Sailing Today	© www.fotoboat.com
The RS700 associations e-Newsletter - Issue 17
|Issue 01|Issue 02|Issue 03|Issue 04|Issue 05|Issue 06|Issue 07|Issue 08|Issue 09|Issue 10|Issue 11|
|Issue 12|Issue 13|Issue 14|Issue 15|Issue 16|
Issue 17 contents... RS 700 Calendar 2009 RS 700 Winter Championships 2008 Gul RS700 Inland Championship 2008 The Best thing since sliced bread? – Review of Zhik TP1 Harness Introducing the 2008/2009 RS700 Committee Datchet Newcomers Coaching Day Top Tips – Trolleys W.A.C.’s ‘On-the-spot’ Race reports Volvo Ocean Race Game Top Tips - Yahoo Group			© www.fotoboat.com
RS 700 Calendar 2009 14/15 February Winter Championships, Grafham SC 14/15 March Racing Circuit, Chew Valley Lake SC 18/19 April Racing Circuit, Hayling Island SC 9/10 May Racing Circuit, Datchet Water SC 30/31 May Racing Circuit, Weymouth & Portland NSA 4/5 July Racing Circuit, Lymington Town SC 27th-31st July Eurocup, Carnac YC, Brittany, France 15/16 August Racing Circuit, Hunstanton SC 26-29 September National Championships & Eurocup, Royal Torbay YC 24/25 October Inland Championships, Queen Mary SC		© www.fotoboat.com
RS 700 Winter Championships 2008 Oxford Sailing Club 25-26th October 2008 This was inland sailing at its best/worst depending on your point of view. You can't avoid the massive wind shifts and the random gusts, so be happy there was lots of wind rather than none! 12 Boats made the trip to Oxford SC and for two boats the start of race 1 never quite came. James Ross tried an interesting spinnaker set up and was seen fleeing for the shore in order to save race 2. Oxford local Jamie Fergusun was a touch unlucky as he wound the power on for the start his clew tie down went for an early shower. One of the major talking points after the race was a moving windward mark, enabling those that spotted it to tack early making considerable gains. Most sailors managed to practice their swim strokes at some point in this race., big gusts at seemingly random angles making life exciting if not necessarily comfortable. At the finish Nigel Walbank made the most of the conditions with Jon Heissig closing fast for 2nd. Rob Jones crept through for 3rd after swimming on the first downwind leg and going for discretion over valour; leaving the kite in the chute whilst those in front went for a swim. For the second race the relatively small size of Farmoor reservoir coupled with the strong F4/F5 winds justified the race committee setting 6 laps of the windward leeward course. The competitors viewed this with trepidation, knowing how many times that meant they were going to have to perform a direction change during the race! Left side seemed to pay off the start as there was a lift to the port lay line into the mark. Downwind was a matter of being in the right place at the right time to stay in the best winds. Jon Heissig, James Ross, Mike Dencher and Chris Wright were some of the first boats around the windward mark and jostled for the lead throughout the race with much place changing. At the sixth and final rounding of the leeward mark, Jon rounded first and crossed the line. He was followed by Mike approaching on the starboard lay line just ahead of James on the port. Mike dropped his kite and then capsized gibing around the mark, letting James through into 2nd. Mike recovered just in time to take 3rd ahead of Steve Marshall, Chris having also capsized on the downwind leg. The last race of the day followed a similar format to race 2 with the same group jostling for the lead. Lying second on the penultimate lap, Mike once again capsized at the leeward mark, this time with the kite up, after being overwhelmed by a massive gust on approach to the mark This let Jon through to chase James, who was leading the fleet. Mike recovered just ahead of Chris in 4th and these positions were held until the finish. The fleet then headed off into the centre of town and had a very acceptable evening sampling some of the local ales and making the best of the Bangers and Mash on offer, before retiring for the night. Over night the winds did howl and the rain did fall leaving a number of sailors wondering if they should have tied there boats down more securely. Sunday proved to be a change of pace with a light and shifty breeze along with miserable rain. James Ross stuck with his pin end start and gambled the left side of the course with the best of the rest taking the middle or right. Ross just scraped round in the lead but was soon rolled by Mike Dencher on the run. The fleet split and the rapid Heissig took breeze on the left to get to the leeward mark early. Jon kept the lead with Mike Dencher in second and some capsizes let Ross through to 3rd. Unfortunately the stalwart Niigel Walbank was injured out with a bruised rib. The breeze had picked up for race 5 and with it the eagerness of the fleet. The OCS gun fired as Ross pushed Mike Dencher over the line. Most of the Pin end boats including Heissig incorrectly thought they were OCS and ducked back. Ross rounded the windward mark first again (with Tony Dencher on his heels) but suffered kite issues at the leeward mark and let the chasing pack through. Steve Marshall was seen leading the race but like Ross got caught out with kite drops on the tight course. The patchy wind allowed the ever persistent Heissig to get back in and take first again. Race 6 saw a mix of boats in the action with rapid performances from Weston's Rob Jones and Ian Nolan in the mix up the beat. This regatta though was all about catching the gusts down wind. Gear failure from Jones let the usual suspects of Heissig and Dencher through whilst James Ross defended his third position counting the points. Overall Jon Heissig was just too cool in the shifty breeze to make many mistakes and took the regatta. James Ross back on form just squeezed 2nd on count back from Mike Dencher in 3rd. Chris Wright kept 4th after his slick starts on day1 to take the Silver fleet prize from Gary Austin, followed by a whole stream of boats on similar points. This Regatta shows what great 700 racing can be had on a tight inland course. Our thanks as usual go to Gul for their support and to Oxford SC who put on an exemplary event with faultless race management.
Gul RS700 Inland Championship 2008 Grafham Water October 4th & 5th 2008 Grafham Water paid host to the Fat Face and Gul sponsored RS700 Inland Championships on the weekend of the 4-5 October. This event was also shared with the RS400’s and 600’s An unfavourable forecast deterred many of the travelling regulars but those that did were treated to an awesome weekends racing. Race 1 started in a fresh southerly 20 knot breeze with Jon Heissig reaching the windward mark first followed closely by the rest of the fleet. However as the race progressed the wind increased dramatically until a recorded 37 knot squall covered the lake with large white topped waves turning the race into a survival exercise. Only 7 boats managed to finish the course, with Jon Heissig in first followed by Nigel Walbank. Ben Cooper looked to have lost a safe third place by capsizing going into the last leeward mark letting Ian Nolan through, only for Ian to return the compliment by capsizing with yards of the finish. With the wind at a steady 30+ knots and with the water littered with capsized and broken boats, the Race officer sensibly sent all fleets ashore while the now stretched rescue services recovered all those in need. When the wind had died down to a slightly more manageable 25 knots all fleets were sent out for a second race. However with the wind still gusting in excess of this and having being entertained by most of the 400’s and 600’s struggling to launch off the lee shore and then capsizing moments later, the 700 collectively decided it was too windy and adjourned to the upstairs bar to witness the show. With less than half the 400 fleet and only 4 RS600 recording finishes, the PRO called a halt to the proceedings allowing enough time for orders an emergency order for 400 masts to be sent down to LDC and rushed North on the RS rescue van. Cheers Adam! After some traditional food provided by the club the fleet settled down for a long evening of civilised drinking and traditional tall tales. The competitors awoke from their tents and cars to heavy rain and little wind, however things started to clear up during breakfast until the wind turned through 180 degrees bringing the rain clouds back for a second go before the wind started to build well in excess of the forecast. With the loss of a race the day before the fleet was sent to the racing area for a planned 4 races. Race 3 started in a brisk 20 knot breeze from the North and with most of the fleet over standing the windward mark this left Jon Heissig and Dave Gorringe with a clear gap from the pack. The two finished in that order with Gary Austin and Steve Marshall leading the chasers. In a steadily increasing wind the fleet started Race 4 and again it was Jon Heissig who lead at the first mark. The fleet was tightly bunched during the first run with quite a few casualties at the first gybe point. This gave Jon a big lead followed by Nigel Walbank and Colin Dacey from the home club. The race finished in that order with the steadily improving Ian Nolan coming home in 4th place. Back up to 25 knots for race 5 the fleet was tightly bunched at the first mark with yet again Jon Heissig at the front closely pursued by Nigel Walbank until he capsized just before the mark by missing his trapeze ring. This gave Jon a tidy lead with a close group behind lead by Sam Attril. Colin Dacey benefited from a large gust to be able to take the inside berth on the second run to gain 2nd place with Sam Attrill, Ian Nolan and Steve Marshall in close attendance. An uncharacteristically capsize by Heissig at the front gave the pursuers some hope, but he was able to recover In time to record yet another bullet with Colin Dacey in 2nd and Ian Nolan just squeezing out Sam for 3rd slot. With the wind still increasing but the energy levels decreasing the PRO made the decision to abandon the final race. This left John Heissig as the worthy RS700 2008 Inland National Champion, recording 4 straight wins with Nigel Walbank as the runner up and a rather surprised Colin Dacey edging Dave Gorringe for 3rd spot. The merit prize went to James Ross for seriously falling out of love with his boat and then making up, all in the course of 5 minutes. Thanks to Gul for their continued support and to Grafham Water Sailing Club for putting on a well run event. Aspecial vote of thanks goes to the race and rescue teams who spent long hours in all the wind and rain and to Mike Shaw from Fotoboat who downed tools to help with the recovery effort. The final event of the season will be the Gul Winter championship at Oxford Sailing club over the weekend of the 25th/26th October which will also incorporate the 2008 Fat Face circuit prizegiving.
The Best thing since sliced bread? – Review of Zhik TP1 Harness Well, there comes a time in a mans life when he needs to leave the partner who has been his closest companion over the years, sharing experiences, laughter and tears and providing support and comfort, throughout. Inevitably you move on to find a younger, smarter and better companion to travel through life’s fair journey. I am of course talking about that moment when you realise your harness is knackered and needs replacement. So far this has been a simple process for me. The Magic Marine Skiff light harness has served me reliably over my RS700 career, comfortable, light, robust and reasonably priced why would I look elsewhere?
Well, the first edition I owned was exemplary but there were a couple of things on the second which have niggled over time. Firstly, the quick release system results in a hook which is mounted quite a long way from the body and includes a step where the hook sits in a circular socket. I’ve never felt 100% secure hooking on with this system, plus you have to check before every race to ensure the quick release pin is not coming out. Secondly, for some reason the buckles on the waist adjustment have always released during the course of a race gradually reducing the lumbar support which is a real problem for me A quick look round the market revealed all the usual suspects and I was close to ordering a custom Nappy design when I noticed a new player on the block. Zhik are an Australian company who have recently launched into the European market. In terms of concept, I’d say they are close to Rooster who have built a business around technical innovation and design. They have just launched their TP1 trapeze harness onto the market, and it was this which grabbed my eye and resulted in a purchase.
Design The TP1 incorporates a lot of things which we’ve seen before on harnesses including a hidden spreader bar, adjustable lumbar pad, reinforced backside etc, However, there’s a couple of features which make this harness a unique proposition. The first of these is the double Velcro waist closure system, which allows precise and secure adjustment of the harness without using straps or buckles. This results in a low bulk, and a snag free design which retains the ability to adjust sizing as you layer up or down throughout the year (or lose weight on that diet). Secondly, there is a neoprene crutch panel which effectively spreads the load in this sensitive area.
Comfort Excellent! The Velcro closure ensures that you can synch the harness to your precise size, an enclosed spreader bar reduces the compression load on the hips and an adjustable lumbar pad which incorporate glass fibre battens’ gave excellent support to the back, as does the padded material used throughout the harness. The crutch strap is made of neoprene to ease the strain on this sensitive area and a single shoulder mounted buckle allowed quick and simple adjustment. To be honest, I put this harness on and mostly forgot about it. Job done! Quality and Durability I found absolutely nothing to fault either in terms of the quality of the design or the quality of the manufacture. The attention to detail on this harness was exemplary down to a small hole being punched into every panel, allowing water to drain out. The only real question I have is how effective the Velcro closure will be in two years time although it is not beyond the wit of man to have this replaced if needs be.
Ease of Use The design is very compact and snag free, rivalling the simplicity of the custom nappy style harness, but incorporating a lot of the comfort features and adjustability which these lack. The hook was perfectly positioned and I found it easy to hook on and off securely. Safety Interesting one here. There has been a lot of discussion regarding safety, entrapment and quick release hooks over the last few years. Many people have decried the current designs with some justification, preferring to rely on a knife to get them out of trouble. My personal belief is that it is unlikely that I could effectively use a knife whilst I’m underwater so I would prefer to rely on a quick release and keep a spare hook in the boat in case of loss. After all, even under load a hook can be released using two hands. Now, the Zhik has a good old fashioned hook which could be considered a step backwards in terms of safety. After some consideration, I am confident that in the confusion of an entrapment situation I could release the Velcro closure to either twist and free the hook, or if necessary, remove the harness completely. For this reason I am personally happy that the harness is as at least as safe as any on the market without the drawbacks of the current quick release designs. As with all safety matters, it is important that you think things through yourself, come to your own conclusions and take responsibility for your own safety at all times. Value for money At £139 rrp this is certainly not a cheap option which may turn out to be the biggest constraint on sales. For me the harness worked better than the competition and simply justifies itself on this basis. Hopefully the cost will come down somewhat as the Zhik brand becomes established in Europe, but in the mean time ……. Summary You might conclude that I’m impressed and you’d be right! This is a clean, relatively simple and effective design which results in a comfortable and easy to use harness. The Zhik TP1 therefore comes highly recommended, but at a price…..
Introducing the 2008/2009 RS700 Committee Ian Nolan – Class representative and Events Coordinator If you know me, you know me, if you don’t you’ve almost certainly read some of my output over the last couple of years, but please do say hello if you get the chance. I rarely say no to a pint. I am firmly of the opinion that if I can sail the 700, anyone can. My main target for 2009 is to replace that signature hat which has seen too many seasons use and deserves a quiet retirement. Oh, and to really focus on supporting the many newcomers to the fleet.
Alex Newton-Southon - Nationals Coordinator (Sailing Sponsorship) The class designer is still actively enjoying the boat and is even threatening to drag himself away from the three beautiful ladies in his life and do some opens next year.
Stuart Riches - Social Secretary and Nationals Coordinator (Social) Motto........works hard, trains hard (?), plays hard. Still learning the transition from Laser 1 to 700 however has more natural talent on the dance floor……..loves a port hand flyer. (Ed’s comment , trust me, Stuart is the ideal person for this role, ask anyone who has attended one of the Hunstanton socials....)
Tim Johnson – Rules Tim has sailed RS700-762 on Chew Valley Lake since 2001, when he negotiates release from his young family he has been seen at the Nationals following Paul Bayliss around the course from a respectful distance. Before taking this role the only thing Tim knew about Rules 'was that there are no Rules' so be prepared for some radical proposals including mast rams, hydralics, kites and jet packs. Although we may start by looking at adding a couple of plastic rings or move a lead or two around, the one thing that Tim promises is that he will strive to ensure that the RS700 will only get faster from his input.
Mike Dencher - e newsletters & RS News Since attending his first 700 event at Garda in 2006, Mike has been a regular 700 sailor and is gradually spending less time swimming and might even be able to sail on waves soon. Mike can be found at Chew Valley SC in between circuit events, although attendance has been reduced since recently becoming a dad. Mike will endeavour to bring the most interesting 700 news to the e newsletters and looks forward to contributions from all! Steve Marshall - Results Co-ordinator Our Welsh stalwart has some interesting ideas for the gold and silver split. Watch this space.....
Richard Allen - Fleet Development - Quality Rep Nick name: Yoda (well it was better than Friar Tuck... and his Merry fleet of...) –Seriously you have no say in your nickname. Boat: RS700 – 912 – Won the award for most tatty sail (Billy-no-mates regatta 2007) How long have you been sailing the 700? About 2 years now. Why sail the 700? It just happened. I was very happy with my RS800 but I got fed up of trying to find crew (with my reputation nobody will sail with you!) The 700 was the closest thing I could think of to the 800. How wrong was I! It’s an amazing challenge but when you get it right the grin factor is great, blasting down wind with your hair on fire at ‘oh my god’ speed. (Oh I don’t have any hair!) If a fatty like me can do it then it must be easy…		2008 Committee Meeting Garda
Pete Shaw - Class publicity Nick Name: Pirate Pete Boat: RS700 - 978 How long have you been sailing the 700? Since October 2005 Why sail the 700? I enjoy a quiet relax on the water after a busy week with hair on fire. It's pleasant having a jaunt around the lake on those windy days when others fear to venture out. Best advice: Talk a good talk. The motto for my sailing is 'The older I get the better I used to be' Mark Pollington - Coaching Coordinator and Demo Boat Mark is quite normal in this company, has a lovely wife, a beautiful daughter and a very big son! (was that OK Jack?) Sam Attrill - Southern Hemisphere rep! Yep, Sam volunteered to help out but then immediately dropped the little fact into the conversation that he was off to Auckland for 6 months to build some nice boats. Our challenge to Sam is to find the 700’s which are already down under and to get a nice photo of one! And we have plenty of things for you to do on your return,,,,, it’s not that easy to escape! Worried? I am.....
Datchet Newcomers Coaching Day 10 enthusiastic 700 sailors gathered at Datchet Water Sailing Club to attend a Newcomers coaching session led by new Class Rep. Ian Nolan. The focus of this was very much on the basic boat handling skills necessary to make it round the course. After an initial briefing in the clubhouse the team spent some time running through land based drills before taking to the water for some real time practise. Conditions were far from ideal with quite a few gusts and rain showers but everyone made progress during the course of the day, albeit after a number of swims, and came off the water smiling. Afterwards everyone retired to the lounge for a nice hot drink and the chance to review the video footage before running through a final debrief. The Coach, the Club and the Association all waived their fees so all proceeds from the event will be going to Sail4Cancer. Thanks to Datchet Water for the use of their excellent facilities and to John Bashford for providing the local co-ordination. The coaching program continues on 14/11 at Weston SC when 700 maestro Matt Humphreys will be sharing some more advanced racing skills. The top secret 2009 programme is currently under development with clandestine meetings being held in the Reading area by the classes new Coaching Rep, Mark Pollington. (Yep, we’re meeting up for a pint without the wives...) Ian Nolan
Top Tips – Trolleys Do you ever wiggle your boat from side to side to move it backwards or forwards on the trolley? If so, don’t because you could be doing some serious damage! The gunwhale profile of the 700 is quite narrow so every time you put the boat on the trolley twisted, or move the boat from side to side to reposition the boat on the trolley, you are effectively levering the gunwhale away from the hull. Most people get away with it, or at worst create one or two minor cracks. However, I have recently seen some serious delaminations where the gunwhale has effectively failed as a result of this sort of treatment. Remember, if the boat is resting on the gunwhale supports, keep it nice and square at all times. If you need to reposition the boat pick up the transom and slide the boat to where you want it.
W.A.C.’s New for 2009, the RS700 Wives and Children club. Don’t get excited, this has nothing to do with WAGS as the average 700 sailor doesn’t earn quite as much as a professional footballer, although we’re clearly just as talented! We have seen an enormous number of babies in the fleet this year (not just on the water), which has had a serious impact on the proud fathers ability to travel to open events. Now you can argue that it’s there own fault, five minutes pleasure and a lifetime to pay for it etc, but I felt we should hold out some hope for those afflicted in this way. So I’m going to propose a new RS WAC membership category, which is non fee. Meetings will be held in parallel with all of the 700 circuit events and the aim of the group is to act as a Holiday Club / support group / crèche. Anyone interested – I’m at least 50% serious on this!
‘On-the-spot’ Race reports Chris Wright has proposed the following: ‘I have an idea to help with the reports for the open meetings, unless you tell me to go away after we come off the water, I will get a Mikomi ET-858 Dictation Machine from Argos and go around the fleet and gather information as what happened on the water. The third person in the race will have to write the report and can call upon the information in the Mikomi , I can send the voice recordings by email to your phone or mailbox, we could just do the report on Saturday night and Sunday night at the club’ Sounds like a good idea, so don’t be surprised if your are interviewed on coming ashore next season!
Volvo Ocean Race Game Some of you might be interested in the online game running alongside the Volvo Ocean Race. The game allows you to navigate your own yacht around the racecourse in realtime using the wind forecasts and with a choice of sails. You can compete with over 50,000 other entrants. I have an entry called ‘Nothing really’ – if you add me as a friend you can see how I’m doing. If there is much interest, I will try to set up an RS700 group so that we can compete against each other. Go to www.volvooceanracegame.org  and register. Mike Dencher
Top Tips - Yahoo Group Are you getting the best out of the class Yahoo Group? This is a great place to talk with other people interested in the RS700 but some people can be put off by the volume of emails generated. Did you know there are four ways to use the forum: Individual Email notification: This is the default setting where you receive an email every time a message is posted on the group. The only downside of this is that for those of us with busy inboxes, the emails can at times verge on being spam.
Daily Digest: You receive one email a day which contains a summary of all the messages posted that day, which is a lot easier on your inbox. Special notices only: Receive only important email notices from the group moderator. No Emails: In this mode the group just works like a normal forum where you can either join in the chat with other people or start new threads if there’s something you want to bring up. These settings can be found by clicking the edit membership button and looking at the delivery options section
RS700 Sailing Today is brought to you by Progressive Technology Systems Limited