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A small, lean and keen fleet of four RS21s joined around 600 sailors in the Scottish Series at Tarbert on beautiful Loch Fyne with four days of racing over the bank holiday weekend of 26-29 May.
The RS21s were lucky to have their own class start within the regattaβs one design course which was shared with the 707, Etchells and Sigma 33 classes. Every morning, the fleet were played out of the harbour to the wonderful sight and sound of a lone piper from the Loch Fyne Pipe Band perched on a rock at the harbour entrance β what a way to start the day!
The race team, led by Principal Race Officer David Denholm ably assisted by Eilidh Miller, defied the odds on Day 1 to run three races in very light wind and sunshine. After a long day on the water, Liam Willis with crew Keith Willis, Will Taylor and Will Homewood in Dark and Stormy were clear leaders with a 2, 1, 1 scoreline. In second overall was Duncan Hepplewhite with crew Emma, Craig and Rona Hepplewhite inΒ Sailingfast, closely followed by Calum Bell and crew Tom Mitchell, Suzie Homer and Christine Wood in A-Plan Insurance.
This young team of 18-25 year old sailors has been developed by A-Plan Insurance along with Haven Knox Johnston. The aim is to give young sailors who are coming to the end of theirΒ RYAΒ youth pathway an opportunity to experience one design keelboat sailing. The A-Plan RS21 team are all Scottish based and must have a 50/50 split male/female. This is a very exciting opportunity for the sailors, but also for the marine industry. It has attracted support fromΒ Rooster Sailing, Marlow Ropes and Sailingfast. The team will have the boat to compete in the British Isles and Ireland RS21 Cup, racing at Scottish Series, Dun Laoghaire, the Nationals at Lymington and the World Championship in Sardinia. The dayβs racing finished with generous drinks on the pontoon sponsored by Sailingfast and Doig and Smith.
Three more races were run on an overcast Day 2 in mixed breeze which built as the day went on to finish with a welcome downwind blast for all crews β a great opportunity for the RS21 to show what it can do given a bit of breeze. Dark and Stormy maintained a healthy overall lead with a consistent set of results (3, 2, 1) with the youthful A-Plan team chasing hard with a 2, 1, 4. In the meantime, the Hepplewhites in Sailingfast (4, 3, 3) were holding off Paul Fisk and crew Caroline Fisk, Pippa Jubb and Richard Tucker in Responsible Sailing (1, DNF, 2) for the final podium place. Following drinks on board the Spirit 65 βChloΓ« Giselleβ, courtesy of Dark and Stormy, the fleet enjoyed a spectacular firework display and a lively Scottish Series Saturday night party with revelling into the early hours.
Two more bullets for Dark and Stormy in both of Day 3βs light wind races in more glorious sunshine gave them what looked like an unassailable lead with two races scheduled for the final day. Sadly, with the Loch looking like a sheet of glass all racing on Day 4 was cancelled, so the final results were Dark and Stormy first overall, A-Plan Insurance second and Responsible Sailing just taking third on countback fromΒ Sailingfast.
As this competitive and fun fleet builds momentum, we are all looking forward to a healthy balance of partying and racing at the next round of the British Isles and Ireland Cup which takes place as part of DΓΊn Laoghaire Regatta from 6 to 9 July. VisitΒ www.rs21ukclass.orgΒ for all event details, dates and charter opportunities.
When you bring together Irelandβs biggest sailing event, RS21s and a weather forecast that promised a downwind ride that would take the fleet to the edge, you could get something pretty special, and that is exactly what we got for Round 2 of the RS21 British Isles and Ireland Cup 2023.
Hosted at The National Yacht Club as part of Volvo DΓΊn Laoghaire Regatta, the RS21s joined the fleet of nearly 400 boats to enjoy four days of flat-out sailing in top-end conditions!
After four epic days of racing, three big nights out and two Bee Gees cover bands, the event came down to one final race to decide it all. Heading into the last race, three boats were in contention for the overall win. βSailingfastβ (GBR290 Duncan Heppelwhite) from Scotland a point behind Emsworthβs βResponsible Sailingβ (GBR303 Paul Fisk), with the βRS Irelandβ team (IRL233 Nick Redding) a further point back. Ultimately, it was winner takes all!
Despite tactical moves at the high end of the risk spectrum from βSailingfastβ and βRS Irelandβ in a southerly breeze that built from 10 to 18 knots, it wasnβt to be. βResponsible Sailingβ played the shifts, ignored those tempting dark patches of water and took the win in convincing fashion, able to sail the final beat in a conservative manner while the rest of us rolled the dice.
This final showdown came after a week of the highest calibre racing, socials and entertainment that will live long in the memory. Volvo DΓΊn Laoghaire Regatta pulled out all the stops for the RS21s (and other fleets), to create an event feeling more like a festival interrupted by a sailing race than the other way around. They know how to enjoy their racing in Dublin!
Congratulations to the βResponsible Sailingβ team of Paul Fisk, Pippa Jubb, Caroline Fisk and Richard Tucker on taking their first win of the season and many thanks to Sailmon instruments who tracked the whole event for us allowing the opportunity for debriefs and coaching between races β not to mention recording a top speed of a whopping 17 knots.
As the RS21 race circuit continues to build momentum, we look forward to the UK Nationals β there were signs of great thing to come from the young and talented A-Plan Insurance Team supported by Haven Knox Johnson, from NED305 (Michiel Geerling) with multiple race wins, and new international entrants SUI 291 representing Yacht Club CERN (Geneva) with a crew from as far afield as Switzerland, Newport Rhode Island, Wicklow SC, and the Royal Cork. Despite being new to the class, they showed how dangerous anyone can be in such a tight fleet. New to the boat, Emmet Ryan summed up his experience, βThanks again for a fantastic event! We thoroughly enjoyed the RS21 with all its user-friendly features, which made it very easy to step into and compete in challenging conditions. We were also extremely impressed with the boat speed and ease of handling, both up and down wind. The crew are already looking at options for getting into the 21 again soon!β
Next up for the RS21s is the National Championship in Lymington from the 3 β 6 August, and will include a launch party for the 2024 calendar which is already shaping up to offer a healthy mix of standalone events along with those integrated into a bigger regatta. So far, we have 25 Nationalsβ entries, with Italian and Irish teams also making the journey. The World Championship follows in Porto Rotondo, Sardinia from 27 β 30 September, with fleets from across Europe coming together in a world class sailing venue. Back in the UK, the final circuit event of the season sees the RS21 fleet join Hamble River Sailing Clubβs One Design Championship in October where the fleet also aims to take part in the winter series running into December.
A highlight of 2024 will be Cork Week, withΒ RS SailingΒ committed to building a thriving RS21 fleet in Ireland over the next 18 months. Boats are already racing in Dublin and with Kenneth Rumballβs RS Sailing Ireland in support there is a great future for RS21 International One Design racing in Ireland.
Final thanks go to Volvo DΓΊn Laoghaire Regatta, David Wilkins and the Race Management team for great racing, to those people from the Irish National Sailing School for their support with logistics and always being there to lend a hand, and to the Yacht Clubs of DΓΊn Laoghaire for hosting us all!
Check out the RS Sailing IrelandβsΒ event video on Instagram.
The biggest RS21 event on UK shores yet, the championships featured 25 boats and 108 competitors. It was also the first RS Class Association event to make use of robotic racing marks fromΒ Smartmark.Β Lymington Town Sailing ClubΒ hosted the teams from dawn until dusk, putting on great food, drinks and a special dose of Hampshire hospitality.
Crews donned their best bold and bright outfits for the return-to-shore βPink Partyβ on Thursday night. Hosted byΒ Mermaid Gin, the pontoon party serenaded sailors with music, free drinks and prizes as the boats hit the dock.
Friday night featured the Inaugural Championship Dinner which included guest speeches from RS Sailingβs Commercial Director Michiel Geerling and RS21βs Class Manager Nick Redding. Participants were treated to a sneak peek of 2024βs RS21 Cup calendar β which comprises of 6 x high-quality, 3-day events (find out more and get in on the action by following RS21 UK Class onΒ FacebookΒ &Β Instagram).
Music on the Marina hosted by BerthonΒ put on a great show with band BB3 for the Saturday night party β as wet gear was swapped for dancing shoes and teams embraced the festival atmosphere!
But what about the results? After 10 hard-fought races, the competition was fiercely close and it all came down to the final run. Trigger β sailed by Paul Fisk, Pippa Jubb, Caroline Fisk and Tim Peters β crossed the line first, winning not only the race but also the full championship!
A champagne-spray celebration had everyone cheering in the podium pictures. In second place, local legends from Lymington, the βDark & Stormy Sailing Teamβ β Liam Willis, Nick Simmons, Will Homewood and Keith Willis. While in third, the 2022βs National Champions took the stand β Hugh Watson, Emma McEwan Susanna Peats and Helen Watson.
TheΒ RS21 ClassΒ is strengthening every month, shown by the presence of keelboat rockstars Geoff Carveth and Craig Burlton, who finished just outside the podium in places 4th and 5th respectively. Notable mentions must go to theΒ Sea CadetsΒ β who brought energy, tenacity and some serious racing skills to the fleet! With plans afoot to put on an under-23 championship in 2024 we are going to see this group come towards the front of the fleet over the coming years. You can see theΒ full results here.
Next up? Join the fleet for theΒ RS21 UK & Ireland CupΒ round 4 in Hamble on the 21β22 October 2023. Find out more atΒ www.rs21ukclass.org
Special thanks to The Gold Partners:
It was a double victory for team βCaipirinhaβ at theΒ RS21 World ChampionshipsΒ in the crystal-clear waters of Sardinia this weekend. The crew not only took the title of 2023 World Champions, but they also claimed first place in theΒ RS21 Yamamay Cup. Owner and helmsman, Martin Reintjes, lived-up to his status as International Class President, with tactical light-wind decision making and consistent scoring on the leader-board gunning for the gold.
Racing was incredibly tight. AUS βNutcrackerβ, helmed by Robert Davis, was the top-ranking team on Day 1 and Day 2, with the final day really deciding it all. Michiel Geerling, Commercial Director atΒ RS SailingΒ and competitor on NEDβs βRafikiβ, explains: βThe last day started with really light winds which changed it up a lot. Some very good teams were struggling at the back, which altered the leader board dramatically. Reintjes is an RS21 legend. He has been at the forefront of the class since its inception and his super-consistent helming skills puts him top of the game. When 55 boats are racing, building a consistent overall series is more important that winning each individual race.β
The level of sailing throughout the series has been incredibly competitive, culminating in a Worlds which set the bar for international-level RS21 racing. A staggering 55 boats entered from 11 countries and the event continued to break-records with a series of firsts. Entry-wise, the 2023 Worlds hosted the first Spanish team on βPatakinβ and the first all-women team on βMagique et Terribleβ from Italy. It was also the first sailing event since London 2012 that wasΒ ISO 20121 Certified.
Davide Casetti, President of the RS21 Italian Class, was extremely satisfied with how the event was run. βNigel Rolfe, UK & IE RS21 Class Chairman, told me after the awards ceremony that it was the best sailing event he had ever participated in!β declared Casetti. βIt was a huge team effort, everyone worked intensely on their goals following a storyboard that we had written and developed together. In water and on land the event took place in the best possible way β the location is wonderful. Even the accompanying families had the opportunity to socialise and have fun onboard a large catamaran offered by Yachting in Sardinia β which really did the trick for them.β
βWhat we experienced was fully conveyed by the content produced by the media team, the indirect spectators were involved in the ballet of the boats and all the activities on land. The physical presence of the partners gave even more value to the World Cup. It will take a few more days of decompression for the whole team to realise the success achieved.β
Sustainability is a key driver for the RS21 Class. Partners at the event included theΒ One Ocean FoundationΒ andΒ Up2You.Β GuglielmiΒ also supported with a Pura Point water station in the Blue Village, where crews refilled their water bottles each day before leaving the dock.
The awards ceremony also celebrated the Under 23s category and gave special recognition to Giorgio Nocella, the youngest athlete in the Championship, racing on βNox Oceani 285β.
βI am extremely happy and satisfied with the introduction of the Under23 category which immediately gathered four crews,β states Casetti. βIt was amazing to see 20 kids who competed with Olympic professionals and multiple world champions without any fear. One of our objectives for the next two years, together with dealer Negrinautica and manufacturer RS Sailing, is to encourage the entry of young athletes who risk being lost at the end of their sporting period β to facilitate the transition towards the higher classes and potential professional opportunities.β
All-in-all the 2023 RS21 World Championship set a high standard for events to come. The Class Association gives thanks to Porto Rotondo Yacht Club, the Italian Navy,Β World Sailing, the Italian Sailing Federation, CONI, the Regatta Committee led by Alessandro Testa, International Jury led by Luca Babini, Measurers led by Egidio Babbi. You can see the full rankings here for theΒ RS21 World Championship. βWhat an amazing event in every wayβ, reflects Geerling, βEveryone is going home with a good feeling and a smile on their face.β
So whatβs next for the RS21 Calendar? Internationally, the 2024 Worlds will be held in Spain, with 2025 setting its sights on Dubai. Nationally, fleets are growing from strength to strength, especially in Lithuania, Canada, the USA, Poland and the Netherlands β who are starting a winter series this season. The UK & Ireland Class have had a breakthrough year in 2023 with theΒ 2024 UK & IE CalendarΒ recently announced atΒ Southampton International Boat Show.
As fleets continue to expand across the globe, expect to see more RS21 events breaking records like the 2023 Worlds in the ultimate one-design racing class.
While todayβs sails stayed still, weβre gearing up for a thrilling conclusion tomorrow β the grand finale of the year! 
Stay tuned and in the meantime, letβs dive into tonightβs rugby action! 
for not only winning the event but also clinching the overall series. Their consistent performance is a testament to their dedicated crew.
Canβt wait to see what 2024 brings! 
Β
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