Christmas Greetings from Sailing Raceboats and Rooster Australia

by Richard Furneaux 22 Dec 2021 20:30 NZDT

Merry Christmas to all and a safe, prosperous New Year, Tom, Rhett and Richard.

The positives:

It has been an incredible ride since the outbreak of Covid-19. Sailing was knocked for six as sailing was off the agenda for months on end.

At the start things went abysmally quiet for us with very little in the way of sales or enquiries for boats or sailing clothing.

However things started to pick up from about July 2020 and strong demand has continued ever since. We are currently busier than we have ever been. So many, many thanks to all our customers both new and returning.

A good example of this growth is the RS Aero. There are just over two hundred sailing around Australia but over one hundred of these boats have been acquired since July 2020.

Likewise with the RS Quest where there has been seventy boats sold since July 2020 to add to the one hundred plus already being sailed in Australia.

This reflects on the evidence we are seeing that sailing clubs are seeing rapid growth in memberships and there is an appetite for local, fun and family friendly sailing.

The negative:

As I am sure most people are aware, international container shipping has been an ongoing problem for all businesses over the last eighteen months.

First of all, getting hold of a container was a big issue followed by the cost of shipping to Australia more than doubling.

With seven containers on the water with the majority of boats pre sold we are having to carry the additional shipping costs. However it will come as no surprise that our new price lists for 2022 will contain some significant increases across most of the RS Classes.

The good news is we will be holding the existing pricing for the Aero, Quest and Zest.

This will hopefully enable the tremendous growth of these classes to continue.

Other news:

Apart from the previously mentioned growth in the RS Aero and RS Quests we have seen a steady demand for the RS Zest as a training boat and fun off the beach boat.

The Zests offer tremendous value for money as they can be sailed two or three up with youngsters or as a single hander with just the main. Simple reefing round the mast means training on the water can still take place even if the day is blustery.

The World Wide Sailor (training Optimist) is also growing in numbers, proving very popular with the younger sailors because of their vibrant colours, self draining feature and all round fun boat.

It is worth repeating that Australian Sailing are using them in both Victoria and Darwin for delivering Tackers programs. They are available with plain white sails or the striped Tackers sails.

From the last shipment that came in many have been sold, so if your club is interested in adding them to your training fleet send us an email at .

The Fleet Builder discount and extended, interest free payment plan make it a great time to invest in your youth training programs.

All the details on the boat can be found on our website here. Also check out the VIDEO:

Of course we have a fully stocked online shop< for all your needs with delivery usually available within a couple of days, be it a complete boat of spare part.

Rooster News

The Rooster operation continues to grow with yearly sales steadily increasing.

The online store has a very good returns policy allied to the sizing charts available that means there is no risk in buying online.

Once again the products that top the sales charts are the sailing tops, all three types - pro lite, pro and classic. Boots and gloves also sell well as do the hiking pants, both pro and classic.

The last newsletter saw Rhett Gowans give a rundown on the Rooster gear he wears and the benefits. This time he turned to Richard, an OK dinghy sailor of no repute, with a simple question;

Rhett: "Richard, you have had your Rooster Classic Hikers for nearly nine years and you say they are showing no sign of wearing out. To what do you attribute this amazing longevity?"

Richard: "I don't hike."

As always Rooster are active in supporting clubs and classes where we can, particularly in regards to junior sailing. If you think we can help you email us at

RS Quest News

The 92nd Stonehaven Cup is about to get under way early in the New Year, hosted by the Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron.

With the spread of the RS Quests the event is attracting entries from more and more clubs. All the details here www.rmys.com.au/stonehaven-cup-2022

New Customers of note;

The Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron and the South of Perth Yacht Club have both added six RS Quests to their training fleets.

Sailing Raceboats are also delighted to announce that the Royal Australian Navy have taken the RS Quest on board for sail training and recreational use. Many boats have already been delivered around the country, with more on the way.

We are even more delighted that this joint venture has upset the French in no way at all.

RS Aero News

With events now being able to be run in various states it was great to see the RS Aeros in and amongst it. Not to be outdone the WA fleet also made a showing at the Busselton Regatta.

The Victorian fleet are busy getting active with a Travellers Series set up for the new year.

Plus, the biggest news - The RS Aero National Championships are scheduled for January 13th-16th at the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club in NSW. All the details and entry can be found here, www.rsaeroaus.org.au

The final deep and meaningful words come, as usual, from Tom, our every busy and always cheerful CEO.

"I don't want to talk about the cricket."