Sailing Today
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The RS300 associations e-Newsletter		September/October 2006 edition
RS300 Breaking News... The Gul sponsored RS300 Inland Championships take place on the 21st and 22nd October at Rutland! The Fat Face Circuit prize giving will take place at the Inlands - be there!!! The RS Racing Sprint Championships and RS Ball is on the 4th November!
Welcome Welcome to the second addition of RS300 Sailing Today. In this issue we have: RS300 Eurocup - Garda 2006 GUL RS300, National Championships The black art of double trailing RS300s RS300 impresses at Open Belgian Skiff Championship RS300 tops Yachts & Yachting’s Garmin Speedfreaks competition RS700 sailor Matt Humphreys reviews Roosters Aqua Pro Winter Sailing Gloves Fat Face Circuit - Filey Final round of the Fat Face RS300 series RS300 Fat Face Circuit 2006 RS300 Fat Face Racing Circuit Final Results Final Results of the 2006 Northern Tour Thanks to both fotoboat and Paul Wyeth Marine Photography for allowing us to include pictures included within this newsletter. Check out www.fotoboat.com and www.pwpictures.com  where you can purchase some great pictures from many of the RS300 events this year. Enjoy the read! Duncan Ellis duncan.ellis@progressivetechnology.co.uk
RS300 Eurocup - Garda Riva del Garda was the venue for the first Face Face-sponsored RS300 Eurocup from 24-28 July. Pizza, Panini and Peroni, stunning scenery, great company and champagne sailing conditions left all competitors wanting more. Conditions for day 1 were a force 5 and temperatures in the mid 30s, weather which pretty much remained for the entire week. Steve Bolland, sailing ‘Rusty’ from Bristol Corinthian pulled out an early lead in race 1 but a couple of dunkings (or was that three?) downwind saw both Greg Barton from Glossop and Gary Phare from Babbacombe overtake. Both, however, managed to grab defeat from the jaws of victory as they sailed the wrong course to the finish allowing a smiling Bolland to take the gun. Race 2 saw Bolland make no mistake, at least none that ended in a swim, winning from Barton and Cliff Shaw from Stokes Bay. Day 2 saw Bolland take two more bullets. He did not have it all his own way, however, with Phare initially leading race 4 until he overstood the first windward mark allowing Bolland to cream up the inside at the mark and into a lead which he never relinquished. Barton and Phare each took a 2nd place with Shaw putting in another 3rd. Barton and Shaw pulled clear in race 5 following a start line incident, (fully captured on camera!), that left Phare in the water and Bolland doing a 720. Bolland caught up at the end of the first lap but thereafter Barton and Shaw pulled well clear from a rapidly sinking Bolland, finishing in that order. Phare came home in a disgruntled 4th.
Race 6 was canned as a spectacular thunderstorm swept the lake. After a close first lap in race 7 a more relaxed Phare, sailing the newly christened ‘Forking Bandanas’, blew the fleet away on lap 2 and did an horizon job, crossing the finish line to whoops of delight by sailor and race committee alike! Bolland pulled back to 2nd ahead of Shaw. Phare could not repeat his success in race 8 leaving Bolland to win from Barton and Shaw. And so to the final day. A slightly lighter wind in race 9 resulted in some close racing and some tactical upwind sailing. Shaw led at the first mark but was overhauled by Bolland on the long downwind leg. Bolland took a swim to cool off allowing Shaw and Barton to overtake. Bolland retook the lead on the next windward leg and kept the mast above the water on the final leg to the finish. Barton just pipped Shaw for 2nd place.  Another thunderstorm resulted in the cancellation of the final race bringing an end to an excellent week’s racing and holidaying. Results 1st 411 Steve Bolland Bristol Corinthian YC 6pts 2nd 410 Greg Barton Glossop & District SC 12pts 3rd 503 Gary Phare Babbacombe Corinthian SC 17pts 4th 509 Cliff Shaw Stokes Bay SC 17pts
2006 GUL RS300, National Championships The 2006 GUL RS300, National Championships took place in picturesque Looe SC, Cornwall and it will be remembered for a long time. Over the 4 days all ranges of conditions were experience with the highlight being the middle two days of force 5-6 winds and 8-10ft waves providing some challenging sailing conditions for all involved. The first race for the GUL RS300 Nationals saw Steve Bolland (Bristol Corinthian) first up the beat with his brother Nick (Draycote Water) close behind. But by the finish it was Matt Sharman from Delph who took advantage of the shifts to claim his first Nationals win from Steve Bolland and Steve Cockerill. Just to prove his liking for the conditions, Sharman lead at the first mark in Race 2, but was passed by John Wilson (Prestwick) down the first reach, who in turn was passed by Cockerill who held these positions to the finish with John Carron (Milton Keynes) third. Day 2 and the competitors were greeted with a north-easterly force 4 which built steadily throughout the day to a force 6 by the finish. This coupled with a steep sea, gave a test of seamanship and endurance in equal measure. Race 3 and Steve Cockerill shot off the start line making a healthy lead by the first mark, which he never relinquished. After many capsizes behind, Ian Baillie came in second, ahead of Nick Bolland. Race 4 saw Steve Cockerill again pull out an early lead, but a capsize on the run saw Ian Baillie overtake. However by the finish, Cockerill had regained the lead and won from Ian Baillie and Steve Bolland. Race 5 was led from start to finish by Cockerill. Behind him there was some close racing, notably between Baillie, Steve Bolland and John Wilson, with Greg Barton also in close attendance. Bolland pulled clear of Wilson on the last set of reaches and briefly pulled ahead of Baillie only to capsize 20 yards from the line. At the finish the order was Cockerill, Baillie and Steve Bolland. After battering their boats and bodies the day before, the sailors were greeted with a repeat of the previous days conditions for Day 3. Something else that didn’t change though were the leaders of the fleet, with Steve Cockerill proving unstoppable with another row of firsts in the 3 races and Ian Baillie posting 3 seconds. The last one with no ratchet block after it broke between races. After 2 days of force 6 winds and mountainous seas, the fleet was relieved to awake to a gentle force 1 for the final day. Fastest out of the blocks in race 9 was John Carron from Milton Keynes SC. He was followed round the first mark by Steve Bolland from Bristol Corinthian and brother Nick from Draycote Water. Steve and Nick pulled though Carron on the second beat and steadily pulled ahead as the race progressed to finish in that order. Steve Cockerill from Stokes Bay edged out Carron for 3rd just before the finish. For the tenth and final race most of the fleet arrived pretty much together at the top mark. After the first set of reaches the running order was established and it was Cockerill leading from Bolland (N) and Ian Smith. Despite the breeze becoming progressively lighter there was surprising little place changing and at the finish the order was Cockerill, Bolland (N) and Carron. All that was left was for the fleet to drift ashore. Once again Cockerill was the well deserved winner having taken 8 of the 10 races. Ian Baillie from Dalgety was 2nd overall having a series of 2nd place finishes to count. Steve Bolland was 3rd, being one of only 2 sailors other than Cockerill to win a race, the other being Matt Sharman in race 1. Nick Bolland was 4th overall with John Wilson from Prestwick in 5th and Cliff Shaw from Stokes bay in 6th.
Many thanks to Looe SC for on another storming championship expertly managed and the many helpers who helped launch the boats, and to GUL for their continued support and their help in providing a fantastic National Championship. Final Results
Pos Sail No. Helm Club 1 414 Stephen Cockerill Stokes Bay SC 2 445 Ian Ballie Dalgety Bay SC 3 411 Steve Bolland Bristol Corinthian YC 4 380 Nick Bollard Draycote Water SC 5 502 John Wilson Prestwick SC 6 509 Cliff Shaw Stokes Bay SC 7 420 John Carron Milton Keynes SC 8 30 Paul Thompson Combs SC 9 372 Ian Smith Craven SC 10 430 Chris Morrissey Milton Keynes SC 11 434 Mark Russell Milton Keynes SC 12 450 Mark Henman Sunderland YC 13 355 Tim Pearse Stokes Bay SC 14 429 Matt Sharman Delph SC 15 410 Greg Barton Glossop & District SC 16 365 Richard Pilley   17 333 James Phare Babbacombe SC 18 456 Graham Cooper Bristol Corinthian YC 19 366 Barry Steel Aldenham SC 20 398 Phil Underwood Cotswold SC 21 353 Richard Eperon Bough Beech SC 22 422 Alastair Wood Bough Beech SC 23 437 Jeff Marksz Staunton Harold 24 326 Mark Ball Milton Keynes SC 25 319 Kevan Ball Milton Keynes SC
The black art of double trailing RS300s Top RS300 club, Milton Keynes, have managed to figure out a nifty way of towing two 300s using a single road base. The invention, codenamed ‘The Clamshell’, involves an extremely complex rigging process involving rope, blocks of wood and some rope, oh and a few rags. A single road base is used with both beach trolleys being positioned level using two blocks of wood at the front and rear of the combi. Apparently the most complex part of this delicate procedure is the positioning of the beach trolleys onto the road base. Due to the relatively light weight of an RS300 hull, the two hulls combined are still within the tolerances of the supplied roadbase. For more information on double trailing contact one of the Milton Keynes Scientists.
RS300 impresses at Open Belgian Skiff Championship Belgium’s sole RS300 sailor, Rudie Cools (BEL 17) has achieved a highly respectable 4th place overall at the annual Open Belgian Skiff Championship. The event was held on the 24th-25th June and featured 28 boats from a wide variety of skiff classes, including several other RS boats. With a 3rd place and two 4ths along the way Rudie managed to narrowly miss out on a podium place. Next year however Rudie has vowed that he will “take them all”. Well done Rudie!
RS300 tops Yachts & Yachting’s Garmin Speedfreaks competition Greg Barton (410) has managed to catapult the RS300 to the top of the Speed Freaks league on YachtsandYachting.com. Barton managed to achieve a record speed of 24.7 knots whilst sailing on the third day of the National Championships in Looe. The day featured considerable waves and a force 5 breeze, which whilst providing challenging conditions for many also created the perfect environment to get the 300 surfing! Barton, who achieved a top speed of 18.6 knots in the first race of the day, has put the feat down to the large waves which he was able to surf on the downwind legs. Speed did however come with a price as he was forced to retire from the day’s racing due to a torn sail head and a broken mast track. The RS-Association has now launched its own Speed Challenge on the website for which any RS boat can enter.
RS700 sailor Matt Humphreys reviews Roosters Aqua Pro Winter Sailing Gloves These are quite simply the best winter sailing gloves that I have come across. My previous experience of winter sailing gloves has been of thick gloves that impede the movement of the fingers and remove the ability to feel the ropes properly. The Rooster Aqua Pro gloves are made from a similar material to the Rooster Aqua Fleece, the material is thin and stretchy with a thin layer of fleece on the inside. This enables the gloves to be the same thickness as summer sailing gloves, giving the full range of movement and feel. The gloves eliminate wind-chill keeping your hands nice and toasty even in a gale. The fleecy inner is comfortable and very quickly warms up even when putting the gloves on wet.
I took a pair of these gloves with me on the Round Britain and Ireland race this year and was very impressed. Off the Shetland Isles I was very glad of them, I was still able to feel and grip the sail on the foredeck for sail changes when some of the crew were resorting to taking their winter sailing gloves off. Even coming on watch in at 4 in the morning and putting them on wet was fine because they warmed up within a minute from the heat of my hands. I would thoroughly recommend these gloves to everyone, and I will certainly be wearing them this winter. Matt Humphreys
Fat Face Circuit - Filey The penultimate round of the RS300 travellers circuit, sponsored by Fat Face and Gul, took place at the Filey Regatta on July 8th & 9th. Six boats turned out, with Barry Steel and Cliff Shaw both making great efforts to attend, making the journey up north from Aldenham and Stokes Bay respectively. Saturday's races start in bright sunshine and a steady force 2 Southerly breeze. Sadly the start was marred by the Scorpion fleet getting sufficiently confused to try and start at the same time as the 300's which resulted in Steel and Greg Barton (Glossop) both being pushed the wrong side of the committee boat. Tim Keen (Sheffield Viking SC) managed to make a clean start, hotly pursued by Ian Smith (Craven SC), Shaw and Mark Henman (Sunderland) who were also disadvantaged by the arrival of 20 scorpions on the start line. Keen led at the windward mark, followed by Smith and Shaw. Barton, Steel and Henman made good progress up the first beat and the fleet closed up on the first reach as the leaders hit a hole in the wind. Keen sailed high on the reach and was the first to find breeze and led away from Smith. A botched attempt to cut round the inside of Shaw at the wing mark saw Barton despatch himself to the back of the fleet for a 720. Keen and Smith broke free of the fleet with Smith eventually sneaking past Keen to take the win. Shaw followed in third, with Barton, Steel and Henman enjoying a close race amongst themselves. Race 2 saw a slight build in the wind strength and Shaw shot up the first beat taking a lead from Keen that was never in doubt. Smith gave hot pursuit with Barton close behind him at the windward mark only for contact with the mark to once again put Barton at the back of the fleet. Shaw sailed well clear of the fleet and was never headed on his way to victory. Barton tacked off early on the second lap and used what tide there was to break clear of his battle with Steel and passed Smith on the reach out to the wing mark to take third. Smith tailed Barton down the second reach and was about to pass Barton on the run into the leeward mark before a rogue wave put him in the drink. Shaw won from Keen, Barton, Smith, Shaw and Henman. Race 3 and Shaw continued to show great height upwind, pointing better than the rest of the fleet. Barton pursued and rounded the windward mark in second from Smith, Keen, Steel and Henman. Shaw continued to lead downwind with Barton struggling to hold off the lightwights Smith and Keen on the downwind legs. The race looked to be set for Shaw to win until the wind died completely as the final beat began. Shaw was unable to hold of the battling pair of Barton and Smith, with Barton taking line honours by a matter of seconds from Smith who had sailed very low and fast in the drifting conditions. Keen got stuck in the windless conditions and dropped behind Steel to finish 5th. On Sunday the forecast wind arrived much to the delight of Shaw and Barton!The fleet launched in a Southerly F6 with beautiful rolling waves. Nothing quite so wild as the Nationals last year but plenty to surf on! Going into Race 4, Smith led the fleet by a single point from Barton, Shaw and Keen, all on equal points. It was still anyone's event to win. Barton powered away up the first beat with Shaw not quite managing to get the boat in the groove. The lighter guys still demonstrated good speed upwind but couldn't sail as deep and fast as Barton and Shaw who rounded the windward mark in that order. After a frankly terrifying blast downwind, Barton and Shaw had a big lead from Keen, Smith (who had reefed his B rig) and Steel, with Henman having elected to stay ashore. Barton capsized twice at the windward mark allowing Shaw into the lead.  However, Shaw promptly wiped out on the reach allowing Barton to pull clear into a lead that was never in doubt. Keen endured a collosal nosedive and unfortunately pulled a couple of muscles in his legs as he was still locked into the tow straps, leading to his retirement. This left Steel and Smith to enjoy a close scrap for third, with Smith repeatedly passing Steel downwind only to watch Steel gybe past him whilst righting his boat! Shaw's cunningham broke after his swim which slowed him considerably upwind, allowing Barton to capitalise upwind and take the race and event win. Rank SailNo Helm Club R1 R2 R3 R4 Total Nett 1st 410 Greg Barton Glossop & District (4.0) 3.0 1.0 1.0 9.0 5.0 2nd 509 Cliff Shaw Stokes Bay (3.0) 1.0 3.0 2.0 9.0 6.0 3rd 368 Ian Smith Craven 1.0 (4.0) 2.0 3.0 10.0 6.0 4th 328 Tim Keen Sheffield Viking 2.0 2.0 5.0 (DNC) 16.0 9.0 5th 366 Barry Steel Aldenham (5.0) 5.0 4.0 4.0 18.0 13.0 6th 450 Mark Henman Sunderland 6.0 6.0 6.0 (DNC) 25.0 18.0
Final round of the Fat Face RS300 series Six RS300's made it to Pennine SC, for the final round of the Fat Face RS300 series. Originally scheduled to be held at Glossop & District SC, our thanks must go to Pennine SC, who generously stepped in as a replacement venue due to problems with a lack of water at Glossop. Competitors were greeted by positively autumnal conditions, with an ambient temperature of 14degrees and a chilly Force 4-5 northerly wind. Race 1 saw Tim Keen (Sheffield Viking SC) and Ian Smith in his A rigged boat ( Craven SC) break free from the fleet early on the first beat, only to be pipped to the windward mark by Greg Barton (Glossop & District SC) who started on port. Barton promptly capsized at the first available opportunity on the first downwind leg, allowing the whole fleet past, apart from Mark Henman (Sunderland SC) who performed a similar manouver and ended up in the drink. Keen broke free at the front and at the halfway stage seemed to be disappearing over the horizon. However, as the wind b uilt during the race, Barton charged through the fleet eventually stealing second from Smith at the final leward mark, with Keen taking the win. For Race 2, the wind was consistently at the top end of a F4, which allowed Barton to power away from the lighter sailors upwind and dominate the race, with Sam Sutton (Leigh & Lowton) putting in an excellent performance to take 3rd, with Keen 2nd Race 3 looked like a repeat performance with Barton breaking free early on the first beat and taking a handsome lead round the windward mark, with Keen, Smith and Barry Steel (Aldenham) all rounding in close company, until a total wipeout on a gybe allowed Keen, Smith and Sutton past. However the higher wind speed allowed him to swiftly catch and pass the leaders to take his second victory. Day 2 took place in slightly lighter winds (F2-3) but under even more leaden skies. Keen, fresh from a decent nights sleep for the first time in a week started the 4th race strongly, leading the early sta ges of the beat with Barton, Smith and Steel all battling towards the windward mark. Barton somehow squeezed through in the lead at the windward mark and took a lead that would never be challenged. The legendary Barry Steel looked set for a great result in the second race of the day but unfortunately lost a great deal of ground due to a violent capsize on the downwind leg. The fifth race of the weekend was the closest of the meeting yet. Sutton made a stunning port tack through the middle of the fleet and rounded the windward mark in second place, right behind Barton and leading from Keen and Smith with Steel and Henman in close company. Keen kept the pressure on Barton throughout the race in the knowledge that one more win would clinch overall victory for Barton. However, lady luck shined upon the leader and the wind built up again, allowing Barton to break away on the beat and build a lead which he held until the end of the race, with Keen and Smith closing in rapidly towards the end The final race started after a swift tea break. Barton, Smith and Keen rounded the windward mark close together with Steel and Henman sparring throughout the race for 4th place. Smith blasted past Barton at the gybe mark and led up to the beat, however his lead was short lived, as Barton used his superior upwind boatspeed to take back the lead which was defended from Smith throughout the race, with the lead never being stretched beyond a few boatlengths. Overall Barton took victory an d also won the Northern Series, from Keen, Smith, Sutton, Steel and Henman. Our thanks to Fat Face for their generous sponsorship of the series and to all at Pennine SC for their generous hospitality. RS300 Fat Face Series - Pennine SC Overall Sailed:6, Discards:1, To count:5, Entries:6, Scoring system:My scoring system Rank Boat SailNo Helm Club R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 Total Nett 1st Albion Water Treatment 410 Greg Barton Glossop & District (2.0) 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 7.0 5.0 2nd   328 Tim Keen Sheffield Viking 1.0 2.0 (3.0) 2.0 2.0 3.0 13.0 10.0 3rd   368 Ian Smith Craven 3.0 (4.0) 2.0 3.0 3.0 2.0 17.0 13.0 4th   338 Sam Sutton Leigh & Lowton 4.0 3.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 (DNC) 26.0 19.0 5th Timeout 366 Barry Steel Aldenham 5.0 5.0 (6.0) 6.0 5.0 4.0 31.0 25.0 6th   450 Mark Henman Sunderland (6.0) 6.0 5.0 5.0 6.0 5.0 33.0 27.0
RS300 Fat Face Circuit 2006
Date	Venue	No of Entries	Results
1-2 April	Milton Keynes SC	12	1st John Carron 2nd Cliff Shaw 3rd Chris Morrissey
6-7 May	Lee-on-Solent SC	8	1st Steve Bolland 2nd Steve Cook 3rd Cliff Shaw
10th June	Burghfield SC	12	1st Steve Bolland 2nd Matt Sargent 3rd Steve Cook
8-9 July	Filey SC	6	1st Greg Barton 2nd Cliff Shaw 3rd Ian Smith
12-13 August	Glossop SC(Pennine SC)	6	1st Greg Barton 2nd Tim Keen 3rd Ian Smith
RS300 Fat Face Racing Circuit Final Results   Sailed: 6  Discards: 3 Rank Sail No Helm Club Milton Keynes Lee on Solent Dalegty Bay Burghfield Filey Glossop Points         01/04/06 06/05/06 20/05/06 10/06/06 08/07/06 12/08/06   1 509 Cliff Shaw Stokes Bay 2 3 DNC 10 2 DNC 7 2 328 Tim Keen Sheffeild Viking DNC DNC 4 6 4 2 10 3 347 Ian Smith Craven SC 8 DNC DNC DNC 3 3 14 4 366 Barry Steel Aldenham SC 7 5 DNC 5 5 5 15 5 450 Mark Henman Sunderland YC DNC DNC 5 DNC 6 6 17 6 410 Greg Barton Glossop & District DNC DNC DNC DNC 1 1 33 6 411 Steve Bolland BCYC DNC 1 DNC 1 DNC DNC 33 8 479 Steve Cook Stokes Bay SC DNC 2 DNC 3 DNC DNC 36 9 313 Phil Underwood MKSC 4 8 DNC DNC DNC DNC 43 10 434 Mark Russel MKSC 6 DNC DNC 7 DNC DNC 44 11 456 Graham Cooper BCYC DNC 6 DNC 9 DNC DNC 46 12 326 Mark Ball MKSC 13 DNC DNC 10 DNC DNC 54 13 420 John Carron MKSC 1 DNC DNC DNC DNC DNC 63 13 445 Ian Baillie Dalgety Bay SC DNC DNC 1 DNC DNC DNC 63 15 439 John Wilson Prestwick SC DNC DNC 2 DNC DNC DNC 64 15 506 Matt Sargent Bowmoor SC/Royal Artillery YC DNC DNC DNC 2 DNC DNC 64 17 474 Ross Watson Loch Tummel DNC DNC 3 DNC DNC DNC 65 17 430 Chris Morrissey MKSC 3 DNC DNC DNC DNC DNC 65 19 422 Alastair Wood Bough Beech SC DNC 4 DNC DNC DNC DNC 66 19 475 Chris Hart   DNC DNC DNC 4 DNC DNC 66 19 333 Sam Sutton