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The RS700 associations e-Newsletter					July 2006 edition
RS700 Breaking News... The RS Ball 2006 dates are now set! The biggest turnout ever for an RS700 Nationals compete at Eastbourne! Less than 1 month to Garda! Next Fat Face event is Lymington  SC on the 8th and 9th July!
What a Nationals... Welcome to the July 2006 edition of RS700 Sailing Today. This month we have news on the RS Ball,  sail care from Hyde Sails, a full nationals report, training at Queen Mary's, a preview on Lymington Town and an article on spicing!! Click the bookmarks below to go directly to the article you want to read. GUL RS Racing Sprint Champs and RS Ball Lymington Town Sleek sheets 2006 GUL National Championship report Training report from Queen Mary An article on General Sail care from Hyde Sails With 51 boats at the nationals, the biggest entry ever for the RS700, sunshine, breeze and happy hour  every day - what more could a sailor ask for!!! As one sailor commented on the yahoo forum afterwards "Mondays racing in the breeze, waves and sunshine is what 700 sailing is all about and made the event such a blast". On behalf of all of the RS700 sailors who took part a big thanks  to Eastbourne Sovereign Sailing Club for putting on a great event! We would also like to say a big thank you to our sponsors GUL, Hyde Sails, RMW Marine, LDC and Dinghy Sailing Magazine. So the RS700's next stop is Lymington Town on the 8th & 9th July followed by Lake Garda!!! Click here to see the Garda entry list so far!! Duncan Ellis GBR907 [email protected]
GUL RS Racing Sprint Champs and RS Ball, 2006 For 2006 ....   A brand new event for the RS fleets!   And a date for the 2006 RS Ball for those of you worrying that you'd heard nothing to date. Saturday November 4th - Rutland Sailing Club & Barnsdale Lodge Hotel The Sprint Champs will be a series of short (15-20 minute) races in flights of 10 boats in separate fleets, with a complicated scoring system, finishing off with flight finals.   Something very different, excellent racing and spectating, and great prizes, courtesy of GUL. The RS Racing  Ball will be held 3 miles from Rutland SC at the Barnsdale Lodge, a beautiful 18th century privately owned hotel.    There will be the normal revelry of band, disco, 4 course dinner, bar extension, and maybe even a few fireworks ...   Dress will be black tie. The Sprint Champs will cost approximately £10/boat in advance, and will double for entries received after 14th October.   The RS Ball is £25 per person, tickets must be booked by 14th October via the RS Office at East Hayes, Grove Road, Lymington, SO41 3RN.   There is lovely, plush accommodation at the Barnsdale Lodge from £40/person., and dormitories at Rutland SC from £12/person, and lots in between.  See the RS website under events for more details.   Put it in your diary now!   And don't forget to book in ...
RS Open, Lymington Town SC, 8th and 9th July. Lymington Town Sailing club was established in 1946, when a group of enthusiasts took over some of the bathhouse, built with the adjacent sea water swimming pool.  Over the years it has been improved with the addition of bars, toilets and a balcony that gives a superb view of the western Solent across to the Isle of Wight.  Launching off a slipway into Lymington River allows access to the Solent at any state of the tide, and sharing the river with the Isle of Wight ferry is rarely an issue with considerate Captains (nearly always!) and plenty of passing space on either side. Once launched, it is about a 10 minute sail into the Solent itself.  The western Solent generally gets the best wind in the area, with sea breezes funnelling in past Hurst Castle and the Needles at up to 20 knots in the right conditions.  Racing is predominantly tidally orientated, and with a good wind against tide the famous “Solent chop” is guaranteed to add anther factor into gybing strategy. Club racing is divided into three main fleets: fast medium and slow.  Fast predominantly consists of RS boats, mainly 700s and 800s, medium mainly Wayfarers and Lasers.  The Wednesday evening series is best attended, and at the front end very competitive.  Racing is also available Sunday mornings, with teaching / training Saturday afternoons.  Racing is open to the neighbouring Royal Lymington Yacht Club members to join in, and vice versa for their Monday evening series. Event planning for the RS open has been relatively smooth due to the experience available, and the friendly club is fully committed from the very top to making it a great event (catch Sailing Commodore Walbank if you can!). The club has two bars, upstairs and downstairs, with plenty of room for a Saturday night disco, and a barbecue is planned for the evening, run by the club catering (please buy tickets when entering). A briefing is scheduled for 11:30, first start not before 1300 on Saturday.  Launching can be busy, so best to turn up early! Jon Heissig
Sleek Sheets When you realise how easy it is to splice modern ropes using a fid, the opportunities become endless.  Here are a few ideas which will just make your boat that little bit sleeker.
Mainsheet Rather than tying a simple bowline through the block, pull out some of the inner, do a simple eye splice and then replace the cover, trimming if necessary. Then secure the whole thing by sewing through with some sailmakers twine. There is no excuse for not getting down block to block with this set-up. At the other end, to avoid another knot joining in the general mainsheet/ kite sheet tangle, shorten the mainsheet inner by 100mm, splice the elastic to the end of this and pass the whole up inside the outer again finishing off by sewing through with sailmakers twine.
Kite Sheets Again with the objective of keeping the cockpit area as free of clutter as possible, how about this as a neat way to join you kite sheet tails. At one end, form an eye by pulling out some of the inner, do a simple eye splice and then replace the cover, trimming if necessary. At the other end cut back the outer to leave a short 50mm tail. Secure everything by sewing through with sailmakers twine.
Join your sheets using a sheet bend.
And finally tape over the whole thing to give a very clean finish - NEAT Ian Nolan
2006 GUL National Championships Report The final day of the 2006 dawned once again with bright sunshine and a shifty force 1-2 blowing from the East and a slight sea running. Paul Bayliss had a commanding lead and looked certain to take the championship. However in theory there was a mathematical chance that either Andy White or Peter Purkiss could beat him. All he needed to do was achieve a top six finish to put the championship away. The fight for second place on the other hand was well and truly joined as Pete and Andy were tied on 25 points with similar discards. The racing started on time and it was Matt Humphreys who led off the line and built a comfortable lead in the shifty conditions to take his first win of the championship. Paul Bayliss was sailing conservatively in second place, trying hard to avoid any confrontations. This allowed Leigh Albrecht to blast through at the end of the second run to take second place with Paul coming in a championship winning third place, Andy White fourth and Andy Holland fifth. Pete Purkiss was struggling a little with the conditions and put in a ninth place leaving the advantage firmly with Andy White to take the runner up’s spot in the championship. The final race saw Jon Heissig win the start from the port end of the line from where he charged out to the left hand side of the course and was able to tack early and cross the fleet. He then benefited from a slight wind bend and the effect of the tide to be lifted up to the windward mark into a lead, which was never bettered. Just behind, local hero Alex Koukourakis and Andy Irons were enjoying a titanic struggle throughout the race, which Alex finally won, only to find he was OCS. However it was a fast charging Pete Purkiss recovering through the fleet who passed this duo to take second spot. Unfortunately for Pete, Andy White was not far enough behind, finishing fourth and taking the second place overall. A very tired but happy fleet retired to the shore to pack up and reflect on a great championship before enjoying a traditional sandwich and cake, tea before the Prizegiving by the Mayor of Eastbourne. The club were presented with a print from Day 1 of the championship signed by all of the competitors as a token of our thanks for running such a fantastic event, In the Silver fleet a very popular winner was Stuart Riches who had found another gear for the championship and just took the title from a hard charging Alex Southon. First Lady was Nicky Griffin, although we were all really impressed with how well Bonnie Moody had handled the boat her first event in the class. First Junior - Ned McNulty First Master - Pete Purkiss The Merit Prize went to Mark Nicholson Furthest traveller went to Achim Kreuzer from Hamburg The draw in support of the classes adopted charity Sail 4 Cancer was won by Griff Tanner who will receive a brand new spinnaker courtesy of Hyde. The class was able to raise over £800 which will be going directly to support this worthwhile cause. Our thanks go to Hyde, LDC, Fat Face and Dinghy Sailing Magazine for supporting us by donating prizes. So what is the formula for a great event? A committed, friendly and well organised club in a great sailing location. Professional and efficient race management and the best shore team in the business Some real quality coaching from Paul Bayliss and our RYA judge Peter Fitt. A record-breaking entry of 51 sailors determined to have a great time on and off the water sailing one of the most exciting and challenging boats around. Fantastic support from the event sponsors, Gul, Hyde, Harken, RMW, LDC and Dinghy Sailing Magazine to whom we extend our thanks On site technical support from LDC. A well organised and full social program Great weather and a variety of challenging conditions. I think everyone agreed that all the boxes were ticked and that this was one of the best championships ever. Definitely one for the scrapbook! Pictures courtesy of Eastbourne Sovereign SC
Paul Bayliss - 2006 RS700 National Champion				Stuart Riches - 2006 RS700 Silver Champion
Overall Results: Pos Fleet Sail No Helm Club R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 R7 R8 R9 R10 Pts 1st Gold 875 Paul Bayliss Portchester SC 4 1 3 8 1 2 1 -15 3 (DNC) 23 2nd Gold 900 Andy White Draycote Water SC 2 13 6 -18 -18 1 2 1 4 5 34 3rd Gold 761 Pete Purkiss (M) Brightlingsea SC & Grafham 3 6 4 1 5 6 (52.0 DNF) -17 9 2 36 4th Gold 923 Anthony Yorke Northampton SC 12 3 -14 9 -17 3 6 5 7 6 51 5th Gold 951 Stephen Butcher HISC 1 5 1 -16 9 7 8 6 15 (52.0 DSQ) 52 6th Gold 913 Alex Koukourakis Eastbourne Sovereign SC 7 7 12 3 3 -14 10 12 8 (52.0 OCS) 62 7th Gold 823 Andy Irons   -17 15 8 -19 4 5 7 4 16 3 62 8th Gold 926 Neil Robinson (M) M.R.S.C. 9 4 -30 7 -24 4 3 3 19 15 64 9th Gold 9031 Tim Dickinson HISC -13 2 7 2 6 12 13 (52.0 OCS) 12 11 65 10th Gold 933 Matthew Humphrey Weston SC -24 17 2 4 2 -29 11 23 1 7 67 11th Gold 92 Andy Peake Eastbourne Sovereign SC 5 11 10 -12 -12 11 9 7 6 8 67 12th Gold 882 Jonathan Heissig Lymington Town SC -28 14 -18 15 14 10 5 2 10 1 71 13th Gold 939 Leigh Albrecht QMSC -25 8 5 6 10 13 -23 11 2 18 73 14th Gold 922 Dave Smithwhite (M) HISC 14 19 15 11 20 -22 -24 8 11 4 102 15th Gold 944 David Cummins QMSC 8 12 -21 13 11 18 12 10 (52.0 DNF) 21 105 16th Gold 959 Chritian Brandt BSC Hamburg 10 -29 11 10 19 8 18 (52.0 DNS) 14 20 110 17th Gold 806 Nicky Griffin (L) HISC 19 24 17 21 13 -31 -34 18 20 10 142 18th Gold 834 Tom Offer Chew Valley Lake SC 26 10 -38 -30 22 17 29 14 22 9 149 19th Gold 941 Rob Chaplin QMSC 11 16 -40 28 -30 21 14 28 21 14 153 20th Gold 906 Andy Holland Hunstanton SC 23 20 27 -35 21 19 19 (52.0 DNS) 5 23 157 21st Gold 907 Duncan Ellis Hunstanton SC -32 22 23 17 16 26 22 16 -35 16 158 22nd Silver 767 Stuart Riches Hunstanton SC 18 27 -36 20 26 23 17 9 -37 26 166 23rd Silver 927 Alex Souton QMSC 20 23 26 27 -29 15 -35 13 26 19 169 24th Gold 890 Ian Swann HISC 34 -43 24 22 -38 9 4 30 29 25 177 25th Gold 962 Steve Marshall (M) Corus SC -33 30 20 -34 25 20 27 20 23 12 177 26th Silver 741 Ned McNulty Hill Head SC 37 26 22 33 8 (52.0 DNS) 21 (52.0 DNF) 17 17 181 27th Gold 776 Griff Tanner QMSC 16 21 16 5 15 25 36 (52.0 DNS) (DNC) DNC 186 28th Silver 831 Mark Nicholson HISC 29 35 13 26 -40 16 20 26 36 (DNC) 201 29th Gold 861 Eddie Gatehouse Chichester YC (52.0 DNF) -38 31 14 37 24 30 21 25 28 210 30th Gold 841 Richard Smith Stone SC 27 28 44 40 28 (52.0 DNF) 25 (52.0 OCS) 13 13 218 31st Gold 963 Mark Pollington Burghfield SC -38 25 25 38 31 27 15 (52.0 OCS) 34 32 227 32nd Silver 840 Dan Azzopardi QMSC 15 18 33 44 33 28 (52.0 DNF) (DNC) 28 30 229 33rd Gold 902 David Gorringe Lymington Town SC 6 44 39 25 34 (52.0 DNF) 32 19 (52.0 DNF) 31 230 34th Silver 792 Achim Kreuzer BSC Hamburg (DNC) 41 -49 24 35 36 26 24 24 24 234 35th Gold 961 David Geal (M) Eastbourne Sovereign SC 21 9 35 32 (52.0 DNS) (DNC) DNC DNC 18 36 255 36th Silver 960 Ian Nolan Hunstanton SC 30 32 34 -41 36 32 33 25 -38 35 257 37th Silver 934 Matthew Stark HISC 40 40 29 29 41 (52.0 DNF) (DNC) 29 27 29 264 38th Silver 743 Nick Lowe Port Dinorwic SC 22 36 9 31 32 33 (52.0 DNF) (DNC) 52.0 DNF DNC 267 39th Silver 798 Nick Rawlings (M) HISC 36 39 19 37 27 (52.0 DNF) (DNC) DNC 30 27 267 40th Silver 945 Jonathon Cameron QMSC 41 42 -47 42 -46 35 31 27 32 34 284 41st Silver 873 Adam Golding HISC 42 37 28 23 39 (52.0 DNF) (DNC) DNC 33 33 287 42nd Silver 880 Howard Edwards QMSC 46 31 45 43 (52.0 DNS) 39 16 (52.0 DNF) 31 39 290 43rd Silver 811 Mark Tanner Eastbourne Sovereign SC 44 -46 43 -46 43 34 28 22 40 38 292 44th Silver 950 Tim Garvin QMSC 31 34 42 39 7 (52.0 DNF) (DNC) DNC 52.0 DNF DNC 309 45th Silver 868 Matthew Conner QMSC 35 33 48 36 23 30 (DNC) (DNC) DNC DNC 309 46th Silver 940 Howard Smith Chew Valley Lake SC 39 (52.0 DNF) 32 48 42 38 (DNC) DNC 41 22 314 47th Silver 726 Tim Royall Mounts Bay SC 45 (52.0 DNF) 41 49 44 37 (52.0 DNF) DNC 39 37 344 48th Silver 778 Andy Scott Chew Valley Lake SC 43 47 50 47 47 (52.0 DNF) (DNC) DNC 42 40 368 49th Silver 740 Jason May Mounts Bay SC 47 48 46 45 45 (52.0 DNS) (DNC) DNC 43 52.0 DNF 378 50th Silver 891 Bonnie Moody (L) Lymington Town SC (52.0 DNF) 45 37 50 (52.0 DNS) DNC DNC DNC DNC DNC 392 51st Silver 969 Martin Millar   (DNC) (DNC) DNC DNC DNC DNC DNC DNC DNC DNC 416
Training at Queen Mary The RS700 Training event at Queen Mary SC dawned overcast, but with a steady F3-4 blowing - ideal for learning those essential boat handling skills. The day alternated shore based theory & de-briefs with practical on the water sessions. Coaching was provided by Matt Humphreys (ex-RS600 Nationals champion & top RS700 sailor). Session 1 focused on boat set up and the theory of keeping the boat moving through both tacks & gybes.  Session 2 moved out on the the water to try and put theory in to practise - with Matt providing advice and feedback from the safety boat. Lunch provided the opportunity for an effective debrief by Matt.  Session 3 was back on the water, going around a windward / leeward course doing as many tacks, gybes, hoists & drops as possible, while apply the practise identified over lunch.  This session was also being videoed, which is a very effective tool for seeing what works (and what doesn't!) through a manoeuvre.  Session 4 was back to the club house to go through the video footage and review the key points of boat handling again.  The day proved to be very useful for all 700 sailors who attended, with individuals having key coaching points identified to improve their boat handling skills.  Many thanks to Matt Humphreys for his very professional and positive coaching of the group, and thanks to fellow 700 sailor Danny Azzopardi for taking the video footage." Howard Smith
General Sail Care Although this article is not specific to RS700 sailors you may find some points of interest. With Thanks to Hyde Sails for allowing the RS Association to re use this article During the Season At the end of any sail, may it be a three week cruise or a round the cans race, you have to decide how to store your sails until the next time. We are lucky that modern materials are resistant to moisture and salt crystals, and they can be left on the boat for the duration of the season without incurring unnecessary wear and tear. But if you do have the opportunity to rinse them in this period you should always take it. Salt holds moisture into the cloth, and the crystals will chafe the fibres. Also, glued sails degrade quickly when left wet in the bottom of the boat. Sails made from any cloth are best rolled, as this does less damage to the cloth finish than the creasing that is inevitably involved in folding or flaking sails. Roller furler systems have this advantage, although it does mean the sail is left to the battering of the elements while it is up there, particularly sunlight. That's the importance of the sunstrip. If you leave the sail on the furler make sure you ease the halyard tension, otherwise you can permanently stretch the sail. You should never leave a sail on the furler unless it has a sunstrip fitted, even for one night. If you take your sails off the spars, roll them if at all possible, and get bags big enough that they don't need any further folding. If they are stored down below, politely ask your crew and guests to avoid sitting or standing on them as much as possible! The one sailcloth material that is badly affected by moisture is nylon; it loses strength and changes shape when wet. Because sails take longer to dry when salty, the best treatment for a nylon spinnaker is to take it home each time and rinse it on the drive or lawn. Alternatively, leaving the sail loose out of the bag in the forepeak is the next best thing. Don't hang sails in the rigging to dry them, unless it is completely calm - the flogging does more damage than leaving them wet! Incidentally, none of the materials like excessive heat, so avoid leaving them in a car in the middle of the summer. At the end of the year Although sails can mostly be left to their own devices during the summer season, it is well worth storing them properly for the winter lay-up, as even hard wearing modern materials will not take kindly to being left damp, salty, dirty and creased for six months. The main rules are to rinse and dry the sails, then leave them loosely rolled. Wash them if possible - some dirt, like rust, can be corrosive. Once clean store them somewhere dry, cool and out of the sun. Hyde Sails offer a winter valet service that will take these jobs off your hands. In addition they will check for routine maintenance, which is outlined in the following section, and do any necessary repairs. Maintenance At the end of any season's sailing you should have a good look at your sails to see if there are any areas that need work. And it's a good idea to do the same check before a period of extended cruising or race regatta, particularly if you will be some distance from the services of a sailmaker. The luff, foot tapes and bolt ropes are a good place to start. Chafing is the biggest problem, particularly if it has worn right through the cloth to the rope. It can then catch in the groove as the sail is hoisted and tear badly. If you have slides, hanks or cars, have a good look at each of them to see if there is any cracking or signs of fatigue failure (discoloration or roughening of the surface). The attachment of any hardware to the sail is a potential problem area, because of the fastening of soft sailcloth to harder metal and plastic. The headboard, batten pockets and battens, cunningham and outhaul rings are all worth careful inspection for chafe and broken stitching. In fact all the seams are worth scanning to see if they are showing signs of wear.
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