Results / RS Class Association Training Chew Valley Lake SC - 13/04/2024

RS100 Class Association sponsored training day at Chew Valley Lake SC

12 enthusiastic RS100 sailors turned up to that rare event of a sunny warm weekend with a good breeze. They came to fine tune their sailing skills and to learn a few secrets from some of the class self styled ‘experts’.

From Chew the training team included class chairman David Smart, who has a reputation of banging corners (unjustified in my view). He was ably assisted by the Jones brothers, who claim never to receive outside assistance from their father Frank (The Bosun) Jones. They were helped by Mark Harrison, well known as an on the water judge for the RS200s. He therefore knows the rules well. Whether he follows them himself is open to debate.

The morning focused on boat speed and boat handling. It included one exercise that was good, but not loved! The Gut Buster. It included 6 tacks to the windward mark, including a full 360 on the way. Then hoist, 3 gybes, drop 360, hoist 3 gybes and finish. A good workout on a short course.

After some rules discussion over lunch, the afternoon involved lots of start practice and some short races.

Most people stayed for the club racing on Sunday, where the skills learned on Saturday were tested to the limit. Especially with four sprint type races in the afternoon when the wind had picked up. Tougher than a Gut buster.

Test your knowlegde quiz - match the photos to the captions:

'Mark Harrison demonstrating capsize technique. Pity it wasn’t planned!'

'Tom Hirst showing good downwind technique'

'Matt Scott leading away at a start'

'Steve Jones playing catch up'

Thank you to everyone for attending and we hope to see you on the circuit during the year - next stop the Harken RS Sprints at Rutland next weekend.

David Smart