Exe SC provided a fantastic two days of racing for the RS2000 fleet, with seven races producing a mixture of wind ranges, sea states, and plenty of close competition.
Saturday certainly lived up to its forecasted billing as the tougher day with four races sailed in 18-28 knots, with big waves making conditions demanding from the start but super fun downhill. The day started with both the 2000s and 200s being held ashore an extra 45 minutes while the Race Officer made a decision from the course, but the right call was made and we headed out into the bay.
The final race of the day saw the wind drop slightly making it a much more tactical race and less survival, with places changing throughout the fleet all the way up the first beat. Nats and Katie led at the top mark, closely followed by Si and Darren, Luca and Lou. Si and Darren took the early gybe to take the split and came out on top at the bottom mark, while Jay and Alice showed their downwind prowess (newly discovered this season thanks to chats with Spanner), to pop out in 2nd at the bottom mark. The top 2 boats traded blows for the rest of the race, with Si and Darren holding on for the win. Another compressed fleet in the race gave a great spectacle on the finish line once again with 3-6 finishing in the space of 3 boat lengths all on the plane, showing how truly competitive the fleet is.
Despite the challenging conditions, the racing remained close, with positions changing throughout the fleet. Si/Darren and Nats/Katie were the most consistent performers on day 1, sitting 1st and 3rd respectively after day 1, with Jay/Alice holding 2nd overnight despite their early inconsistency.
Sunday brought a complete change of character and additional boats on the start line. The breeze eased to 8-13 knots and the flatter water made for a very different challenge. The shifty conditions rewarded crews who could find the pressure and make the right tactical calls with the 20-40 degree shifts. With the racing so close, there was little room for mistakes. Despite each race being AP'd in the sequence at least once, race officer Mike Way and his team did a great job to get us racing as quickly as they could.
Despite Darren's anti-hiking agenda, Si Horsfield and Darren Kirkham took four race wins from the seven races. Jay and Alice Whitehead recovered from early inconsistency to take second overall including two race wins, while Natalie Johnston and Katie Horsfield's consistency secured third.
The weekend saw some new faces in the fleet and it was great to see how they progressed throughout the weekend with confidence in the boat in challenging conditions. It's always great to see those at the top of the fleet being approachable and willing to help newer faces with their boat setups. It's not unique to the RS2000, but it is something the class really prides itself on.
With everything from 28-knot gusts and big waves on Saturday to lighter, shifty breeze on Sunday, the series provided a testing 7 race series and an enjoyable and hard-fought weekend at Exe Sailing Club. A massive thanks to the race committee and safety boat teams who did a great job all weekend, and the shore crew who helped with trolleys, served us bacon butties, and even provided free cake after racing.
The RS2000 class is very much looking forward to returning here next year for our National Championships.
Overall Results:
Pos Helm Crew Club
1 Si Horsfield Darren Kirkham RNSA / ASA
2 Jay Whitehead Alice Whitehead RNSA / Exe SC
3 Natalie Johnston Katie Horsfield RNSA / TISC
4 Jonathan Ching Hayden Ching Bough Beech SC
5 Pete Vincent Victoria Upton Llandegfedd SC / Exe SC
6 Mike Comey Harri Lawrence Llandegfedd SC
7 Luca Mitchell Lou Dicker Paignton SC / ASA
8 Guy Boswell Julie Boswell Llandegfedd SC
9 Neil Palmer Nick Watton Exe SC
10 John Smith Sally Taviner Wilsonian SC
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