#rs – The curtain raiser for the 2013 RS Classes traveller series takes place this weekend on Dublin Bay as The Royal St George Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire is set to host the 2013 RS Eastern Championships.
The RS200 & RS400 classes have seen a big jump in numbers over the past year. The classes are definitely bucking the trend highlighted at the recent ISA dinghy forum, with growing numbers across all age ranges and abilities. The combination of exciting racing in strict and inexpensive one designs appears to be striking a chord with sailors.
This winter the Ballyholme Icebreaker series boasted nineteen RS400 entries drawn from the Belfast Lough area clubs. Amongst the new additions to RS400 fleet are London 2012 49er pairing of Ryan Seaton and Matt McGovern. The bar for the rest of the 400 crews will be set particularly high this year, as there is no doubt that this will raise the skill level and competition across the fleet. Fellow Ballyholme sailor and former 49er campaigner Bob Espey is set to continue where he left off last year and provide stiff competition.
Also seeing steady growth in the RS classes is host club The Royal St George, which now counts six RS200's and four RS400's on the dinghy forecourt. Current RS200 national champion Sean Craig has handed over the reins to his son Stephen and crew for the season, leaving some pretty big boots to fill. Also expected at the event are the usual RS200 stalwarts from Greystones SC. With Graeme Noonan expected to be battling for honours in the RS200 fleet.
The RS Feva class will also join in on the action. After the success of last years combined RS National Championships, the Feva class will be part of the 2013 RS Traveller series. A dedicated on the water coach will be on hand to give the Feva fleet a leg up for this season opener. The Feva competitors will benefit from boat handling and sail trim tips while racing. All of which should stand them in good stead for the rest of the season. Local Laser ace Dan O'Beirne is tipped to be the man to beat in the Feva fleet.
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