Noble Marine RS800 National Championship at Royal Torbay Yacht Club - Day 1
by Hugh Shone 4 Sep 16:44 BST
3-6 September 2026
Noble Marine RS800 Nationals at Torbay Day 1 © Bob Preston and Laurie Callaghan
The first day of racing at RTYC delivered wonderful RS800 conditions that the fleet revelled in. Sunshine, 15 knots and lovely flat water gave the teams a perfect start to the regatta.
Race 1 saw the boats that made it cleanly off the pin end of the line hot-tail it towards the horizon. There were gains to be made further up the line too, with plenty of opportunities for those who could keep their boats in the puffs streaking down the course. By the top mark, Tom and Guy had established a healthy lead, followed by the returning James and Jamie, back in the boat after a long break, and Jess and Eden at their first event together.
Unfortunately for James and Jamie, the multi-year hiatus showed at the bottom gate, as Jamie attempted to drop the kite via the jib sheet. This allowed Louis and Lucy, Monique and Hugh, and Tim and Arthur to sneak through. By the finish, Tom and Guy had a comfortable lead, with Monique and Hugh taking second and Louis and Lucy, as ever pushing the boat as hard as possible, claiming third.
Race 2 saw even more teams head for the pin end of the line, resulting in plenty of spinny, shouty and apologetic turmoil. This time, Brett and Blake and Tim and Arthur emerged from the chaos most successfully. What followed was a real duel, as Tom and Guy did their best to overhaul the leading pair. They managed to sneak ahead of Blake and Brett, but Tim and Arthur held firm to take a very well-earned bullet.
Back at the club, the sailors were treated to a BBQ and daily prize-giving with "In it to win it" draw, complete with panoramic views across Torbay — and an increasingly impressive view of the incoming rain. That was followed by a hilarious bar crawl, with teams being put through their paces to recreate album covers, adverts and even sea shanties as they made their way around the town.
A truly brilliant evening. The highlight for me? Brett's recreation of the infamous Nirvana album cover. Ask him for the photo — you definitely won't be disappointed!
Report by Hugh Shone
Results can be found here.