12 June 2025
Royal Thames Yacht Club 250th Anniversary Regatta sees all seasons in one day as the competition gets serious in the RS Elite, Etchells and Mermaid Classes.
Day two of the Royal Thames Yacht Club’s 250th Anniversary Regatta was described by Principal Race Officer, Tim Hancock, in his morning competitors’ briefing as a ‘transitional’ one with a chilly, rain-filled weather system passing over the Solent revealing blue skies and humid winds as the afternoon progressed.
Three fleets ventured out today with the RS Elite Class completing three races of their National Championships to reach the halfway mark, joined by the Etchells fleet on the same course completing two warm up races ahead of their National Championship starting tomorrow.
The rain front itself presented a significant challenge in the early racing with the Solent going from a short, sharp chop out on the Hillhead plateau to a rolling swell before reverting back again. Big shifts came in on the south-easterly breeze that fluctuated between 14 knots at the beginning, down to 7 knots by the conclusion of the RS Elite Class’s third race, atop a strong ebb tide that rewarded those teams that could change set-up quickest and saw the best teams rise to the top of the standings.
RS Elite Class – National Championships (After 5 Races)
Joe Llewellyn, Chris Draper and James Grant sailing ‘Team Musto’ had an outstanding day, bouncing back from the disappointment of their ‘U’ Flag disqualification in the second race yesterday, to win all three races today.
Quite simply, ‘Team Musto’s’ racecraft was supreme with the ability race after race to hold their lane off the start line and eke into unassailable leads. Once again, their nearest competition, particularly in the first two races of the day, were the defending National Champions ‘Riff Raff’ of Russell Peters, Greg Wells and Zeb Elliott. Two second places but an uncharacteristic 6th in the final race sees ‘Riff Raff’ relegated to second overall as the discard comes into play.
Former Olympian Ossie Stewart sailing ‘More T Vicar’ cemented third spot on the podium but one of the most consistent performances of the day was Neil Fulcher sailing ‘All the Gear’ who secured second and third places in races four and five this afternoon as the weather went tricky and lighter.
At the half-way point of the regatta, it is hard to see this going any other way than a straight shoot-out between ‘Team Musto’ and ‘Riff Raff’ for the overall title, and with just one point separating them after discard, this is a National Championship that looks set to go right down to the wire. Certainly, by the standard of sailing and boatspeed that both teams showed today, they are very much the ones to beat.