Sailing Chandlery RS200 Northern Tour at Red Wharf Bay Sailing and Watersports Club

Sailing Chandlery RS200 Northern Tour at Red Wharf Bay © Tom Ellis

On the 7th September the Northern RS200 tour made a trip to the Isle of Anglesey to experience the delights of Red Wharf Bay Sailing and Watersports Club (RWBSWC). RWBSWC is something of a hidden gem of a club on the east coast of Anglesey, sailing from Traeth Bychan beach in a sheltered bay with stunning view across to Snowdonia.

A fleet of eight boats, formed of six visitors and two home boats, turned up to a spectacular mix of sun, wind, and waves creating an ideal sailing environment. The onshore 8kt breeze was enough to kick up a decent swell to play in without making launching and recovery too challenging.

After a round of sausage sandwiches and briefing from guest race officer Ken Newing the fleet launched to familiarise themselves with a breeze that kept everyone hiking upwind and waves to play in downwind.

Race 1 set the scene for much of the day with competitive start lines leading to tight, tactical racing and multiple place changes throughout the race. The waves, created by the onshore wind, added an extra layer of excitement downwind, offering plenty of opportunities for surfing and overtaking. Rebecca Knock and Millie Greenham dominated race 1 with a great show of boat handling on the start line to maintain prime position and mastery of the waves throughout.

Race 2 was a tight affair with multiple place changes at the top of the course. Alex and Martha Taylor had great pace but unfortunately missed the upwind gate to hand the win to Gareth and Jen Williams.

After a delicious lunch in the sun the fleet launched into a turning tide for race 3. Alistair and Helen Norris, after a mad lunchtime dash around the local area to pick up a replacement boat with an attached slot gasket, lead from start to finish, making the most of the local knowledge. Martin and Barbra Smith had obviously underestimated the heat in the September sun in North Wales and had to take a short dip to cool down.

So, Race 4 was to be the decider, with 3 different winners in the prior 3 races and a decent share of podium positions around the fleet the overall win was up for grabs. The pace and decision making of Alex and Martha Taylor proved to be the winning formula, hopefully making up for a boat breakage in race 1 and navigational issues in race 2. Alistair and Helen Norris chased them home in second to take the event win.

Alistair and Helen kept the inaugural RS200 open meeting win at the home club, delighted to be able to share the venue with other 200's for the first time. Gareth and Jen Williams took second with a very consistent scoreline and Rebecca Knock and Millie Greenham took third.

Sailing Chandlery RS200 Northern Tour at Red Wharf Bay - photo © Tom Ellis

The day's sailing was a great opportunity to expand the RS200 Northern Tour to a sea venue and RWBSWC delivered the perfect weather to make it feel like the summer season had been extended by a couple more weeks. The racing was a great advert for the RS200 with competition amongst a very friendly fleet.

Overall Results: