#rssailing – David Rose, a new member of the RS class, sends these comments on the weekend's Eastern Championships at Greystones.
As one of the new members of the RS400 class in Ireland, and someone who has not sailed a dingy for a while, I arrived at Greystones for the Irish RS-Eastern Championships not fully knowing what to expect. What I found was a very welcoming club and town, with great facilities for dinghies. More Importantly I found a class that was from all four provinces of Ireland and for the purest sailor at any given level.
The RS400 fleet has simply exploded. Going from a good base over the last few years, the spike in interest and enthusiasm has been enormous and one suspects this boom for the RS400 will also lead to bigger fleets in the smaller sister class of RS200 who share events and also have a great Irish fleet.
The numbers say it all, this was the first event of season, and an unbelievable turnout of 27 RS400's from all over Ireland and 14 200's fought it out in exciting conditions all weekend. The Feva class was also well attended and made for a great mix of people in the dinghy park.
As a newbie to the class, I could not have met with more people willing to share information or a helping hand, be it on boat setup or how to get the most out of my 400 on the water. A few people in the class have tirelessly promoted the boats over the last few years, by not just facilitating the movement of boats from the UK mainland to Ireland, but also by encouraging people to get involved in what is now the largest single fleet on these shores, and probably the most competitive.
These boats are not brand new, this year they will celebrate their 20th national championships in the UK. This means that there is a low barrier to entry for the class with boats ranging in value from £1,500 for an entry level model, up to £10k for those of us no longer thinking about the recession. A good one can be bought for £3,500, or an older one can be brought up to race speed quite easily with a few upgrades to the equipment. The hulls have stood the test of time very well, with low numbers featuring in the results both in the UK and Ireland at every event.
This class is an exciting, affordable option for the Irish sailor, and offers up a great circuit on this Island and abroad in the UK or if you are very adventurous, there is a regular event in Lake Garda, where one can combine a sun holiday with some top class racing.
I am sure the Irish class association will release a full race report on the ups and downs of the racing which was sailed in very difficult conditions and won in the end by local sailor Sean Cleary and his crew Steve Tyner by the slimmest of margins from Alex Barry and George Kenefick from Cork and establish runners Bob Espey and Michael Gunning from Ballyhome Yacht Club.
