Results

Final results below, hot off the press - provisional!

Congratulations to Edd Whitehead and Ben Whaley, RS400 National Champions 2023!

Look how tight the racing was!  Such a  high quality fleet this year, well done to all who took part.

Huge thanks to the army of volunteers at Mounts Bay who delivered an absolutely  superb championship, to our title sponsors Noble Marine and Rooster and to Lee at Photolounge for the fantastic photos that really capture the essence of the event and venue.

Individual race results via this link to the MBSC site 

Watch all the fab footage from Photolounge via the playlist  here

Photolounge gallery here, to be updated to inlcude final day soon. Images will be searchable by boat number, sailors can take advantage of Lee's championship offer of a collection of images “all images of 1 boat and a selection of fleet shots” normally £150 but during the event and for a limited time afterwards, just £110

Day 1 and 2 report thanks to Matt Sheahan

In the 29 years since the RS400 was first launched there has been one guaranteed way to draw a crowd when it comes to the RS400 National Championships and that is to announce that it will be run at Mounts Bay.

The Cornish seaside town of Marazion and the Mounts Bay Sailing Club have played host to the event on four previous occasions and once again the fifth in 2023 took little persuasion for the 69-boat fleet to book up their accommodation at the beginning of the year and make plans for the big Cornish gig.

But, unlike previous years, as the event got closer it got harder to predict what kind of a week it would be as the weather forecast models danced around between summer and autumnal conditions.

This twitched those that had spent too long looking at the gloom and doom forecasts of a few days before and assumed that the first day’s racing would be blown off. Others had used rose-tinted specs to plan their opening days and were banking on racing as expected. And it was it was this view that won.

When it came to Day 1, light winds and a full complement of races opened the week.

But nothing can be taken at face value in Mounts Bay. While the wind barely crept above 10knots all day, the sea state was a much bigger offshore swell that had made no attempt to line up with the new lighter breeze. When this breeze did perk up sufficiently to make its own sea state it did so at a different angle, laying a counter chop across the top, all of which made life extremely difficult when it came to keeping speed upwind.

“It was a really difficult day, and the boat felt horrible all of the time,” said Steve Norbury, “I’d take a guess that everybody at some point thought that they were going really slowly upwind. Our approach was to make sure we didn’t get wound up by it. We told ourselves that if we thought we were having a bad time, the chances were that so was everyone else.”

Defending champions Sam Knight and Chis Bownes (1376) came ashore questioning the focus of their excellent and well attended training session on the day before.

“Having spent so much time talking about how to depower in typical Mounts Bay conditions, we found ourselves struggling to pile the power on instead,” said Sam.

The first race had been as tricky for the race committee as it had been for the competitors as the light breeze took a big step to the left under the influence of a big shower that was passing through to the north, making the downwind and second upwind leg a drag race. Sensibly the race officer shortened course at the top of the beat.

In this race it was last years’ runners up Christopher Eames and Rachel Tilley (1528) that took the first win.

After a reshuffling of the course Race 2 went the full distance of three laps and while the shifting breeze did its best to raise the anxiety levels of those that had chosen to bang a corner, in the end it was Edd Whitehead and Ben Whaley (1541) that took the win with Sam Knight and Chris Bownes (1376) in second.

With the confusing sea state, shifting breeze and a forecast that didn’t play out, the opening day had been a challenging one. This, along with the novelty of a gate start had meant that there were new flag signals to get to grips with too. As one crew said, “I was really missing my tea towel today to decode them.”

In this respect Day 2 was at least simpler.

With the breeze forecast to be in the teens and with Day 3 looking likely to be blown off, the race committee decided to run three races.

The day started off hovering below the 10knot mark with the occasional puff above.

This time it was Ollie Groves and Esther Parkhurst (1526) that took the win with Whitehead and Whaley in second.

As the breeze rose a notch or two so the shrouds came down half a hole for many.

By this stage the top of the points table was almost suggesting that there was a pact between the big guns to share the winning love around as Roger Gilbert and Keith Bedborough (1533) became the fourth team to take a win in four races.

“The sea state was really tricky once again,” said Roger Gilbert, “The challenge was getting over or around the waves rather than hitting them and feeling like they’d pushed you back, especially off the start line when you’re trying to build speed.”

By race five a pattern was starting to emerge as Groves and Parkhurst broke the imaginary pact and took another bullet, while Whitehead and Whaley notched up their third second in a row to lead the fleet. Discarding a third also seemed to make their intentions clear. 

So, with five races on the board, discards were now starting to come into play as the fleet settled down into this spectacular and challenging venue. As predicted, with wind speeds winds of 35-49knots recorded at Land’s End, Day 3 was called off.

But if there was one thing to unite the entire fleet, whatever end of it you were at, it was the unbridled excitement of seeing dolphins on the course and alongside the boats. Those who have been here before had promised it and once again Mounts Bay had delivered straight from day 1 making it easy to see why this venue is so popular.

Matthew Sheahan

Day 4 Report, thanks to Tom Halhead

After “super-size” Wednesday had the fleet checking out the local kart track and minds being stretched by Oppenheimer with the day blown off, vans rocking and tents blowing around overnight, the PRO confirmed we were on for “Big Thursday” – with a race to catch up it was going to be a bit of a fitness test. A pretty lively ride out to the start saw the fleet greeted by 18-22 knots in the vicinity of the start for race 6. Clearly a little bit too much time spent chatting onboard the pathfinder though as they didn’t bother turning up until 30s after the gun – a strong candidate for the daily Duckhams but nothing like the litany of nominations that ensued on the following attempt; something our brilliant photographer for the week, Lee Whitehead described as “carnage”. The stand-out effort, perhaps being Jeremy Stephens’ attempt to turn the gate boat into a catamaran, reverse off and head back for another nibble. The race management was again superb and with 1.5mile+ legs set for the 70 boat fleet it was the sort of high-speed, open water, tight racing that shows the 400 at its absolute best.

The usual suspects featured at the front throughout the day, with Edd and Ben showing some lightning pace (clearly honed on the kart track…) to take the first race from Roger & Keith followed by Ollie and Esther. Race 2 saw the order reversed with Ollie and Esther taking the gun from Roger / Keith then Edd and Ben. Race 3 saw the wind build further and Lee reporting gusts beyond 30 from the safety boats. A slightly reduced fleet set off with tired legs – well worth it though for some of the best conditions of the year downwind. Roger / Keith took this one from Edd and Ben and Ollie and Esther, leaving the battle for the title finely poised going into the last day with a mere two points between the three of them. Two races are scheduled tomorrow in a slightly lighter breeze – thankfully little to trouble our generous sponsors Noble Marine today and much of the Rooster kit on show, keeping the fleet nice and toasty in the Northerlies. Mounts Bay are again proving to be incredible hosts; having just tucked into a Hog Roast and Ice Cream we’ve got a Ska band warming up, and a raffle for a new kite (generously funded by RS Sailing) coming later in aid of the Ellen MacArthur trust. No sign of too many heading off for an early night yet…

Editor’s note – the ‘Mighty Off beats’ were certainly well and truly enjoyed by all, Tom Halhead was lucky enough to win the spinnaker and we raised over £1160 for the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, thanks to the generosity of the sailors and club members.

Final Report, by Matthew Sheahan

In an ideal world a national championship would consist of the widest spread of conditions in which to establish the very best. The 2023 RS400 Noble Marine Rooster National Championships in Mounts Bay delivered just that with a full range of conditions throughout the week from one end of the weather spectrum to the other.

Aside from tackling the conditions, achieving consistency throughout the week in one of the most competitive line ups that the class has seen was an achievement in itself and made for some very worthy winners.

The five-day event started with a light and shifty breeze that was as taxing for the race officer as it was for the 69 crews that were trying to figure out the best way to keep the boat moving in sub 10knot winds and a very awkward sea state. In fact, the challenge had started for many even earlier as they tried to remember how to get the best out of a gate start. This proved tricky for some.

The second day’s racing was made slightly easier as the breeze was up a few knots and steadier in direction. But the waves were still a big challenge as an offshore swell from one direction continued to mix with a chop set up by the breeze that had shifted significantly. And while there were wind shifts to be worked, maintaining boat speed continued to be the main focus for all.

With the prospect of losing day three to a gale that was due to sweep through Cornwall the race committee made the decision to run three races on the second and fourth days to make up for the for the lost day.

So, after two days of racing there were five sets of results on the score sheet which provided some early clues as to how the Nationals might pan out, starting with an indication of just how tightly fought this event looked set to be.

In four races there had been four different winners, Chris Eames and Rachel Tilley (1528) took the first win, Edd Whitehead and Ben Whaley (1541) took race two, Ollie Groves and Esther Parkhurst (1526) were winners of the third with Roger Gilbert and Keith Bedborough (1533) taking the fourth win.

It wasn’t until the fifth race that one of the top teams managed to replicate their early success. Here it was Groves and Parkhurst that managed to deliver a second bullet in the fifth race.

While this was taken by some as a hint of what might be in store the reality was that all that the fleet actually knew was once the gale had swept through, the weather forecast once racing resumed looked set to provide some punchy conditions.

And as the fleet set out on the third day of racing the full-on foam-up sleigh ride out to the start provided confirmation of just that, Big Thursday had arrived. But as it played out there was more to come.

For some just getting to the start involved a swim. Interestingly, the reasons for dropping the ball were varied from admissions of simply being out of practice, to being distracted by dolphins to such an extent that they had ended up joining them. For others, just waiting for the start resulted in a dunking too.

When it came to the gate start in a breeze that was gusting into the mid-twenties, getting across the line cleanly was a challenge too.

For those that did, settling down into a long hard beat set the tone for the rest of the day. Such were the punchy conditions upwind in the asymmetric sea state that tacking onto port to drain the boat was a popular tactic.

Once again, the top of the leader board was a mix of results as Whitehead and Whaley took the win in race six, Groves and Parkhurst took the bullet in race 7 and Gilbert and Bedborough won race 8, the final race of the day.

By this stage the breeze had pushed up into 25-30knots and had taken its toll on the fleet with plenty calling it a day at two races. But for those that stayed out for the full set, the downwind rides were epic.

With another spread of winners, the score board going into the final day was tight at the top with just three points separating Whitehead/Whaley, Groves/Parkhurst and Gilbert/Bedborough.

“The big breeze was quite a challenge for us because while we have sailed together in these conditions in the RS200 and were quite heavy in that boat, we’re light in the 400 and haven’t sailed together in these conditions,” said Esther Parkhurst. “Gybing was what I was most nervous about, but we did alright and had no swims.”

As the post-race stories did the rounds in the bar it was clear that they were in the minority in this respect.

Come the final day, those that had excelled in Thursday’s breeze were hoping it would hold up, but the forecast suggested otherwise. Starting in the low twenties the wind was due to decrease to the mid-teens through the day, which is precisely what it did. In doing so, Friday’s racing provided the missing piece when it came to completing the full suite of conditions.

The penultimate race saw Groves/Parkhurst take another win with Whitehead/Whaley coming second, a result that put both teams on even points going into the final race.

Meanwhile, Gilbert/Bedborough had finished the penultimate race in fourth which meant that they had to pull a rabbit out of the hat to win overall. And while they achieved a second place in a race that was becoming tricky as the breeze decreased, the battle for the overall trophy was now a match race from the start as Whitehead/Whaley took the upper hand in the last few seconds before starting.

In what became essential viewing after the race, drone footage showed how Whitehead/Whaley had got the hook to leeward on Groves/Parkhurst on the run into the start and forced them up to windward. From there it was a case of defending their position for the next two laps.

“Going into the final race Roger [Gilbert] was out of contention for winning so we were able to focus on Ollie [Groves] and Esther [Parkhurst] and managed to engage with them at the start forcing them high, into some dirty air and back into the fleet,” said Whitehead. “But they came back, it was really only towards the end of the last downwind leg that we managed to stretch out some distance on them. It was a pretty full-on race with lots of pressure.”

Overall victory had indeed gone down to the wire, Whitehead/Whaley had taken the 2023 National Championships in a week that had been as varied as you could possibly get. But they had also achieved it on their first attempt having only completed their first event in a 400 a few weeks before.

The 2023 RS400 National Championships podium was clear evidence as to just how tight this year’s event had been. One point to second for Groves and Parkhurst and just two points from second to third for Gilbert and Bedborough.

Meanwhile, in the Silver fleet Sam Watson and Geoff Edwards (1414) had taken the trophy while finishing 10^th overall with Jeremy Stephens and Thomas Kliskey (690) winning Bronze and coming 33^rd overall in a boat that was more than 25 years old.

Overall, the message was clear, Mounts Bay had not only delivered once again afloat and ashore but the conditions had been perfect for establishing the very best in the class.

In his victory speech Edd Whitehead paid tribute to the skill and dedication of the race team and all of the club volunteers who worked tirelessly throughout the week, as well as thanking the RS Class Association, RS400 committee, sponsors Rooster and Noble Marine and the entire fleet of RS400 sailors.

Full list of Prize Winners

Codes

G - Gold Fleet

S - Silver Fleet

B - Bronze Fleet

M - Master

OM - Grand Master (Old Master!)

Y - Youth Helm

C - Youth Crew

F - Female Crew

W - Female Helm