RS Elite Class Association

Irish Fleet growing and Elite fleet building at Lymington - posted April 2008

More boats have been ordered for delivery to Ireland this Spring, taking the combined fleet from the Royal Ulster Y C and the Royal North YC into double figures. Enthusiasm for the Elite is growing there all the time and we're looking forward to racing the Irish at the Bailey Bowl and when some of them visit England for Cowes Week and the Nationals.

The Royal Lymington YC have selected the RS Elite as an ideal new fleet for their club. It's exciting performance and modern style, coupled with seaworthy design and low maintenance make it an appealing keelboat option for the Western Solent. Trial sailing is taking place currently and if you would like to test sail an Elite at Lymington, or are interested in discussing the fleet, please contact Martin Wadhams at RS - martin@RSsailing.com - 023 8024 6330. There are already three Elites now based in Lymington, with numbers set to grow through this season.

Elite hulls are now in production at Composite Marine International. The first boats have arrived in the UK and LDC's new demo boat is on the water. They look extremely well finished, emphasising the good looks of the Elite design.

The RS Elite Grand Slam Series has been introduced for the first time in 2008. The series comprises three events - the Bailey Bowl in Dublin, Cowes Week and the Nationals which take place during Burnham Week. These are all great open regattas in their own right - each with it's own special character. Racing in the Elite onedesign fleet at each of them has to be one of the best ways to take part. First up is the Bailey Bowl in mid May - see the Events page for all the dates.

Final update on the sail development - Nick Peters - March 08

Last tuesday we sailed for the last time with mainsail no. 4 and jib no. 4 with tweaked battens: Mike Lennon, and Richard Lovering from Hydes, Michael Knowles and Mike Tong from the Association and myself. We had the required 8-12 knots and the tide allowed for long stretches on the same tack: After 4 long tuning runs and swapping sailors it was the most equal we had ever seen the boats:
Asking Mike Tong which sails he would use if the nationals were tomorrow, he shrugged shoulders and said the Hydes because they made the boat look better and would last longer! To me that summed up the ideal outcome of the whole process, and we all felt confident to sign off the main and jib to go along with the kite signed

of the week before. For me the lesson of the last day was a reminder of the effect of different styles of sailing: On the last session Richard used a tighter outhaul and hard kicker in 8-10 knots - neither boat had done that upto then, suddenly he could really point, put the tide under the bow and dissapeared to windward. Not sure many of us would remember to "change gear" like that when racing?
Settings...both boats were set up the same - the rake was 9450mm, hoisting a tape to the top on the main halliard and measuring to the top corner of thetransom /sterndeck. Rig tensions were....... main shrouds 630kg, and lowers450kg. Measured on a Harken digital gauge (matched quite well to Loos).Prebend - about 80mm -pulled the main halliard tight to the sail feeder and guestimated biggest distance to the back of the track.
Sails are now in production and the first 6 suits will be here on April 4th.

Following the meeting at the Boat Show and the decision on sailmaking, the sail development process has been underway, ensuring equivalent performance
from the new radial cut and new cloth. 2 boats have been used, based at Sparkes Marina - No.8, a well proven boat, and No. 37. The first thing we did was to match 37's settings to those of no.8. Rake, prebend and rig tension. We then equipped no.8 with a new suit of the existing sails, and commenced the task of making 37 as quick with the new radial cut Hydes. Its all about long upwind runs, neck and neck, swap helms and repeat. Then compare notes. Video and photos help Hydes make the intervening tweaks and development sails. The team so far has consisted of Mike Lennon and Richard Lovering from Hydes, myself with Martin or Charlie from RS, Anthony Penfold and Peter Wareham from the Association. There is lots more sailing needed in the next 2/3 weeks, so volunteers are welcome! So far really quite even - we need to slow the Hydes down in the light and speed them up in the breeze!! The new cloth feels more substantial to the hand and we are very pleased with the detailing. Process ongoing. We are very keen that as many members as possible get to see the new sails to "sign them off". I am imagining we have 2 more weeks so planning a day to see the sails and sail with them if you would like is a good idea. Week commencing the 3rd of March, through to Saturday 8th is possible. If you would like to do this, please mail myself or Peter Wareham. On Monday 9th, Hydes need to make sails to ensure delivery of the first dozen suits by the end of March at the

latest. At this time we are confident and on schedule. Many thanks to Toby Strauss, James Hill, Nigel Cartright and Mike Knowles for the loan of their fine vessels.

The annual Class Association meeting at the London Excel boat show took place on Thursday 17th January - 20 plus association members attended from HISC, RBYC, Belfast and Falmouth. This meeting had been announced as being an EGM in order for the class to vote on two proposals.A summary of the main discussion points follows...........

The Class Association and LDC/RS would like to thank Batt Sails for their support of the class in it's early years.

Agenda for the boat show meeting (EGM) is as follows.....don't forget 4pm, 17th January in room - South Gallery room 30

Also, you can vote on the 2 resolutions by Email if you are unable to attend the meeting........ Email me with your views and votes please.....

1. Introduction and welcome
2. Brief review of 2007
3. Plans for 2008, including programme, sponsorship and travel
3. Yearbook
4. To discuss and vote on two resolutions as detailed below
5. AOB

I have two resolutions to put forward to the meeting at the boat show on 17th January as follows.......

We need to vote on these resolutions and Votes by Email are acceptable for those who can't attend the meeting. Please Email your votes to me - don't forget only one vote per boat is allowed - that's in the class constitution.

1. Subject : Ballast to be carried for boats not carrying an outboard : Proposer Toby Strauss ; Seconder tbc

"All Elites when racing shall carry either 13 kilos of correctors under the stern deck in a central position, as close to the aft end of the rudder post as is feasible, or a functioning outboard motor of similar or greater weight"

The rationale for this proposal is to improve usability of the boats. Some owners are currently not using outboards to get to and from their moorings or berths as they feel that they will be disadvantaged by the extra weight when racing. As a result, they have to arrange to be towed by a rib, or use paddles. Other classes, to ensure a level playing field (and for safety reasons), insist on an outboard being carried by all boats (eg Hunter 707, SB3, Melges).
This proposal is designed to provide a compromise that (i) enables those wanting to carry an outboard to do so without a perceived or actual loss in performance because of the additional weight, while (ii) ensuring that those that do not need or want to carry an outboard do not have to incur the purchase and maintenance costs.
13 kilos represents the approx weight of a standard 2 stroke 2.2 hp outboard. A corrector made of lead weighing 13 kilos will be of dimensions c 10cm cubed (or more likely for example, 2.5 x 30 x 15cm), and will cost approx £20.

2. Subject : Proposed change of sailmaker, cloth and cut, Proposer - Peter Wareham, Seconder - tbc

This proposal is to change sailmaker for the class from Batt to Hydes, to change from Maxpen15 cloth to PE15 cloth and to change the sail cut to suit the new cloth. The background and reasons for this proposed change are various, including the fact that the current cloth - Maxpen15 - is no longer available in the smoke grey colour in suitable widths . During the last few months RS and others have been in discussions with various sailmakers and believe that these changes are the best way forward. There is general agreement to try to keep the colour and therefore the look of the sails and the boat. The cloth proposed - PE15 - would do this but would need the sails to be recut in a radial pattern. Mike Lennon of Hydes has started working on this already and a newly cut set of sails has been used on 1 boat. During February Hydes would develop this new cut of sails by 2 boat tuning in various conditions against the current sails, the objective being to get the performance as close as possible across a range of conditions. The new cloth and the revised cut should also provide greater longevity.
Prices for the new cut / new cloth would be £200 per suit less at £2212 for a full suit of 3 sails and Hydes would offer a 15% discount for any Winter purchase of sails - extended into Spring this year!

Note - spinnaker cut is unchanged but would also transfer to Hydes who woul significantly improve on the detail - patches, cringles etc. Hydes would do their own design to replicate the Batt as closely as possible).

My recommendations as chairman are as follows.....

Neutral on No 1 - my worry is that we'll get into the weight thing completely, with min or max crew weights etc. I honestly don't think the boat is that sensitive to weight in most conditions.

Support No 2 - obviously, as I am the proposer!

Finally, as a reminder, the decision process on class rules is a three way affair, the Class Association, the Builder (RS) and the licence holder (Phil Morrison). As a class we can only put forward our agreed recommendations to the other two parties. Clearly, RS support the second proposal.

Those who attended the nationals will be pleased to hear that the £10 donations you gave to enter the draw for the jib came to £200 and this has been given to the "Nautical Nurses'. These two brave ladies work at Great Ormond Street hospital and are planning to row across the Atlantic later this year to raise money for their wonderful hospital. There are two links with HISC and our event. Firstly the event photographer, Lucy Jameson has a son who suffers from Gauchers disease. As a result he has to have weekly treatment at Great Ormond street. Secondly, those of you who were there on Saturday evening will have seen and heard a band that I used to play in! Whilst I sang (badly) with them we raised a lot of money for GOSH - Great Ormond Street. PW

For more information about the atlantic row look up www.gosh.org/nauticalnursesm

The RS Elite National Championships got underway on Thursday 19^th July at Hayling Island SC, but only one race was completed due to the light wind. Twenty-one boats competed from five clubs, but only ten managed a finish on day 1, with a couple of OCS and the rest DNF. The winner was TNT, Toby Strauss, David Stone and Ian Williams (HISC), second James Peters, Bev Moss and Kate Peters (HISC) and third Jonathan Brown, David Brown and Lynette Brown (RBYC). Race Officer Chris Gordon, managed to squeeze in one race having diverted the fleet into Chichester Harbour instead of out to sea on day 1 of the RS Elite national Championships at Hayling Island Sailing Club. The 4 day event started today and attracted a record fleet of 21 boats from Burnham, Falmouth and Scotland as well as from the Host club. There were disappointments at each end of the race as 4 of 7 boats called OCS had not restarted and several more were declared out of time at the finish as the wind died. Race one was in the bank for the team however, and in this light wind start to the regatta 'TNT' sailed by Toby Strauss and team clocked up a first with 'Pandemonium' helmed by James Peters, by far the youngest in the fleet second and John, Lyn and David Brown from Burnham third.The forecast for the rest of the regatta is for more wind and with one race lost today, competitors are in for a busy and hard day in the rain tomorrow to sail 3 or 4 races in Hayling Bay. The Social programme kicked off with a reception at the club after racing - an opportunity for the OCS and time limit casualties to nurse their wounds, tell their stories and to look forward to a better day tomorrow. During the evening thunder storms rumbled around the club and a huge waterspout was seen out to sea - a diversion from the racing or an ominous sign of things to come?

Day two at the RS Elite National Championships at HISC saw four races sailed in heavy conditions in Hayling Bay to get the regatta back on track. Recovering after an OCS on the first day, Ian Andrews (HISC) moved into the lead after five races. In second, Jonathan Brown (RBYC) and third James Peters (HISC). Brown won the first and second races, then Andrews took over to win the final two. First day winner, Toby Strauss stayed in contention at fourth overall with Mike Dawe and team in fifth place. The second day was totally different to the light winds of the first - heavy weather sailing with the wind upto 28 knots, big seas and some spectacular reachs and runs.. but wet old beats. A wipe out and two MOBs added to the excitement! So the young and the fit came to the fore with Ian Andrews crewed by Bill Masterman in Eclipse winning the last two races and Brown team in Aeolus continuing to sail well winning the first two races. Just behind James Peters crewed by Mum Kate Peters and Bev Moss hung on to third position while the heavy weights from HISC were less consistent. No Riff Raff sailed by RBYC Class Captain claiming they like the rough stuff having been OCS in he first race worked their way up to 7th overall.

The RS Elite National Championships at Hayling Island SC and three more races sailed Saturday. No let up in the conditions, Southerly 20-25 knots with big seas rolling in from the Channel, and the top three stay the same. Ian Andrews (HISC) keeps the lead after eight races. In second is Jonathan Brown (RBYC) and third James Peters (HISC). Brown won the first race, then Peters took charge, winning the next two. Guy Chevevix-Irench (RBYC) continues to climb, now in fourth overall and in fifth Graham Hughes (HISC). Some tired sailors returned to the shore and to the championship dinner. The Maniac Street Cleaners, a great band brought in as part of the social programme rocked the sailing club for a while but then played to an almost empty house in their second set as the sailors crawled away to their beds, wondering what the weather would bring for the long distance and final race on Sunday.

The final race of the RS Elite National Championships at Hayling Island SC, was the long distance held Sunday and Ian Andrews, Kevin Richardson and Bill Masterman (HISC) maintained their overnight lead to take the National Title. The Main feature of the race was a 5 minutes flat spot during which time the fleet stood still waiting for the sea breeze to set in. A few place changes were inevitable when the classic Hayling Bay ‘Doctor’ showed up, but the fleet then had their best sailing of the week ending with a spinnaker run into Chichester Harbour to cross the Club line finish and the end of the championship. First were TNT, Toby Strauss and co completing their duo of the last and first races, Guy Chevenix-Irench, Dan Wastnage and Kristy O'Dell (RBYC) continued their climb through the fleet to take second overall. Third were James Peters, Bev Moss and Kate Peters (HISC). Other changes were minor and mainly due to the final race being worth 50% + points and the second discard coming into play.

The RS Elite fleet at Burnham-on-Crouch were out in force this weekend for class training in preparation for the RS Elite National Championships being held at Hayling Island Sailing Club from the 19^th to the 22^nd July. The growing competition throughout the UK means that the Burnham fleet cannot rest on its laurels and current National Champion, Mike Patten, and the rest of the Burnham sailors are keen to retain the Championship Trophy at the Royal Burnham Yacht Club.To this end 11 Elites took to the water for two days intensive training with Olympic Yngling Coach Mark Nicholls, who took time away from his busy coaching schedule and World Match Racing commitments to put the fleet through its paces. This is the second year that Mark has joined the fleet in Burnham for training and his observations, coaching and racing tips were invaluable to the crews preparing for the Hayling Island competition. Four of the Burnham Elites are staying on the south coast after the Nationals to compete during Cowes Week where the RS Elite fleet as a whole are hoping for a record turn out for their own class start. Watch this space! LB

RS Elites at Royal Burnham Yacht Club Whitsun Regatta - 26th/27th/28th May 2007

The RS Elite fleet were in action at Burnham-on-Crouch for the Royal Burnham Yacht Club three day Whitsun Regatta. Saturday saw a full day of racing, with competitors out on the water for over 7 hours and although the fleet did not realise it at the time this was the day that settled the winning order as day two was lost to light and variable winds and day three to appalling conditions with heavy rain and wind gusting up to 35 knots. 11 boats competed in three exciting races on the Saturday with close and competitive racing which saw the fleet changing places time and again. The weekend ended with local boat Aeolus sailed by the Brown family taking first place closely followed by National Champion Mike Patten sailing Matterhorn Jack. The only visitor to the Crouch, Sean Maclean from Scotland, finished in third place sailing Elixir. The RS Elites are now preparing for their National Championships at Hayling Island in July where they are expecting a record turn out for this new, up and coming class. LB

‘Wow! What a weeks racing, very competitive, positions in the fleet always changing place, a different winner nearly everyday, planing speeds up to 18 knots, surfing down waves for ages, wind, sun and more wind, that was one fantastic Burnham Week!’. Is it possible to improve on that comment by Burnham Fleet Captain, Guy Chenevix-Trench, as an introduction to the RS Elite.The first new major keelboat class in her sector for years the RS Elite was designed in 2002 by the legendary Phil Morrison and developed by the RS Team to satisfy a brief from sailors at Hayling Island SC for a ‘New, modern, classic keelboat for the discerning sailor’. Phil Morrison, one of the UK's leading sailboat designers, came straight from working with the 2000/2001 Americas Cup Challenge design team to work on the RS Elite project, so it is little surprise to find that the boat looks and sails as well as she does. The symmetrical spinnaker, simple systems and performance profile have given the Elite enormous potential and versatility. Once there were dozens of local classes made up of painstakingly kept classic boats, but with the frenetic lifestyles of the modern sailor to consider, the production of the Elite was a natural progression for LDC and the challenge was well met with this innovative design. With her easy to maintain hull and equipment and competitive costs both to buy and campaign, it was obvious from the start that this boat was not only being built for convenience but also to maximise enjoyment both by owners and crew. And we haven’t even mentioned the shallow draft, great looks and beautiful handling. The RS Elite certainly hit the spot with the Hayling Island sailors and other fleets are already growing apace and hopefully this in itself will be a popular reason for choosing the boat. An Elite Class start at Cowes was secured in the very first year of production and that has certainly set the pace for this new, exciting, high performing boat. The ease with which she can be trailed looks certain to make regattas both here at home and overseas a very attractive proposition. The ultra light-weight carbon fibre mast has a pivoting heel plug and can be raised by hand, making rigging so quick you could arrive at a regatta with the boat on its trailer and be ready to sail in around 30 minutes, though race tuning to handle the growing competition in the class might take a little longer.By the end of the 2007 Boat Show season LDC had more new Elites on order than at any time since the first consignment were delivered. The record order book includes several more boats to join the growing Irish fleet, indicating highly encouraging progress and an appreciation of the Elite’s qualities. The Class Association and the Belfast Lough fleet are already in discussions to hold the 2008 Nationals in Northern Ireland and our European friends in Norway, Sweden and Holland are expanding on their initial purchases with new boats being delivered to the continent. Perhaps a Euro Cup type series is next on our wish list! Two new boats were ordered for Falmouth in the winter with the original prototype also being sold into that locale to Stuart Sawyer who has vast experience in all kinds of sailing boats, including his time as a professional windsurfer, so he’ll doubtless be a force to be reckoned with in the challenging conditions so beloved by the RS Elite fleet.Martin Wadhams from LDC tells me that they have also loaned an Elite to a group in Poole Harbour who are keen to set up a National Match Racing Centre. Having tested the boat they think it would be ideal, but are currently looking to secure sponsorship funding to get to the next stage of their plan. To quote their top man, David Tabb, “The Elite is one of the nicest boats I have ever sailed and believe me, I would not say that lightly.” Even more tantalising was this snippet of information from Martin, ‘the most exciting current prospect is for a fleet of ten or more Elites for a very desirable and sunny location across the pond. Top secret… can’t possibly say where at this stage. Suffice it to say that if this comes off, we’ll all be fighting over a regatta there!’ and no, I couldn’t get him to tell me any more.The quality of racing within the class has been something of a surprise and joy. The individuals who sail these exciting boats have brought to the fleet a wealth of sailing experience, often at a very high level, from so many other classes and types of sailing. From ex Olympians to 18-year-old Laser sailors, from the more mature ex Dragon National Champions to 30-year-old hotshots, from the retired Admiral of the Fleet to the local club sailors, from offshore survivors to inland ‘wind sniffers’ and to the family crews and one or two husband and wife teams. What can we say other than that this diversity of sailor is challenging enough in itself but also that it is breeding a competition within the fleet that many other classes can only dream of. It undoubtedly makes for interesting times both on and off the water with healthy but fierce competition both afloat and in the bar! The Elite has proved to be astonishingly swift upwind in a breeze and on a reach with the spinnaker set has recorded planing speeds of up to 18knots. The one particular moment during Burnham Week 2006 mentioned by Guy at the start of this missive saw a fleet of Elites planing past Dragons, Cruisers and 707’s. She has an unnerving ability to slide along in light winds with the long and narrow hull giving maximum waterline length and minimum resistance. The helm remains finger-light at all times, even when heeled, which is quite unlike wider flat hull designs. More importantly though is her response when hitting high downwind speeds and these two characteristics are perhaps the key to her potential success as an alternative racing keelboat for the future. She is an ideal boat to race in mixed handicapped fleets and can be raced using Portsmouth Yardstick, IRC and Sportsboat handicap systems, so the possibilities are endless. Hopefully this should allow the class to develop in some areas before fleets are fully established. The Elite has been designed around a three-person crew, but class rules allow two to four people to race aboard and the spacious cockpit is very comfortable allowing for various permutations. But don’t let that fool you into a false sense of security. Racing an RS Elite is probably the closest to dinghy racing that a small keelboat can offer and success on the racecourse is ultimately down to good old teamwork and the crew that works together is the team that inevitably seems to win the races. Sheet loads are manageable without winches and tacking and gybing angles are comparable to equivalently rigged dinghies and boat handling is pretty straight forward, though I could doubtless write another paragraph or ten simply on mooring techniques in a ripping 3.5 knot tide at Burnham-on-Crouch. Always a popular spectator sport in the right spring tide conditions.Getting the Elite round the racecourse is physically easier on the crew than a dinghy and indeed many other equivalent keelboats. This is great as it allows the crew to focus on boatspeed and rig settings, giving more technicality to the whole process rather than simple brute strength and once again underlines the Elites ability to be raced by men and women of virtually all ages. Even though she is 24 feet of refined keelboat we find ourselves automatically working the boat through waves and gusts as if she were a different animal. Naturally it is harder to transfer that work into boatspeed in a keelboat but we remain convinced that we can achieve an edge over our opponents if we ‘work it’! This particular characteristic of the Elite is mentioned time and time again. If only I had a £1 for every time I have heard, ‘She sails just like a dinghy!’ Although manoeuvres need to be thought through a little beforehand in a keelboat, with three of us to put it together we are still able to employ quick decision making and mark rounding if we have our timing in gear. It is astonishing to be sailing a keelboat yet still concentrating on our speed in and out of a rounding as if we were in another type of boat altogether. We are able to utilise dinghy type tactics such as going for a marginal kite call as we know that we can hoist and drop within seconds. The spinnaker is launched and retrieved from a chute forward of the forestay and the self-tacking jib, with easy to tweak jib cars, enables settings to be changed in seconds. These characteristics are part and parcel of the whole RS Elite experience and the crew is kept very busy, very happy and extremely focused. But what of the summer calendar for the RS Elite? There is the very tempting opportunity for an outing to Hayling Island for the National Championships from the 19^th to 22^nd July with only a weekend in between until the passage race to Cowes on the 3^rd of August for the start of Cowes Week. There will be a short series (Saturday 4^th to Tuesday 7^th August) for those pressed for time, as well as the full stint through to Friday 10^th. The big courses, huge number of boats and general atmosphere on shore are a truly magical experience not to be missed and personally I just can’t wait! From a Class development point of view the Elites plan to make a strong showing this season and who knows, perhaps we’ll swing the Royal Yacht Squadron into action to start a fleet of their own.Chichester Harbour Federation Week follows from the 13^th to the 17^th August and then follows a quick nip up the coast to Burnham for the Eastern Area Championships on the 18^th and 19^th. With a week in between to take a breather, for those who can stand the pace, we then round off the summer with Burnham Week from the 25^th August to the 1^st September and if we repeat the success of last year it promises to be yet another eight days of pure Elite heaven. One thing I can state from experience is that this fleet knows how to make the most of shore side, from cocktail parties, barbecues, formal dinners, band nights and general partying and when the fleets collide they just ‘bring it on’.Look out for the Elites this year and beyond. Hopefully from this enthusiastic start and from a huge amount of commitment, and certainly from an incredible amount of pride felt by the owners of these fantastic boats, you are going to see a whole lot more of the RS Elite fleet in the future.

Enter on line for Cowes now (before June 18th) - WWW.Skandiacowesweek.co.uk - and save £70 under the 'early bird entry scheme

The Notice of Race and entry forms for the RS Elite Nationals 2007 have been posted on the Hayling Website - WWW.HISC.CO.UK

June 18th 2006 - Duel, RS Elite no 6 wins the Glynn Charles Pursuit race in Chichester Harbour

June 12th 2006 - ELECO Nationals at Burnham - Congratulations to MIke Patten and Crew..

Local boat wins

The National Championships held on 9th, 10th & 11th June started in absolutely perfect conditions, Friday and Saturday’s races were held in glorious sunshine and a 12-20kt breeze. Unfortunately as there was only 2-3kts on Sunday, the last race, the long distance, had to be cancelled.

The racing was very close with 4 different winners of the 6 races and in race Two the first three boats all finished within 10 seconds.

Friday 9th June

The RS Elite Association Trophy for the first boat in the first race and was won by Ciao Bella.
Mike Tong, Peter & Jan Wareham.
2nd - Little Wing, Alistair Keck, Charlie Merchant & Alex Mathieson.
3rd - Bacchanalia, Stephen Herring, Joe Thompson & James Young.

Race 2 was won by Bacchanalia, Stephen Herring, Joe Thompson & James Young.
2nd - Matterhorn Jack, Mike Patten, Keith Musto & David Fleming.
3rd - Aeolus, Jonathan, David & Lyn Brown.

Race 3 was won by Matterhorn Jack, Mike Patten, Keith Musto & David Fleming.
2nd - Duel, Mike Dawe, Simon Payne & Paul Carpenter.
3rd - Outlaw, Nick Gardner, Decca Sutherland & James Kennedy

Overall winner of the day and the No Riff Raff Trophy went to Bacchanalia, Stephen Herring, Joe Thompson & James Young.

Saturday 10th June

Race 4 was won by Matterhorn Jack, Mike Patten, Ed Phillips & David Fleming.
2nd - Ciao Bella. Mike Tong, Peter & Jan Wareham.
3rd - No Riff Raff. Guy Chenevix-Trench, Kirsty O Dell & Dan Wastnage.

Race 5 was won by Matterhorn Jack, Mike Patten, Ed Phillips & David Fleming.
2nd - Flo. Angus Bates, Dave Woods & Simon Wakefield.
3rd - Duel, Mike Dawe, Simon Payne & Paul Carpenter.

Race 6 was won by Duel, Mike Dawe, Simon Payne & Paul Carpenter.
2nd - RS Sailing .com. Martin & Amanda Wadhams & Paul Fisk.
3rd - Flo. Angus Bates, Dave Woods & Simon Wakefield

Overall winner of the day and the Commodores Salver went to Duel, Mike Dawe, Simon Payne & Paul Carpenter.

Sunday 11th June – Unfortunately racing was cancelled due to lack of wind. The ELECO Trophy for the long distance race was changed to the most improved boat and that went to Flo. Angus Bates, Dave Woods & Simon Wakefield.

Overall winner of the National Championship went to Matterhorn Jack, Mike Paten, Ed Phillips, David Fleming & Keith Musto.
2nd Duel - Mike Dawe, Simon Payne & Paul Carpenter.
3rd Bacchanalia - Stephen Herring, Joe Thompson & James Young.
4th Ciao Bella - Mike Tong, Peter & Jan Wareham.
5th Little Wing - Alistair Keck, Charlie Merchant & Alex Mathieson
6th Aeolus – Jonathan, David & Lynette Brown
7th Flo – Angus Bates, Dave Wood & Fran Wood
8th RS Sailing.com – Martin & Amanda Wadhams & Paul Fisk
9th Outlaw – Jeremy Tolhurst & Nick Gardner
10th Eclipse – Nicky Streeter, Jeff Monger, Pauline Streeter & Philip Shanahan

I would like to thank our title sponsor ELECO plc for their amazing help and support throughout the event and very kind financial donation to this event.
Also I would like to thank our co-sponsor Musto for providing wonderful competitor goodies and prizes.

Thanks also to those who donated other prizes, The Commodore Salver Derek Corless, No Riff Raff Trophy David Warren & Guy Trench, RS Racing, Batt Sails, Blackjack Design, Dwills Mortimore & our photographer William Hadley.

Thank you to the Principal Race Officers Edwin Buckley & Jeane Horner and all of the race committee team.
Thanks to Sue Hooper, Martin Smith, Adam Sissons along with a long list of RBYC helpers who really helped the whole event go so smoothly.

Special thanks must go to all the Hayling Island club members and the RS Team who came up to Burnham to race in the 2nd RS Elite National Championships.

Lastly Yvonne and Johnny James who have been the main workforce in putting this most fantastic event on, both have worked such long hours and always got all of the jobs done, thank you so much.

Thank you all

Guy Chenevix-Trench Class Captain for the Royal Burnham Yacht

There was much anticipation amongst all the Elite sailors as to the outcome of the first competition between the HISC and Burnham Fleets. The HISC fleet expected the local conditions would favour the Burnham Fleet and the Burnham fleet were concerned because they knew the HISC fleet had more experience having been sailing for a season longer. In the event it was Shaun Maclean from Scotland who pulled the trump card and won the weekend series of three races with Martin Wadhams of RS second and Nicki Streeter from HISC third. As the week progressed it was “Riff Raff” from RBYC with a family party on board that became the boat to chase eventually winning overall from Nicki Streeter second and Mike Tong the Cowes week winner third. The whole week was thoroughly enjoyed especially by the visitors who much appreciated the warm welcome and generous hospitality give by the RBYC members.

Our Elite season has come and almost gone but what were the highlights? We had two visits to Hayling, one for the early season open, the other for the Nationals, both much enjoyed, meeting up with our new found Elite friends and learning a little more about sailing the boat. I now know that an important skill is to able to sail backwards to clear the weed! And then to Burnham on Crouch. We had been there before in a former life as a Dragon owner but again this time, as we have come to expect, Burnham was special and not just because I was privileged to have my two sons as crew and that we won the Bank Holiday Regatta weekend. Burnham was special because of the racing, the weather, the hospitality, the new found camaraderie within the Elite fleet, the meeting and making of friends old and new. Rather against what I might have anticipated on a river, racing was close, very close, each race lasting somewhat over three hours, out to sea, back up the Crouch, passing and re-passing whilst sailing up the even narrower confines of the Roach, with no let up in the level of concentration required, not even for a moment. It was just super fun and bodes well for the Nationals in June 2006. Having elected to live in a bunk-room in the Royal Corinthian, a hornet’s nest of Dragon sailors, I had to take some stick within that Club for joining the Elite, and it was thus somewhat satisfying to find ourselves sailing through the Dragon fleet on day one. Perhaps we had better book into Royal Burnham next time! As regards the Elite Class within Scotland we are still ploughing a lone furrow, although the boat does command plenty of critical attention on the pontoon. The fresh, modern lines are much admired so we remain hopeful that the local RS agent will persuade others to join us. We are currently taking part in the Port Edgar Yacht Club winter series which runs out just before Christmas, racing in the fast class on a course area which takes us around the piers of the famous rail and road bridges. Some fifteen to twenty yachts race in the class, principally thirty to forty foot cruiser-racers with a sprinkling of 707s and SB3s, a J80 and a J24. Where once this area could lay claim to a south-westerly prevailing wind, climate change may be the culprit in causing a continual series of low pressure areas to sweep across the country providing alternating north and southerly breezes. The east-west axis and the confines of the course area under the bridges mean that there is a lot of reaching about, often under spinnaker but not a lot of beating thus performance comparisons are perhaps not very meaningful. It is nonetheless interesting to note that we seldom see the 707s, we demolish the SB3s to windward although in a breeze they tear past under the kite, whilst Js, 80 and 24 don’t bother us. It has been good to find that the across the board performance of the Elite shows it to perform well in all conditions without the performance “spikes” of the recognised Sportsboat classes. Calculation of the results at this club are on the basis of a rolling handicap system whereby success can be expressed as “win some, lose some” and if anybody ever suggests introducing such to a club near you I would suggest that you should have no truck with it. We are already marking our sailing diary, looking forward to meeting up with Elitists in 2006.

The writer has counted 18 events/series available locally to HISC Elites in 2005 on top of which there were Cowes, Burnham and Round the Island entered by ardent travellers. Competition has been good throughout although we could always do with more participants and a theme for 2006 is to help more boats get out with help in crewing, performance and other tips (partly through newsletters and e-mail newsgroups).

The HISC Elite Open was held in April with 14 entries. It was at this event that the competitiveness of the “classic” sails relative to the redesign was shown to be very lacking. The event was won by Nick Peters in demo boat No 9 with “Eclipse” (Streeter/Monger) second and the second RS works boat 3^rd all with new design sails. The first “classic” was “Duel”.

Then the first Elite National were held at HISC in July with the best entry number yet at 16 boats – all the locals plus 2 from RS and Shaun Maclean from Scotland. There was very close racing over a great weekend’s weather well run by the home club in Hayling Bay. The eventual victor was Buzz Kech in No 30 the 2^nd RS demo boat, followed by “Duel” and then “Ciao Bella”. Fed Week was won by “Duel” followed by “Swansong” and “X-Tension” while the HISC Regatta was won by “Ciao Bella” followed by “X-tension” and “Duel”. Lastly special mention should be made of the various Harbour Pursuit races which have been well and very successfully attended by Elites. The early May Bank Holiday was a “sighter” with “Eclipse” 8^th” from 55 entries. Then at the late May one, the “Doctors’” boat “Eloise” was 4^th helmed by Andy Jameson and the Penfold/Chrismas’ “Ellanore” was 6^th from 50 competitors. Better still was to come when in the Glynn Charles Pursuit, with big prizes. “Eloise” (sailed by Bryony Percy) was 2^ndfrom 150 opposition, only overtaken in the last few yards. And, best of all, in the “Cock of the Harbour”, with 70 entries, the “Hayling” boat with Andy Jameson again, was 1^st, the Durrants 2^nd and “Duel” 3^rd from 70 entries (they’ll be changing our handicap!). All this showed the competitive nature of our class against dinghies as long as there is not too much reaching and planning. Finally, we should not forget the wonderful social nature of the Class with many evenings together after racing and more formally (arranged by June). In particular there were special events hosted by the Danby’s (again) and at Cowes by Sandy and Prim (again) and Duncan Patterson.

It seems to have been a very long year – the first full year of the RS Elite. Great progress and some great events highlight the year for me.

· A new fleet at Burnham – 8 boats delivered pre season and the numbers now 12 with regular 10 boat turnouts in their club racing

· Our first nationals (at Hayling), with a 16 boat entry, glorious weather and superb racing in Hayling Bay.

· 10 boats at Cowes and 17 at Burnham week firmly put the boat on the map at two major venues.

Behind the scenes your class association committee has worked hard resolving a few boat issues and progressing rules and other ‘admin’ work. The new sails were delivered with all new boats this year and nearly all the ‘original’ boats have now upgraded. These sails are clearly better than the originals and although there will always be discussion in this area, they have resolved the two problems we had and will be the standard one design sail until the end of 2007 at least. We have recently held a referendum in three areas amongst class members and although the returns were low the current consensus seems to be as follows….There should be no restriction on the number of suits of sails, as although we are conscious of wanting to keep costs down, any sort of scheme restricting this number can actually penalise the more regular sailor. Safety kit requirements in the rules will be taken very seriously – anyone not complying will be disqualified unless a very good excuse is offered. The same applies to any illegal boat changes – beware, you will be disqualified – don’t change anything unless it has been specifically OK’d. Also, underwater shapes (keels and rudders) will be checked whenever possible and any offenders will suffer. We have taken the view that as these things are difficult to police, we will prosecute any offenders heavily.Helming Rules should be maintained as at present – any helm at an Open meeting should be a Class Association member at some level.

To all owners - during the Winter (2005-6) you should receive a replacement (beefed up) mast step via your local fleet. This is an easy item to replace and so I have agreed with RS that we will do these ourselves. I hope this is OK. Any other warranty work should be arranged with RS directly and for boats no 1-9 (and 11) don’t forget, the ‘deal’ on the new sails runs out at the end of 2005 and don’t forget to get your boom upgraded with the reefing fittings. I now look forward to a great 2006 starting with ‘Owners day’ at the London boat show on January 12^th. It looks like Mike June, Jan and I will be doing lots of travelling again next year and we are looking forward in particular to the team racing (RBYC v HISC) at HISC on April 22^nd / 23^rd, the Nationals at Burnham on 9^th / 10^th /11^th June, The HISC Open on 22^nd / 23^rd July and of course Cowes week. The Burnham fleet have been working hard to make the 2006 nationals an event to remember, the boat transport, launch, recovery, moorings and accommodation options are easy and cheap – so no excuses, you should all be there .I hope we can also arrange some suitable packages to tempt some of the Burnham boats to away fixtures for them.Regards and Best Wishes to all our RS Elite friends

16th August 2005 - Less than 2 weeks to Burnham week - 17 RS Elites expected

5 visiting Elites are expected to join the home fleet of 12 for 'Burnham week', starting on Saturday 27th August.

With four straight wins out of five Elite no 6 won the Fed week Elite event - 8 Elites sailed during the week with some excellent close racing and competition for the minor placings - no 6 was sailed throughout the week by Mike Dawe, Peter Hickson and Paul Carpenter.

Back from her Cowes week success Ciao Bella (Elite No1) with Mike Tong, and Peter and Jan Wareham on board won the Elite class in the HISC regatta - conditions were variable, but the promised sea breeze never really got the better of the gradient North Westerly. Racing was close throughout with lots of place swapping throughout the race. Second was Mike and Toni Durrant (10) and third was Mike Dawe, Peter Hickson and Paul Carpenter in #6. Full results in the results section.

6th August 2005 - Ciao Bella wins Cowes week 2005 - and is 5th overall in White Group (dayboats)

Ten boats graced the start line in the R S Elite class starting with the Flying Fifteen, and it was defending champion Mike Tong sailing Elite No 1 “Ciao Bella” who once again showed a clean pair of heels to record his second fleet win at Cowes Week. Two race victories along the way and consistent top three finishes gave Tong the title although he was pushed hard by Martin Wadhams aboard 'RS Sailing.com' who also grabbed a brace of race wins to finish two points behind after discard. Charlie Merchant sailing 'RS Racing' started well with an opening win but dropped off the pace whilst Steve Powell finally put it all together on the last day of racing to gain a popular win on Friday. This very pretty dayboat perhaps lacked in numbers this year but certainly didn't lack in quality and entries should be swelled for next years regatta

Ten HISC based RS Elites set off from the club today in a 'passage race' to Cowes. Cowes week itself starts tomorrow and the boats will then sail back next Saturday in time for the HISC regatta and Fed week. Good luck to all going to Cowes.

The first RS Elite Nationals were held at Hayling Island Sailing Club, five races being sailed in glorious weather the Elites revelling in the force 3-4 onshore breezes in Hayling Bay. The standard of racing in the Elite fleet has improved dramatically in the last 12 months with the new International 14 look alike sail plan being particularly effective up wind. Sixteen Elites including Shaun Maclean and team from Scotland came to the line on Saturday with such enthusiasm that a general recall had to be called on the first race! Mike Dawe and team from HISC dominated day 1 with two wins, but the LDC team in the Demo boat with Buzz Keck on the helm ( and Demo Dave ? as crew! ) ominously were equally consistent with two seconds. Behind it was very tight necessitating good starts and a perfect starboard approach to the windward mark if places weren't to be lost. Nick Peters (MD of RS) in boat 30 wasn't his consistent self but Andy Jameson in the 'Hayling Boat' using the old sail plan did well with a 3rd and 4th. Sundays racing was just as good with slightly less wind and three different winners. Race 1 saw the LDC team win convincingly, Race 2 a reinvigorated Nick Peters came to the fore and the last Race was won by Elite No 1 (the Captains Boat) helmed by Mike Tong and crewed by Peter Wareham, HISC and UK Elite Class Captains respectively. A very consistent 2,2,1,2,2. gave the LDC team the No 1 slot with Mike Dawe second on 11 points and Mike Tong third with 12 points. Overall a highly successful event enjoyed by all in just the conditions the Elite sailors love, bright sunshine, warm water, 10-15 knots of breeze a well managed and excellent Saturday evening dinner at HISC. The only thing missing was a tea as good as the Solos who were also racing at HISC on Sunday! - something to look forward to next year?

A belated congratulations to the three boats who completed this years Round the Island Race.

Boats as follows......No 7 - Duncan Paterson, No 24 - Jeff Monger and Nicky Streeter and No 25 - Steve Foster and Gareth Penn

Thanks to Sandy Woodward for his work on the rules - revised versions of the rules and addenda documents have been posted on the Rules section of this site. Please note also the new section - 'Changes and Tips', which contains information about boat settings and tuning plus lists and commentary about agreed boats changes and developments.

The first Two Day RS Elite Open Meeting held at Hayling Island Sailing Club was attended by 14 of the new RS Elite keelboats representing more than 50% of the UK boats launched so far. A notable visitor was Shaun Maclean who brought his Elite all the way down from the Forth.The racing was of a high standard, the starts especially being hotly contended. A short line and a keen fleet produced two general recalls and finally a Black Flag start for the second race. Racing over windward leeward courses was in Hayling Bay with winds predominately SE force 3 but continuous windshifts kept the race team lead by Gill Browning fully occupied. Nick Peters MD of Racing Sailboats and a prime mover in the birth of the RS Elite, having pushed it through design, production and launch, came out the worthy winner of the weekend taking three races out of the four sailing boat No 12 with the newly developed sails proving their worth in the light airs and sloppy sea conditions. Nicky Streeter, he of Dragon fame, sharing boat No 24 with Jeff Monger was consistent with three second places was second while Charlie Merchant and a young team from RS sailed the demo boat No9 to a close third winning the last race in style.The original HISC owners who conceived the idea of the Elite as a modern three man keelboat for tactical inshore and harbour racing, packed the middle order. They were delighted to see such a depth of talent out racing ‘their boats’. The enthusiasm of all the contestants suggests that other sailors of an uncertain age at clubs up and down the country will enjoy the tactical sailing that these delightful modern there person keelboats can offer and that the class will continue to grow.

13th April 2005 - RS Elites other than the now established fleets at Hayling Island and Burnham

The first non HISC RS Elite was delivered to its owner in Scotland during September 2004. No 11 was campaigned successfully in a local Winter series during October, November and December on the Forth - mainly racing against cruisers. Since the Royal Burnham fleet of 8 boats was delivered others have been built and delivered as follows. Two are currently on their way to Norway to be used as match racing boats there. Other boats are located at Lymington, Bembridge and Weymouth. A further 5 boats have now been added to the HISC fleet increasing that to a total of 14 boats. Total sail numbers are now up to 30.

A new fleet of eight RS Elite keelboats based at the Royal Burnham Yacht Club on the River Crouch in Essex was out racing for the first time during the Easter weekend.Despite the light and fickle winds competitors enjoyed close racing with Ant Law and Philip Tolhust winning the first race on Saturday and finishing second overall. Mike Patten, the class captain, won on Monday and his boat, Matterhorn Jack also won on Sunday with Jonathan Noonan at the helm. The commodore, John Hooper, whose energy and hard work enabled the fleet to get afloat, came second in two races. The racing was very close with just two points between the first five boats but the eventual winners of the first RS Elite series - the Karen Paddison Easter Trophy - were Guy Trench and David Warren. Sunday turned out to be the day for testing the accuracy of the depth gauges and many of the fleet discovered how easily the Elites can be sailed on and off the mud! Article Copyright Yachting World, 30 March 2005

7th April 2005 - FIRST RS Elite OPEN event of 2005 - April 23rd and 24th at HISC

The First RS Elite Open event of 2005 will be held over the weekend of 23rd and 24th April - NOR will be available soon on the HISC Website.

The Class Association AGM was held at HISC on Saturday 5th February - minutes will be published shortly. Following the AGM, the formally agreed Constitution, One Design Rules and Addenda have been published on the Class Rules section of this site.

In 2005 the Hayling based RS Elite fleet will start with 12 boats. These will be sailed from Marina berths at Sparkes marina or HISC moorings or other Chi harbour moorings.

Eight RS Elites have been ordered for delivery in early 2005 by members of the Royal Burnham Yacht club. The boats will form the basis of a fleet at Burnham. Key events for the class from 2005 onwards will now be Burnham week as well as Cowes week, Chichester Harbour Federation week and an annual National Championship to be held at varying venues.

At a meeting at HISC on November it was decided to opt for a single sailmaker for the RS Elite class for the next 3 years - this will be reviewed during 2007. Further sail development will take place by RS - Phil Morrison, Ricahrd Woof and Dick Batt - mainly to improve usability and longevity of the sails. The following other rule changes were agreed. All of these changes have since been ratified by the Licence Holder (Phil Morrison) and Builder (LDC Racing Sailboats).

The First Open 2 day Regatta for RS Elites was held over the weekend of 9th / 10th October. The first 2 races were held in Chichester harbour on a Windward / Leeward course in F4 - F6. Unfortunately on Sunday the wind was consistently above force 6 and so the decision was made not to race. Winners for the series were Boat No 9 sailed into 2 firsts by our visitors from Portsmouth with boat no 7 in second place overall with a consistent 2 x 3rds in the 2 races sailed. - see results for full details. The Elites at HISC will now race in the Winter dinghy series inside Chichester harbour starting on Sunday 24th October.

In days of old when knights were bold, well, autumn 2002,
Some HISC chaps set out on a quest, the gist of which I’ll tell to you
They sought a new 'One Design' boat, with lines as pure as they could be
A modern classic, sleek and fast, at home in harbour or rough sea
“Good Knight” quoth they to RS boats, we crave your help to meet our dream
and preferably in time for Cowes for we desire to have a team
What should this wondrous steed be named, what word it's qualities could meet,
They burnt the midnight oil until, they settled on the word Elite
Some long months later boats arrived, and at the well appointed time
They hastened out across the bay, with others to the starting line.
The seven day battle was fought hard, with frenzied skirmish all around,
The contest fierce with many a scrape, and sometimes Anglo Saxon sound.
A well planned splendid joust this was, banquets and feats of skill and power,
Much ale was quaffed, and roundelays continued past the midnight hour.
Their chargers carried out their tasks, they won some modern trophies fair
Much praise came forth in tones of awe, and other Jousters came to stare
The combatants have left the scene, and sailed away their homes to seek
And we return a happy class, after a week that left us weak

21st August 2004 - 5 RS Elites in Itchenor regatta see results section
5 RS Elites were welcomed to Itchenor today having competed in the Itchenor Regatta - The course and start were shared with 7 Flying Fifteens and the Elite event was won by Anthony Penfold crewed by his wife Sheila and sister Pam Chrismas

6th - 20th August 2004 - 7 RS Elites in First Federation Week see results section
1 new elite joined the fleet on Monday for the first race of Fed week 2004

15th August 2004 - 6 RS Elites in HISC Regatta
1 new elite joined the fleet and sailed in the HISC regatta today. see results section

14th August 2004 - RS Elites Return from Cowes
The 6 RS Elites sailing at Cowes last week returned to Hayling today and are preparing for the HISC regatta and Fed Week. see results section

6th August 2004 - Initial Cowes week for RS Elites.
100% turnout at Cowes - 6 boats will attend Cowes week 2004. 31st July 2004 - First Elite Regatta in Hayling Bay.
The first RS Elite one day regatta was won by boat no 2 - Ellanore

Enthused with sailing the new boat, class chairman Peter Wareham and I decided to enter this year’s race to give her a good testing. We certainly did that! on a rather bleak and rainy day with plenty of wind from a generally SE direction and blowing in excess of force 4 all the time. Because we could not enter the “cruiser” classes we had to make do with the sports boat start and obtained the appropriate certificate although the Elite does not fit into the rule very well with relatively low sail area and high weight for which we do not get credit.Saturday dawned reasonably bright and clear (from our berths on Sandy Woodward’s cat anchored in Osbourne Bay) and we were soon ready for the off fortified by his excellent hospitality and breakfast.With a reaching start it was felt best to go to the outer end of the line to find clear air and less interference and this was achieved with a quick getaway under spinnaker towards Yarmouth with most of the opposition well over towards the Island and slowing each other except for the really fast boys who soon shot ahead. As the wind built, most, including us, were forced low of their course to keep under spinnaker but with great speeds up to about 11 knots in our case. Near Lymington we doused the kite and 2 sail reached past Hurst with the faster IRC yachts now overtaking. We seemed well in contention on the water with SB3s and 707s. Good forward planning was necessary as we approached the notorious Needles turn with a very choppy sea and the need to gain the inside line across galloping 40 footers. The “Varvassi” gap was straight into the wind but, in our case with nimbleness and shallow draft available, we cut through including a short hitch (Peter was rather surprised) nearly up the lighthouse steps. Then into Scratchells Bay for a couple more tacks out of the gushing tide. The beat to St Cats looked a long way in our small boat but in close company with many Lasers including the Olympic team it passed soon enough as we reconnoitred all of the beach most of the way. There were the usual groundings by bigger yachts on Brook and Atherstone ledges but no harm seemed to result. At last we weathered the point and close reached to Ventnor still in company with many larger and supposedly faster sports boats. At Dunnose the wind freed enough for the kite to be set again and we took off! We whistled across Sandown Bay, not always in the right direction, but with fantastic surfs and a maximum of 12 ½ knots – all under control! The kite had to be dropped again to weather Bembridge Ledge buoy and then we were off again on a dead run towards the forts. Unfortunately the helm made a bit of a mess of the gybe halfway down and we broached and only regained our course by lowering and then re-raising the spi. But No Man’s Land Fort was rounded without further incident except that we were on the outside of many large cruisers under marginal control. We appeared to be able to point at Norris under kite and, though in plenty of adverse current initially, this seemed immaterial at 10-11 knots in the larger waves and in safer waters than inshore with broaching opposition so this we held past Osbourne Bay with little apparent loss. The final stretch was very fluky under the point and little water as outside yachts luffed those inside towards the shore. Several touched (not us!) and eventually the wind filled in to carry us across the line in well under 8 hours – not bad for a little-un! A great day! We went round without hitting anything, nothing broke, great speeds were achieved but weren’t we knackered!