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The RS700 associations e-Newsletter - Issue 15
RS700 Breaking News... The next Fat Face event is this weekend at Hayling Island!!! 51 boats took part at the nationals in Torbay beating lasts years record!!!! Only 2 weeks away from the RS700 European Championships in Travemunde!!!!! Next training planned
Issue 15 contents... Grand RS Ball What happened at Hunstanton Nationals Report Pre-Nationals coaching Peter Shaw tells us about his experience at his First Nationals A comment on the nationals from Richard Allen RS700 sail4cancer Raffle – 2007 Pump handles - another variation on a theme from Ian Nolan Kite Coatings on test
Grand RS Ball - Thank You Fat Face! I am sure that all of your who were at the Grand RS Ball would like to join us in thanking Fat Face for their generous sponsorship of the best ever, total sell-out RS Ball. Fat Face provided both the excellent DJ and the Fabulous Fugg - the perfectly charismatic 8-piece band. Fat Face's help allowed us to book the spectacular venue of the Royal Navy Submarine Museum in Gosport and keep the ticket prices to a very reasonable level - Thank You Fat Face!
RS700 Fat Face Racing Circuit 4 - Hunstanton Sailing Club 23-24 June 2007 An intermittent light breeze and warm sunshine welcomed the 12 competitors to Hunstanton Sailing Club. However, keen to get things underway the fleet launched on time and gathered expectantly by the committee boat. After a short postponement the breeze stabilised and the fleet were able to start race 1. Heading right towards the ominous dark cloud was clearly the way to go and it was Andy Irons sailing slightly freer than the rest of the fleet who led round the first mark from Andy Holland, these two went on to finish in that order with Matt Humphreys sailing through the fleet on the run to take third. With storm clouds fast approaching the course the race officer had wisely shortened and the fleet dashed for the shore through the thunder, lightning, squalls and torrential rain.					© www.hunstansonsc.co.uk
After a further postponement with the fleet relaxing on shore a beautiful force 3 and brilliant sunshine arrived setting the scene for some real champagne sailing. Race 2 saw Andy Irons lead the fleet round the top mark with Matt Humphreys hard on his heels, Matt rolled Andy down the run and then lit the afterburners to pull out a substantial lead. Nigel Walbank led the chasing pack and managed to get past Andy before problems at the kite drop let him back through on the penultimate lap. Race 3 started and it was Ian Nolan who picked up a lift on the right to lead into the windward mark followed by Nigel Walbank and the rest of the fleet bunched together. Nigel took the lead down the run and was chased at the leeward mark by Matt Humphreys, these two pulled out an extensive lead on the rest of the fleet, Nigel won with Matt second and Andy Holland beating chasing pack to third.
The fleet retired to the club which had been magically transformed into a Hawaiian paradise with the aid of some serious bamboo and cardboard palm trees. Everyone enjoyed the gourmet BBQ and the occasional local ale. Sunday dawned overcast and with a chill in the wind which was blowing steadily from the southwest accompanied by a lumpy sea state to make for fun downwind. Most of the fleet went left up the beat, Matt Humphreys judged the layline right to take the lead at the top mark which he then extended to a convincing win followed by Andy Irons and Nigel Walbank. The event was fast becoming a 3 way fight between these three. It was Nigel Walbank who made the best of the first beat to lead race 5, closely followed by Matt Humphreys. Humphreys was gradually reeling in Walbank until he forgot to unhook whilst tacking and took a quick swim. Andy Irons snuck past Humphreys whilst he was recovering and these 3 places then remained the same until the finish. Going into race 6 everything was to play for with Matt Humphreys and Andy Irons very close only separated by 2 points. A port biased line saw most of the fleet queuing up at the pin end. However some late arrival’s decided to barge in, creating mayhem at the pin end. Andy Irons emerged first and popped out to lead the fleet but accompanied by cries of protest. The race was very unpredictable and shifty with the breeze dying off, Jon Heissig made the move of the day going from nearly last to first on one beat (a move that even he will admit had a lot of luck in it!) Once racing had completed Andy Irons took the sensible option and retired from the race leaving Matt Humphreys the overall winner. Our thanks go to Fat Face for their continued support and to Hunstanton for their warm welcome. We were also pleased to greet some new Faces to the circuit and hope that they enjoyed themselves. Next stop on the circuit is the spiritual home of the RS700, Hayling Island on the 7th & 8th of July. See you there! Gold fleet 1st Matt Humphreys “RoosterSailing” Weston SC 2ndNigel Walbank “Toony” Lymington Town SC 3rd Andy Irons Nomads SC Silver Fleet 1st Mike Dencher Chew Valley Lake SC 2nd Colin Dacey Grafham Water SC 3rd Ian Nolan “Sail4Cancer” Hunstanton SC					© www.hunstansonsc.co.uk   © www.hunstansonsc.co.uk
Gul RS700 Nationals 2007 - Royal Torbay Yacht Club June 2nd – 5th The big question leading up to the 2007 championship was whether Tim Johnson could refind the form that saw him vying for supremacy in the early days of the class and challenge Paul Bayliss for the championship after spending quite some time out of the circuit. What was also certain was that there were a number of people including Steve Butcher, Pete Purkiss and Matt Humphries, waiting in the wings for either of these protagonists to falter. Let the racing begin. Of equal interest was whether the team could match the extremely high quality of event after the blue riband performance put on by Eastbourne last year. The event proper started on the Friday when a free LDC sponsored coaching session had been arranged with renowned International coach Harvey Hillary.
Race Report Day 1 Glorious sunshine and a perfect 10 knot breeze welcomed the 51 competitors for race 1. Mark Nicholson led the fleet up the first beat first going hard left and then sailing to the port layline with Andy White playing the shifts up the middle in second. Mark gybed off at the top mark whilst Andy followed by Pete Purkiss, Paul Bayliss and Steve Butcher sailed on to what was the favoured side of the run and made some big gains. Andy White then proceeded to build a comprehensive lead and was never challenged with Paul Bayliss taking Steve Butcher for second and Pete Purkiss 4th. Steve Butcher spotted a shift in the line and took advantage of a gap at the pin end to port tack the fleet and led out to the favoured right hand side of the course. He continued to lead at the windward mark followed by Tim Johnson, Andy White and Paul Bayliss. Steve played the right hand side of the run and held the lead but it was Dave Smithwhite who made the biggest gains by going left down the run. Steve led Dave by 4-5 boat lengths at the final windward mark and although Dave managed to sneak through at one stage in the dying breeze, it was Steve who pulled through to take gun. The fleet gathered in the evening for a rules seminar by our RYA judge Peter Fitt and the class meeting before presenting the Seasure golden rudder stocks to the overnight leaders, Steve Butcher in the gold and Ed Reeves in the silver fleet. Everyone then enjoyed a hearty supper provided by Harken before seeking alternative amusement on the English Riviera.				© www.fotoboat.com © www.fotoboat.com
Race Report Day 2 A quite depressing scene greeted the fleet with a flat calm in Torbay. Paul Bayliss gave an excellent talk on championship preparation. Fortunately by then a light breeze had filled in and the race officer sent the fleet out to play. Paul Bayliss won the pin end and led the charge to the cliffs where there was more pressure followed by Tim Johnson and Matt Humphries. On the second beat Matt managed to take Tim Johnson and a right hand shift and almost manage to take the lead. This was the order for the remainder of the race. In race 4 it was again Steve Butcher showing some excellent form in the light conditions to lead at the windward mark from Dave Smithwhite and Andy Irons. Steve and Andy went for the gybe set allowing Dave to go for the straight hoist to sail into clearer air. Up the next beat Dave went right which allowed Andy to take the lead on a big shift only to lose it again as the wind shifted back. Andy closed again on the beat but couldn’t quite take the win. Carl Vining sailed through to take a well deserved third place. The final race of the day was started in very light conditions. The right hand side of the course paid and it was Harvey Hillary who tacked first onto the layline. However Tim Johnson sailing in from the left took the lead whilst Paul Bayliss had deliberately overstood and sailing freer took second place at the windward mark. Tim immediately gybed off and was covered by the fleet which allowed Paul to take the lead and put Harvey in close contention for second. The overnight holders of the Seasure golden stocks were Paul Bayliss in the Gold fleet and Ollie page in the Silver. The fleet then enjoyed a pasta supper in the clubhouse followed by some very competitive go-carting, all generously provided by Seasure.
Race Report Day 3 Another day, another dollar… out with the fickle Southerly breezes and in with a fitful Northerly. With bright sunshine, the fleet were keenly anticipating a great day on the water. The programme started with a very common sense and practical seminar on Championship preparation by Paul Bayliss. Come race time, the sea breeze was battling the gradient wind however, and the first race of the day started in just 5 knots of wind. Decision time. Go right for the emerging sea breeze or left for the fighting Northerly. The majority of the fleet elected to go left, with Andy Irons leading the charge for the cliffs. Halfway up the beat, what little wind there was started to shut off, and at the top mark it was Paul Bayliss going round the mark first, followed by Tim Johnson and Matt Humphries. The wind remained light down the run with the sea breeze threatening to re-emerge, giving Bayliss a huge lead. The new windward mark saw Humphries overtaking Johnson to second place in the shortened race. The second race and the wind was up, with Torbay resembling a Lake Garda with high temperatures, sun and a good F4 wind. Left was the way to go up the beats, and class chairman, Alex Newton-Southon led the charge over the left hand side of the course. Paul Bayliss read the final approach to the mark best to narrowly lead Alex down the run. From here the two boats opened an enormous lead, and the following pack of Andy White, Tim Dickenson and Steve Butcher could only watch and fight their own battles, eventually finishing in that order, with Tim Johnson just behind. The third race was just as idyllic albeit with just a little less wind, and Bayliss was again in front at the top mark, obviously enjoying the conditions. Leading the chase was Andy White and Steve Butcher, and a battle ensued downwind between these three. Despite all the antics, Bayliss remained just in front of White, with these two extending for a significant margin over the chasing boats of Dave Smithwhite, Matt Humphries and Tim Johnson. A perfect Day 3 score line therefore leaves Paul Bayliss with an unassailable lead, with only the minor placing to be fought over in the remaining two races. Tim Johnson looks set to take the runners up position, but only 2 points separate 3rd to 5th positions. Who will secure the final podium slot? Tune in tomorrow to find out what happened. The evening’s entertainment kicked off with another free meal, generously provided by Final Day 4 The final day of the 2007 Gul RS700 National Chamionships started with glorious sunshine and a Force 4 Northeasterly. The day kicked off with a rules seminar by our esteemed RYA Judge Peter Fitt who again was able to take some very confusing situations which he’d observed on the race course and bring some real clarity as to how the rules applied. We are very grateful for the contribution Peter has made to the event and the improved level of rules adherence which could be seen on the water. We weren’t bad, but now we’re better pretty much sums things up. With the windward mark under the cliffs of Torquay, the fleet could expect some testing conditions, with shifts and holes to be expected. For the first race of the day Andy Irons led at the first mark, with Tim Johnston closing him down on the first downwind leg, closely followed by Andy White and Matt Humphreys. The rest of the chasing pack was lead by Alex Southon and Steve Butcher until Butcher tacked too close to Southon and took both out for a swim. At the end of the second lap Tim Johnson and Andy Irons had a coming together, allowing Andy White through to lead to the finish followed by Andy Irons and Matt Humphreys. With the wind increasingly gusty and the sun beating down the stage was set for race 10 of 10. First to show out of the gate was Andy Irons who led at the windward mark followed by Andy White, Matt Humphreys and Steve Butcher. With Irons capsizing whilst leaping off a wave, the order stayed the same with the left handside of the course continuing to pay. At the finish line it was White, Humphreys, Butcher, Southon. The fleet rolled onto the shore happy but tired before retiring to the club house for the free championship Cream Tea and the prizegiving. There was something for everyone, with free Gul multitools for every competitor, generous prizes spread throughout the gold and silver fleets and C2 vouchers for the furthest travellers. And finally the class presented a Fotoboat print from Day 1 signed by all of the competitors to the club as a momento of the championship. Many thanks to the team at Royal Torbay YC for putting on such an excellent event. Professional race management with a friendly and pragmatic approach off the water are always a great mix and sure to succeed. Gul continue to provide excellent support and the onsite support was a very welcome addition to the event. In addition we must thank the supporting sponsors, Seasure, Harken, Hyde, C2 Marine and LDC for helping to make this one of the best value events many of the competitors had experienced. So with Paul Bayliss once again crowned as 2007 National Champion, the question remains open, who will challenge this man? Roll on Travemunde!					© www.fotoboat.com © www.fotoboat.com © www.fotoboat.com © www.fotoboat.com © www.fotoboat.com © www.fotoboat.com
Pre-Nationals coaching written by Tom Offer “Whilst the standard of sailing in the RS 700 is generally very high we can all benefit from some coaching if only to get an external perspective and in this case some video evidence to see what we are actually doing rather than what we think we are doing…. A few sailors took an extra day off work and arrived a early for the RS700 Nationals at Torbay in order to benefit from a days free coaching from performance sail coach Harvey Hillary laid on by LDC Racing sailboats.
Having rigged our boats in glorious sunshine and little wind the day started with a classroom session to work out what people wanted to cover and to get the theory sorted out. “Starting” was high on most of the attendees’ agenda along with other boat handling bits and pieces and with a group incorporating a full range of the fleets shapes, sizes, weights and differing abilities (as is typical in the weight equalised 700) there was something in there for everyone. We got on the water in the early afternoon to make the most of the sea breeze that was on offer and to try to put some of the theory into practise. We did a number of starts to exercise our newly acquired multiple transit skills and a few practise races which gave Harvey the opportunity to record some video evidence of our misdemeanours which we took back to the classroom for a good laugh and some all important learning.					© www.fotoboat.com
All new skills require some practise before you can use them in anger and the Coach was well aware of the dangers of changing major elements of technique the day before the Nationals but we all went away with something to keep in our minds to avoid bad habits whilst racing in the hope that it will improve our results. “
Peter Shaw(GBR732) tells us about his experience at his First Nationals “Having started sailing the RS 700 some 18 months ago, my club rep. from Carsington Richard Allen applied some gentle pressure to continue to develop my racing skills by suggesting an outing to the Nationals. I succumbed. Prior to the event during discussion with some of our ‘club veterans’ much advice was offered on start line tactics and some were even bold enough to suggest probable final positions in the overall results.
Filled with this confidence, I ventured onto the water at Torbay looking for a reasonable result for the first days racing. 10 knots of breeze from the southwest – ideal conditions. The rather arrogant expectation was for some sailors to be excellent, the majority Ok and the rest a bit average. When the fleet gathered for the first race it was evident that this was not the case, almost without exception, every boat was bolt upright with helms fully wiring, not crashing and burning as previously experienced at home. The start line was nothing like I had expected either – ‘Gaps always open about 2/3rds down the line and so always start on starboard’, there were no gaps for me! However few competitors indicated any irritation at the incompetence I displayed – obviously everyone is acutely aware of the vagaries of the single-handed high performance boats. The races came and went, the conditions varied from 4 knots on the second day to a final 22 knots recorded on the last day. For ‘Pond’ sailors the sea state added another exciting dimension. Being a new boy to the RS circuit I was apprehensive, this apprehension was totally misplaced, the atmosphere both on and off the water was extremely encouraging and the event proved to be most enjoyable and educational. The social in the evenings was measured, allowing for reflection on the days activities, however several of the more adventurous (Hunstanton contingent) couldn’t resist clubbing the night away. If you are considering a venture onto the RS circuit, but are holding back due to apprehension or inexperience, I would suggest reconsideration. The support offered at these Nationals was second to none, with a buddy system designed to assist those with less knowledge offering advice on rig set-up and race planning. I didn’t achieve the result I had hoped for, but was more than happy with 43rd. The whole experience has developed my enthusiasm for the competitive aspect of the RS circuit and already I am planning to get to Garda next year..”					© www.fotoboat.com © www.fotoboat.com
And finally a comment from Richard Allen (GBR912) “I can safely say that was the best event I have ever been to. I owe particular thanks to my buddy Tim Johnson who made time between races to talk things over, his advice really made a difference.”
RS700 sail4cancer Raffle – 2007 Following the success of the raffle held at the 2006 Nationals in Eastbourne, the RS700 class will again be holding a draw in aid of the charity Sail4Cancer. In order to open the event up to as many 700 sailors as possible, tickets will be on sale throughout the season with the prize draw being held during the Inland championships at Northampton on 20 October. The prize fund is even bigger than last years with many thanks for the continued and generous support going to Hyde, LDC and Seasure.
1st Prize consisting of: 1 x RS700 Spinnaker from Hyde, Gaastra gloves, Seasure Tiller Extension 2 x 2nd Prizes : Seasure Tiller Extension, LDC Dry Top, Set of Aquastraps, LDC Gripper gloves 2 x 3rd Prizes: Gaastra Skiff Harness, LDC all purpose Cag, Gul Buoyancy Aid, Gaastra Gloves 1 x 4th: Henri Lloyd Storm Duffel bag, Gaastra Gloves, Watch Strap 5 x 5th Prizes: Gaastra Sailing Bag, Gaastra Gloves, Watch Strap					© www.hunstansonsc.co.uk
Tickets will be on sale at events from Ian Nolan GBR960 or can be obtained directly from the RS Association via Heather Chipperfield by sending £10/ticket with your address to “Sail4Cancer”, East Hayes, Grove Road, Lymington, Hants. SO41 3RN The draw is open to anyone, whether or not they are a member of the UK Association, so please tell your friends. www.sail4cancer.org www.rs-association.com
Pump handles - another variation on a theme. We covered a couple of popular methods for attaching your pump handles in the ‘e’ newsletter last year. However, I personally always had problems tripping over the elastic led across the boat so I’ve been using the following system on my boat for quite some time.
The system consists of: A length of dyneema spliced to the pump block and led out to the mainsheet bridle deck eye. A round trapeze handle held about 15 cm from the block by a knot with taped wrapped round the dyneema to form a protective handle. A small 2mm elastic takeaway dead ended to the dyneema with a stopper ball and led forward to the deckeye in front of the mast step. The key set-up point with this system is to ensure the dyneema is just long enough so that the handle lies flat in the boat without pulling on the halyard. The same set-up is used on both the hoist and drop handles. The main advantages for me are:   Pump handle held in place avoiding halyard twists. No elastic crossing the boat at ankle height to trip over. The two sides are independent, when you pump the up, you don’t also pump the down at the same time. Cheers and good sailing Ian Nolan
Kite Coatings on test. For years now there have been a number of people who have used tent proofing products to try and breath some life into their older kites. I’ve even seen some people go down the more expensive and very short-lived route of Mclubing their spinnaker. I’ve always had my doubts as to the value of these methods so it was with quite a bit of interest that I noticed the Holmenkol product range appearing on the market last year.
So why bother? Well there are a number of obvious potential advantages to be had by re-proofing your kite related to the avoidance of water take-up and reduction in friction. The sail flies better as it’s lighter. The sail sets faster after hoists and most importantly gybes as it doesn’t stick to itself or the forestay. There is less friction involved in the hoist and drop process
				Why do they work? Quoting straight from the Holmenkol brochure here. “Holmenkol coatings are made from tiny nano particles which bond at a molecular level to the surface of the material they are being applied to. During this process the particles organize themselves to completely cover the surface. “ and…. “Standard protective coatings are made up of large particles which sit randomly on the surface to be protected, leaving exposed areas. There is no inter-particle bonding nor bonding to the surface because of size and chemistry.”
That’s all well and good but I’m not really 100% sure why these coatings work but one of our members offered the following perspective. ”I suspect the nano technology that Holmenkol are referring to is similar to the developing area, within technical textiles, of modification of surface properties. The basis for much of the recent water / stain repellant developments has been centred on emulating the surface properties of the lotus leaf, which because of its surface properties causes water to bead rather than be adsorbed on to the surface. It does this by creating a small contact angle between surface and the water droplet. “ And do they work? A quick request for information on the Yahoo group brought a rapid response from people happy to share their experiences. The results were remarkably consistent so I’ve included a few here.. On really old kites: I used Fabsil and it was definitely better, though not as good as new. It retained less water on a bad drop, and was crisper through the gybe. I used Fabsil on an old kite and it worked very well indeed. The kite was definitely less absorbent and went up and down far easier. I had a go using "Nikwax TX.Direct Wash-in" - After application the kite was shedding water like new and was really waxy and slippery. I found that after a couple of outings it seemed to be back to normal, so it had either all washed back out again or it lost it's effect some other way. I stuck some seal and glide onto my 5 year old kite in the hope that I could stop it soaking up water and revive it for training and club racing. The improvement was incredible, it did not soak up hardly any water and the really good thing was that it has lasted for at least 6 months now, compared with the old fabsil coating which lasted about two weekends. I applied the Holmenkol Seal'n'Glide to my spinnaker a week before the nationals, as much as it became blindingly obvious that my spinnaker was past its best and wasn't good enough to compete at the nationals the Seal'n'Glide coating did certainly make a difference. The friction of pulling the kite in was definitely reduced and its initial water repellency vastly improved. I'm not sure about the durability of the finish yet but by the end of the nationals it wasn't looking particularly water repellant. On mid life kites (1-2 seasons old) I’ve used both on RS800 kites. Fabsil is OK, but I don’t think you get that much improvement. Last month we put SealnGlide on a mediocre kite and the most noticeable difference was when putting the kite into it’s sail bag. It trapped the air like a new one does making it harder to put away, which from a power perspective is a good thing. We haven’t used SealnGlide long enough to comment on how long it will last. I have applied both products to mid life kites. The Fabsil did result in some improvement in shedding water but the effect was fairly short lived. The Holmenkol showed an improvement all round in terms of both water proofing and reduced friction. The effect appears to be lasting well although it’s only a couple of month’s since application. On new kites I applied Holmenkol to my new kite which I think has reduced the friction during the hoist and drop process. New kites naturally shed water well so I didn’t see any change there and it’s too early to say how long this will last. Application Methods vary depending on the product and your patience. Some recommend using a spray, other a gentle sponge or there is always the quick and easy soak in a bucket approach. If you are a sea sailor it’s well worth giving the sail a freshwater soak to remove salt first. One small comment of the Homenkol product was that the recommendation is to coat one side, allow the sail to dry and then treat the other. With the product being a two pack system and having an ‘in bucket’ shelf life of 2-3 hours you really need to mix up half the pack at a time which can be quite fiddly to do accurately. A translucent pack with some measuring marks would have been helpful here. In summary: Fabsil appears to offer some improvements in terms of water repellence with the effect being more pronounced with really old kites. However, be prepared to re-apply frequently as the effect can be very short lived although £12 buys you enough for 2-3 applications. Holmenkol brings improvements both in terms of water resistance and reduced friction to kites of any age. There whether new or old and appears to be significantly more durable lasting up to 6 months. The cost at £30 is higher but in my mind well worth the extra. And finally….. Each of the treatments provides plenty of solution to coat your 700 kite so what do you do with the leftover? Some obvious targets include the spinnaker sock, tell tales, bolt ropes, clew straps and even the forestay cover, but be careful. “The final problem I had was because I had taken my trainers off to whilst applying the coating to the sail, when I put them back on I still had some of the coating on my hands which now means that my shoe laces won't stay tied.” Alastair Shires from Contender UK... “Thanks for the fairly presented article. I appreciate the translucent bottle comments and will take this up with Holmenkol to see what can be done in the future. I personally always mix by ratio, 1 part to 4 parts etc. so you can mix up smaller quantities. With regards to the durability of Holmenkol, it really does last well, but I know I would say that! This is because of the mutli layer nano coating which is created that physically attaches it self to the surface This cannot be "washed" off and is only "removed" through abrasion……..” Anyone can download our own Holmenkol PDF brochure which gives a much more detailed set of application tips than come on the Holmenkol box from our website at www.contender.co.uk  I would recommend following our "mix and tips" in our brochure.
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