Blessington Sailing Club hosted the RS400s, 200s & Fevas for a very breezy weekend of racing incorporating all three fleets’ National Championships and the inaugural RS Fest. Blessington was, as ever, a very welcoming and accessible club on Friday morning. Plenty of space available for cars, campers, trailers and rigging of boats. Scones, pastries, tea and coffee are laid out for everyone in the busy club room. Entries were very strong for the event, with 25 RS 400s, 5 RS 200s and 25 RS Fevas, who are continuing their development streak!
Blessington Sailing Club hosted the RS400s, 200s & Fevas for a very breezy weekend of racing incorporating all three fleets’ National Championships and the inaugural RS Fest
Strong winds and dark streaks on the lake promised fun racing for the first day of racing on Friday…. and so it was. After a brief delay, the 400 and 200 fleets kicked off with the first few races. Awesome downwind legs after such an extended period of light airs across the country were such a breath of fresh air (excuse the pun). By the end of the day, Michael Tyrell and team had already put away three races of the 9 scheduled for both fleets.
RS Fest Committee Vessel
Leading the 400s after Day 1 was Marty O’Leary & Conor Kinsella (Greystones SC) with three 2nd places, despite hitting the front in each race. Wins were spread out between Peter Kennedy/Stephen Kane (RNIYC, SLYC), Andy Verso & Tom Moran (Greystones SC) and Luke/Erin McIlwaine (Newcastle YC/CSC).
RS400s on Blessington lake
In the 200s, Jocelyn & Emily Hill from CASC set the pace with three convincing wins, a dominant performance that they would continue across the weekend.
Plenty of gear damage across the fleet caused a scramble on Saturday morning to fix rivets and glue slot gaskets in time for racing. Winds were stronger still and building; meaning champagne sailing for some, and lukewarm lake-baths for others. With one race completed and one boat dis-masted, racing was postponed ashore to see if it would moderate.
Sarah Dwyer who was sailing in her RS200 was delighted to be back in the boat; ‘What a weekend to get back in the RS200 after a two-year absence! My crew, Flore, had a blast, a baptism of fire. The disconcerting bend in the bowsprit as the bow and much of the centreboard left the water had the adrenalin pumping, particularly as we held off a few 400s! We couldn’t touch Jocelyn and Emily Hill all weekend, but even that didn’t dampen the on-the-water fun. Congratulations to them both on a well-deserved gold. I love the Aero, and I’m sure it too, would have hit a few record speeds, but it’s great craic to share the experience. Big thanks to all the friendly volunteers in Blessington, also to Michael & Therese Tyrell, David Mullally and our friendly RS dealer, Kenny Rumball!’
"Entries were very strong for the event, with 25 RS 400s, 5 RS 200s and 25 RS Fevas"
Day two was a little breezier. With Fevas now also on the water in a strengthening breeze, race 1 gradually became an obstacle course downwind, trying to locate a good spot to gybe.
A dismasting in the breezy conditions
A few key 400 breakages ( a mast and a rudder) and some lesser issues, assured sailors that going ashore was indeed a good call. We waited for a possible abatement but it didn’t happen and we retired for the evening due to the regular 30-knot gusts.
Verso/Moran crept into the lead by 1 point in the 400s ahead of both Kennedy/Kane & O’Leary/Kinsella. Blessington, superb hosts throughout, kindly arranged to bus the visitors down to The Avon resort for an evening out by the lake. Uncle Liam kindly hosted an after-party with a firepit back at the club’s campsite into the small hours.
Weary heads popping out of tents were greeted by a comically wet and calm Sunday morning, with an early start time in the hopes of making up for the missed races on Saturday. Unfortunately, the lake had other ideas, providing a 90-degree shift that forced the abandonment of race 5, and a long delay until the wind settled. Two more races were squeezed in, which ended dramatically with thunder and lightning on the final beat, and 40 knots of wind as boats approached the finish. A graveyard of capsized hulls littered the gate and finish line while the squall blew through.
Verso/Moran did just enough to seal first place overall, while the McIlwaines leapfrogged from 4th to 2nd with a 1,2 on the final day. Chris Helme & Alan Claffey won the biblical final race, having led the abandoned race earlier. O’Leary/Kinsella ended with 3rd overall, a capsize on the last drop ending their chance of claiming second after overtaking ten boats on the final frenzied leg. Liam Donnelly claimed the Masters prize with 4th overall.
Day three, the Fevas needed another race to complete a series. As the wind was already shifting right, the team set up a course that by the first DW leg was already well skewed with all 400s and 200s coming to the left gate together, so the race was wisely abandoned on the second lap and the breeze then vanished…
RS Fevas waiting for wind on Blessington Lake
A few hours of waiting and finally two races were run with an ominous grey cloud formation looming to windward, which managed to reach us with a bang and 40 knots at the end of the second race, again flattening many on the water and allowing some in the 400s to make huge gains in the final race of the weekend.
RS400 National Champion Andy Verso Tom Moran with Irish RS agent Kenny Rumball
The Fevas had three races completed, the RS200s and 400s had 6.
RS Fest, RS Feva Gold Fleet winners - Jessica Daley Young Sally Nixon with Kenny Rumball
Bedraggled, dripping and exhausted sailors made it back ashore to pack up and eat!
Huge thanks must go to Blessington SC, the RS committee and event sponsors, RS Ireland, for the prizes.
The next RS200/400 event is the Easterns/Southerns on the 26/27 August in Wexford Harbour, SC.
The next Feva event is August 26th and 27th at East Down Yacht Club
Results are below
