Sailing Today
Issue 13 Issue 12 Issue 11  Issue 10  Issue 9  Issue 8  Issue 7  Issue 6  Issue 5  Issue 4  Issue 3  Issue 2  Issue 1
The RS700 associations e-Newsletter - Issue 14
RS700 Breaking News... Less than 2 weeks to the biggest RS700 event of the year!!! 51 entries for the nationals and counting!!!! Latest Nationals programme included in this eNewsletter
Less than 2 weeks to the nationals... Welcome to the latest edition of RS700 Sailing Today. With less than 2 weeks until the nationals and 51 entries to date it promises to be a great event. You will find the latest programme for the event within this newsletter. LDC are sending 3 staff to the event and they will be offering a pit stop service getting your boat into top form for racing and winning. No need to book in advance - there will be slots throughout the Championship. Also in this issue we have Not another initiative and when is a bimble, not a bimble from regular contributor Ian Nolan finishing off with a full report from Weymouth, Pictures - Light wind action at Lymington!
Not another initiative! All of you should have received an email from Heather a couple of weeks ago asking you to register your details on the new Boat Register. Many of you will have read this and cried “what now” before moving onto something more interesting. A few may well have taken the couple of minutes it takes to update your information.
So why is it important? Well, we sail a very challenging class with a lot of sailors dispersed across the country, many of whom don’t belong to the association. A significant challenge for the association is to reach these people and offer support, advice and help where needed. Increasing their enjoyment and competency I see as a vital element of growing the class at club level which will have many other positive benefits going forward.
Please: Register - take the time to update your details on the register. It will only take a couple of minutes at most.   Update - If you sell or buy a boat please let us know. Encourage - If there are any 700 sailors at your club who aren’t on the register, please encourage them to get in touch. It won’t hurt! Here is the link again. http://www.rs-association.com/index.asp?fleet=RS700&selection=boatregister Cheers and good sailing. Ian Nolan
When is a bimble, not a bimble? The layman’s guide to the rules. Walking round the dinghy park and discussing boats it doesn’t take long to come across someone who isn’t clear as to what they can change on their boat and what they can’t. The rules are basically pretty simple and work around 3 clear principals.
One Design The boat is a one design and no changes are allowed to the standard LDC build unless they are specifically allowed in the rules and then only if they don’t produce a “significant performance advantage”. This ensures that the close racing which we all enjoy continues and that we don’t have to spend hours developing new systems and controls. Controlled Changes One size never fits all and we all have things we want to ‘improve’ at times on the boat. The rules allow this to a degree but only in certain specific areas. There are three types of change allowed and the items which fall into each of these categories are listed in the rules (see link below) Some items may be replaced “providing that the replacement is of a similar type and performs the same function”. These are like for like substitutions of items such as blocks or cleats which you are free to source from your favourite manufacturer   Other parts or equipment may be replaced providing that the replacement “performs a similar function”. Changes permitted under this section include such things as the use of the 2:1 halyard instead of the standard 1:1 or the personalisation of your pump handle system.   Finally a number of “additions and alterations” are permitted. ie Items not included as standard but which can be added if you want. These include things such as compasses, bottle holders and turnbuckles on your lowers.
So basically if it isn’t listed, you can’t change it and even then you need to be careful not to add functionality! If you do want to make a change and have any doubts please ask someone on the Committee for clarification before you get the drill out. A Process for Change If you have an idea which you think would improve the boat without changing performance there is a process whereby this can be introduced. The most recent example of this was the adoption of the 2:1 halyard last year which was suggested to the committee and recommended for adoption by vote at the class AGM. So if you’ve had that inspiration please let us know as we’re always open to suggestions. If we think it is a good idea we’ll put it forward for adoption at the AGM in the autumn. I hope that has helped clarify how you can work within the rules. If you have any questions about any aspect of this article please feel free to get in touch Happy Bimbling! Ian Nolan
p.s If you want to read the rules for yourself they are available on the association website under the rules/docs section. We have in fact referred to three of the documents there: The RS Class Rules which specify the one design nature of the class (rule 4) The RS700 Class Rules which defines what items can be substituted or altered (rules 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3) The RS Class Association Constitution which sets out how to introduce a change the rules (rule 11) http://www.rs-association.com/index.asp?fleet=RS700&selection=forms
RS700 Fat Face Racing Circuit - Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy The WPNSA greeted the travelling 700 sailors with a stiff 30+ knot breeze and sunshine. Boats were rigged with several helping hands needed to get the masts up. The race officer waited in vain for the wind to back back off but with no respite the decision was made to abandon for the day and retire to the delights of a local curry house. Sunday saw sixteen 700s take to the lumpy water in about 20-25knots wind and rain. Capsized boats were many before the start, but once the 500s and 600s had got away it was our turn. Given the strong winds and choppy sea, the one tack, one gybe approach was opted for by most. The racing was to be close at the front, with only four helms getting results in the top three, and one point separating the first three boats at the end of the day.
Andy White led race one at the first windward mark followed closely by Andy Irons. Phil Dickinson tacked into third from the port layline. Spinnakers went up, and a few voted for a quick swim. No place changes on the run or the next lap meant White took the gun with Irons and Dickinson not too far behind. A thunderstorm passed over the harbour before the start of Race two. White and Dickinson got the boat end at the start and went right on the beat in the lighter conditions. Again Irons got between the two at the windward mark. Dickinson passed Irons by gybing earlier, only to give it back with a poor kite drop. White was now well ahead with nobody able to challenge his massive lead. On the run though, Phil Dickinson again gybed earlier than Andy Irons to hold onto second at the finish line, with Irons third.		Photo © Gary Fitch
Race three still saw rain and flat wiring conditions, but in lighter winds and a flatter sea. A wind shift brought a strong bias to the start line and the first beat. With boats struggling to set off, White was first to mess up by getting stuck on the pin, with boats frantically tacking onto port. Dickinson also missed the line, but quickly tacked onto port ducking the starboard bunch. Again Irons led Dickinson round the windward mark, with White down the pan. Places were unchanged until the beat where Dickinson went right and led over Irons at the second windward mark. Dickinson twisted his spinnaker halyard and let Irons back into the lead, until he sorted it out and gybed left into more wind. Coming into the last leeward mark on starboard, closely followed by Peter Sanders, Irons came in from the right between the two. So on the line Dickinson took his first bullet on the circuit, Irons second and Sanders in third, enough to secure his victory of the silver fleet. White pulled back up to fourth place to put himself on equal points with Dickinson. With two wins Andy White would take the event from Dickinson on countback, with Andy Irons taking third overall.
Our thanks go to Fat Face for their continued support and to WPNSA for providing their usual efficient organisation both on and off of the water. Next stop is the Nationals at Torbay three weeks. With pre-entries up compared to the equivalent time last year and significant sponsorship this promises to be another fantastic event. See you there! Final Results Gold fleet 1st Andy White Draycote SC 2nd Phil Dickinson Queen Mary SC 3rd Andy Irons Vagrant Outcasts SC Silver Fleet 1st Peter Sanders Queen Mary SC 2nd Ian Nolan Hunstanton SC 3rd Stuart Riches Hunstanton SC		Photo © Gary Fitch
Gul RS700 National Championships 2007 2nd – 5th June - Programme
Racing Social/Other Day Start Time No of Races Event Daily Prize giving Location Time Fri 1 June     Coaching with Harvey Hillary (Pre-book only)   RTYC 1000 – 1600hrs       Registration/Measurement   Clubhouse 1830 – 1930hrs       Bar Open     1800hrs Sat 2 June 1300hrs 2 Registration/Measurement   Clubhouse 0930 – 1130hrs       Race Briefing   Clubhouse 1100hrs       RS700 Class Meeting   Clubhouse 1700hrs       Harken Sailing Supper   Clubhouse 1800-2000hrs       Happy Hour   Clubhouse 1830hrs       Daily Prizegiving Presentation to winners in Gold & Silver fleets Clubhouse 1830hrs Sun 3 June 1300hrs 3 Seminar  - Race Preparation with Paul Bayliss   Clubhouse or boatpark 1030hrs       Daily Prizegiving Presentation to winners in Gold & Silver fleets Clubhouse 1830hrs       Seasure Sailing Supper   Clubhouse 1830hrs       Seasure Go-Karting   Paignton 1930hrs Mon 4 June 1300hrs 3 Seminar – Racing Rules with Peter Fitt, International Judge   Clubhouse or boatpark 1030hr       Hyde Sailing Supper   Clubhouse 1830hrs       Daily Prizegiving  Presentation to winners in Gold & Silver fleets Clubhouse 1930hrs       Happy Hour   Clubhouse 1900hrs Tues 5 June 1030hrs 2 Championships Prizegiving   Clubhouse 1430hrs       Championship Tea   Clubhouse 1500hrs
RS700 Sailing Today is brought to you by Progressive Technology Systems Limited