RS800s at the Salcombe Gin RS Summer Regatta at Hayling Island Sailing Club

RS800s at the Salcombe Gin RS Summer Regatta © Phil Jackson / Digital Sailing

It's been a surprisingly long time since the RS800 Rooster National Tour has come to Hayling Island, mainly due to the Covid years, so it was great to be back with a bang for the Salcombe Gin RS Summer Regatta and catch up with friends in the other RS fleets.

Hayling delivered its best: sun, sea, sand, slick race management and... some inventive party games that would make your granny blush, led by the inimitable James Curtis, on Saturday evening. Actually James' grandparents would surely have approved since the main props were his granny's tights and some beautiful wooden boats made by his grandad. HISC then laid on a black-tie party with a delicious dinner and dancing to a great band into the small hours.

RS800s at the Salcombe Gin RS Summer Regatta - photo © Phil Jackson / Digital Sailing

Anyway back to the sailing: tricky and choppy on Saturday, windier and maybe even more choppy on Sunday so lots of pitchpoling opportunities. And very sunny. The twenty-two RS800s were out in the shallow Bracklesham Bay, to the East of Chichester harbour entrance, which made the waves stand up in strange ways and always seemed to favour the left. Or the right, if we went left.

Duncan Gregor and Sam Jones showed great promise, leading the first race by a mile but perhaps weren't ready for a position of such responsibility in the fleet; they tried to finish after only two of the three laps, letting Monique Vennis-Ozanne and John Mather through to win with rapid upwind speed and blistering downwind pace (perhaps aided by being about 15kg less fat than the rest of us). By the end of Saturday's three races Maria Stanley and Tommy Darling had a narrow lead, tied with Monique and John. Meg Brickwood and Steph Orton, taking a holiday from their 49er FX campaign, were also showing great pace.

RS800s at the Salcombe Gin RS Summer Regatta - photo © Phil Jackson / Digital Sailing

Sunday proved a bit harder for Monique and John when the wind increased and Steph and Meg broke all but two strands of their forestay (still managing a whole race in that state, and the lively sail back to HISC) which gave the boy helms a chance to catch up. Tom Morris and Guy Fillmore finally found their feet in the stronger breeze, banging in two bullets to snatch the event on countback from Maria and Tommy. Luke and Emma McEwen were also in the running until Luke slithered out of the back at one of the windward marks (who designed these boats with no transom?), so settled for third overall just ahead of Monique and John.

RS800s at the Salcombe Gin RS Summer Regatta - photo © Phil Jackson / Digital Sailing

It was great to see lots of new faces in the fleet and three of the top seven places going to female helms.

The next RS800 Rooster National Tour events are at Castle Cove on 8-9 July and Lymington on 12-13 August, then it's the Noble Marine Nationals at Brightlingsea in September. See you there!

Overall Results:

RS800s at the Salcombe Gin RS Summer Regatta - photo © Phil Jackson / Digital Sailing