Sixth RC1000 Regatta at Royal Western Yacht Club
by Jon Harris 19 Oct 2022 01:05 NZDT
8-9 October 2022
RC1000 sixth regatta of 2022 in Plymouth © Mark Smith / Agile Air
The RC1000 class completed its final championship weekend of 2022 with event 6 held over the 8th - 9th October, and another good turnout of boats from across the south west.
Race Officer Chris Arscott and his team from the Royal Western YC worked hard on devising courses in mixed conditions, whilst elsewhere, the fleet was joined by videographer Mark Smith from Agile Air, capturing film and stills imagery from the skies above Plymouth Sound and Nicola Davies photgraphing from the waterline.
The weekend started with Altura already clear ahead in the series, leaving Men Behaving Badly and Jump n Shout, the two A35's, and Muskox the X362 to scrap it out for the final places. Men Behaving Badly survived a coming together with a crab pot near the start line, only to have to complete a downwind leg hampered with a badly knotted kite after an emergency repair.
Jump n Shout led the fleet predominantly, on one leg managing to recover from a bad broach after a difficult jibe only to be alerted to a crew member with her hair caught, which rapidly got released when the call for a knife was made..! Pete Rowe, skipper of Ju Kyu commented, "it was a game of two halves, placid champagne drifting conditions on Saturday and a breezy bumpy challenge on Sunday, something for everyone and really showed our dirty bottom up".
Tom Dunstan, Skipper of 'Little Wing', a Sunfast 3200, at his second RC event said, "this was our second RC1000 event, and the standard of sailing is very high, but it's proving great fun with lots of close racing, where every tweak and mistake has an immediate effect on boat speed. With so many Clubs struggling to maintain competitive racing fleets, the RC1000 class is a real bright in the South West. We're looking forward to more of the same next year."
Final results of Regatta 6: 1st: JnS, 2nd: Bandit and 3rd: Altura. This overall series winner being Altura, with Jump n Shout coming second and Men Behaving Badly finishing third. Next stop the Class Prize Giving on 19th November at the Royal Western Yacht Club.
The RC1000 Class has attracted interest from 14 boats from across South West throughout the season. Its 'usp' of close competitive racing is proving attractive for local racers. But while the Class attracts boats, Skipper/owners struggle to find crew. If you know someone who wants to go racing, get in touch, the Class will find you a place!
Next year, the RC1000 Class is adding a National Championship over weekend on 22/23 July in Plymouth. This event will count towards the 2023 series results and will also be a stand-alone IRC event, giving not just the local boats but all out of port boats which fit into the RC1000 category a chance of some close competitive racing.
The RC1000 Class is extremely grateful for the sponsorship of Salcombe Gin and the continued support of local South West business: Freshwave IT & Web, AllSpars, Ullman Sails, PR Systems Marine Electronics, The Chandlery Plymouth, Stoneways Insurance, the Royal Western YC and Paul Gibbins Photography. With an established committee, a class constitution and funding, the RC1000 continues to develop solid foundations to grow and create close competitive yacht racing in the South West.
Class website: rc1000.org