The Harken RS Sprints came to Rutland over the weekend April 22-23 April 2023 and the RS400s brought 18 boats to the party. With it being a multi-class RS event, there was plenty of boat yard banter and old friends to catch up with. The RS sailing family really is special in that regard.
The first day was all about qualifying for the Sunday Gold/Silver fleet racing and the fleet was split into four groups (red/blue/green/yellow) for six races - each group racing each other twice with races lasting about 25 minutes.
Sunday arrived with wind outperforming the forecast and being mercifully stable (for most of the day at least). The fleet was now split into Gold/Silver with nine boats in each fleet and the standard of racing was outstanding.
The top two of Groves and Parkhurst, and Simms and Holden were the class acts of the fleet and were well clear. Third through sixth were separated by only four points! It's worth reflecting on just how competitive the gold fleet racing was - the top three from the national championships finished 8th, 5th and 4th.
In the silver fleet Steve Restall and Chris Stubbs dominated the early races and did just enough to hold off the consistent Jamie Morgan and Anna-Louise Glendenning on a tie break.
It's hard to describe just how hectic and close the racing was but also how it was a load of fun. Special mention for the race management from Rutland SC, which was absolutely outstanding. They kept seven fleets rolling around a well-set course without too much inter-fleet interference. Bravo. Thank you to event sponsor Harken and to RS400 national tour sponsor Rooster.
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