woke to a gentle 8 knot SE breeze and milky sky. We set off to the start line aching from the day before. The tactics for the start changed with a E to W tide making hitting the shore a priority.

On the first start Phil Highfield showed his light wind pace and battled with Richard Thurlby up the first beat. Richard could not be caught and took his first win of the event. Another local, John Booth proved how quick he is in the lighter stuff to go past Phil for second, and Phil stayed ahead of the pack for third.

The second race saw John continuing to show excellent speed and tactics to work through the Musto traffic. John was chased by Matt Carter and Phil but neither could close the gap. John won with Matt second and Phil third.

By now we had had five different race winners in five races. Points were tight at the top and everything was to play for. Pete Purkiss made a great start and showed his brilliant light wind pace without being over the line or having a bad race incident. Unfortunately that only lasted so long until Pete found a mass of weed ruining his chance of a race win. John took full advantage to win the final race and the event overall. Pete recovered for second, with Matt Carter third.

The racing all weekend was extremely close and exciting. John took a very well-deserved win with Tom second and Matt Carter third. Racing within the Musto fleet added to the tactical challenge and pressure on mark-roundjng (not additional comments required). A massive thank you to Stokes Bay for holding such a fantastic event and to Rooster for the continued support of our National Tour. Our next tour event is the Salcombe Gin RS Summer Regatta at HISC 24-25 June. Info here: https://www.rs700.org/championships/index.asp?eid=2371

Overall Results:

PosSail NoHelmClubR1R2R3R4R5R6Pts
1st1058John BoothSBSC4‑9421112
2nd1055Tom PorterHISC1224‑5413
3rd1062Matt Matt CarterLancing SC(DNF)1352314
4th762Richie ThurlbyHill Head /Stokes Bay94(DNF)16525
5th710Nathan SteffenoniWeston Sailing Club7516‑9625
6th970Phillip HighfieldGt Yarmouth & Gorleston SC5‑8733826
7th1042Pete PurkissBrightlingsea(UFD)65104227
8th1060Matt ConnerQueen Mary SC3768‑101034
9th720Richard WadsworthStokes Bay238(DNF)DNCDNC37
10th798Guy BoullengerCVLSC6(DNF)997940
11th991Chris SaundersSBSC8‑101078740

Related Articles

RS Sailing Store partners with RS Nationals
Official chandlery partner for the noughty and RS Vareo class Nationals 2025 The RS Class Association is thrilled to announce that RS Sailing Store will be the official chandlery partner for the noughty and RS Vareo class National Championships 2025. Posted on 5 Jun
RS700 Europeans at the Riva Cup
Glamour, guts and Garda glory The RS700 fleet gathered at the Riva del Garda for the 2025 Blue Garden Riva Cup and RS700 Europeans, where dramatic weather, high-octane racing, and unforgettable socials combined to deliver a week that will be talked about for years to come. Posted on 3 Jun
15% Off New Sails with Early Bird Entry
For RS sailors who going to any UK National Championships RS Sailing Store is proud to support the UK RS Class Associations and their events in 2025. RS Sailors gearing up for their 2025 UK season can take advantage of an exclusive offer to help them hit the start line with fresh sails. Posted on 17 May
RS700 Rooster National Tour at Snettisham Beach SC
The third installment was eagerly anticipated with its usual mix of competitive racing. With most competitors arriving on Friday evening, the sailors had a great opportunity to catch up in bar to reacquaint with old friends and meet new ones ahead of what was going to be an early start the following morning. Posted on 9 May
RS700 rescheduled 2024 Inlands at Queen Mary
A strong turnout of skilled sailors took part in a series of challenging races The RS700 Inland Championship took place over the weekend of the 15th and 16th of March 2025 at Queen Mary Sailing Club (QMSC). Posted on 19 Mar
RS700 Rooster National Tour at Brightlingsea
Carter struts his stuff in Essex It was back to the 2023 Nationals venue of Brightlingsea for the RS700s, next stop on the Rooster National Tour. The home fleet welcomed visitors to occasional blue skies and consistently brown waters. Posted on 17 Oct 2024
Dabchicks RS700 Open
The sun was shining and the breeze was fillied in nicely on Saturday RS700 Open at Dabchicks Sailing ClubA near full fleet of local boats were joined by a visitor from across the Colne on Saturday morning for what would turn out to be one of the best day's sailing of the year. Posted on 9 Oct 2024
Noble Marine RS700 Nationals overall
10 knots and some funky Hayling chop on the final day The fourth and final day of the 2024 RS700 Nationals had a similar feel. Too many dark and stormies from the previous night were being regretted, breakfasts were being demolished and mirror-like conditions again met the fleet. Posted on 19 Sep 2024
Noble Marine RS700 Nationals day 3
Breeze builds at Hayling to provide fantastic sailing conditions The fleet arrived at the club to be greeted by mirror flat water and wall to wall sunshine. It was safe to say the Dabchicks contingent, after indulging at the bar in the after sailing social the day before, were banking on there being a postponement. Posted on 15 Sep 2024
Noble Marine RS700 Nationals day 2
It was great to see the whole fleet pushing each other Following on from Robbie's smashing report of yesterday racing we all arrived for another day in a questionable forecast. Posted on 13 Sep 2024