Latest RS600FF News Feedhttp://www.rs-association.com Gareth Davies reports from Weymouth: The RS600FF fleet once again descended upon Weymouth sailing academy this time for a training weekend. Sam Pascoe current National Champion was the trainer after racing Simon Hiscocks on Friday afternoon using a glass boat the same as Simons and apparently the result was the same as the Nationals I wont say whose boat Sam was using but I would like to say to Steve Birbeck - no pressure at Torquay Steve . The weekend started with on shore training about boat set ups and how to set up the foils this left Sam with a bombardment of questions all of which he was able to answer. There then was a detailed talk and hand outs on every aspect from tacking to gybeing and even how to start and round marks. It was then time to hit the water with 12 knots of breeze perfect for the RS600ff and everyone managed to be up and foiling. Sam was in a rib and armed with a video camera and videoed every person so he could adjust his training techniques to suit the ability and skills of the individual to make sure every person got what they wanted out of the training from gybing on the foils to how to get up . After sailing Sam went through the video and there was some interesting commentary where it was easy to see where we had gone wrong the team then retired to the Cove Inn for food and drinks . The next day came with more breeze which made some of the fleet go down to the smaller rig and Sam set some people on a race course while others concentrated on their foiling technique. By the end of the training on Sunday everyone had got a lot out of the weekend and was also quiet tired . I think that everyone would like to thank Sam for doing the training and for the manner in which it was carried out. Hope to see you all at Torquay open using your new skills. A great time was had by all. Sublime conditions on the Saturday followed by F5-6 on the Sunday made an entertaining weekend with excellent race management. Read all about it here. The next event is Weston SC on 23rd/24th May. Sam Pasco our current National Champion won the Grafham Grand Prix on the 28th December. Alex Knight was 5th. What made their achievement most impressive was the 690 handicap that they were sailing under (shared with the Moths) Sam still winning one of the races by 10 minutes over the rest of the fleet. Next up is the Bloody Mary and we hope to see many of you there! Grafham GP Results: http://gwsc.no-ip.org/Gwsc_Results/Open percent20Meetings/2008/Grafham percent20Grand percent20Prix percent202008.htm We have dates for all Championships and have put together a Racing Circuit and Eurocup for 2009 for the RS600 FFs. Details are - 18/19 April Racing Circuit Hayling Island SC 23/24 May Racing Circuit Weston SC 6/7 June National Championships Weymouth and Portland SA Regatta 27-31 July Eurocup Carnac Brittany France 15/16 August Racing Circuit Royal Torbay YC 19/20 September Racing Circuit Lymington Town SC The above programme is on the website under http://www.rs-association.com/index.asp?fleet=RS600FF and selection=events Serious racing starts in earnest in 2009 as it is vital for the growth of our class. We are looking at a circuit of 5 events plus Nationals plus the Carnac Eurocup event. Nationals venues are potentially either Weymouth or Torbay. Possible open meeting venues are Weston Grafham HISC Lymington Queen Mary. The RS Association is currently working on this for us and I hope to announce further details soon. Lastly our class meeting on Saturday evening was extremely productive. In short: 1. Solving the boat weight issue:- volunteers from Hayling Island and Weymouth will weigh a selection of Ovington and Woofie hulls and report the results. Based on an average of these results a standard hull weight will be determined and any hull under this weight will carry correctors.2. One design ethos:- the meeting felt strongly that the 600FF should not follow a development path. The original intent of providing foiling on a cost effective basis should be adhered to in the class rules. Any changes to the class rules should be considered in terms of cost and effectiveness.3. Circuit 2009 Serious racing starts in earnest in 2009 as it is vital for the growth of our class. Everyone was very supportive of being involved with the RS circuit. We are looking at a circuit of 5 events plus Nationals plus the Carnac Eurocup event. Nationals venues are potentially either Weymouth or Torbay. Open meeting venues are Weston Grafham HISC Lymington Queen Mary. The RS Association is currently working on this for us and I hope to announce further details soon. Well I am still coming down from our Nationals last weekend! I was chuffed to bits that we got 16 entries and the standard of racing was fantastic. Race 3 on the Saturday saw two thirds of the fleet foiling over the line at the start once Sam had shown them how to do it. The other great piece of news is that there are others now challenging Sams supremacy and next years circuit will see the depth of talent in the fleet extend. Sunday challenged everyone in 20 kt breezes but all the boats came through unscathed a testament to the build quality of the foil kits and some of the 10 year old boats taking part not to mention the brand new carbon hulls being raced for the first time. It was pleasing to see the new foiling sail being widely adopted but that Alistair Richardson still managed 4th with an old rag. This event puts us on the map as a viable class and we can only go up from here. Lots of people on the beach at HISC were suitably impressed and now wondering where they can find the money for a boat despite the credit crunch. The good news is there are now several 2nd hand Foiling6s on the market starting at GBP3500. Try buying a decent foiling Moth at that price! The RS600 FFs are off . The report and results of the inaugural RS600 FF Open meeting at Weston SC last weekend are now available at -http://www.rs-association.com/includes/resultsdetail2.asp?fleet=RS600FF and uid=264 and class=RS600FF and resultyear=2008 With thanks to Graham Simmonds. We are organising a National Championship for later in 2008 and another Open or 2. Details will be placed on website and sent around by Fast News.