Ramping up the excitement and enjoyment, afloat and ashore, for sailors at all levels within the fleets is a big topic within the sport right now and has always been a hallmark of the RS philosophy.
The much-anticipated RS Games set out to bring the growing international family of RS classes together and, after two years of planning, it’s finally underway at Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy (WPNSA). With over 1300 competitors, one of the world’s largest one design dinghy regattas is the perfect way to celebrate RS sailor’s enthusiasm and their classes growth over the last 25 years.
WPNSA has been given a real festival feel with the RS Sailors hub, Volvo events stage, Rooster store and Zest repair station. This event is buzzing with atmosphere and WPNSA has never looked so good! On the water the competition is intense.
The RS Games kicked off with the RS Aero and RS Tera World Championships, with 206 and 167 boats respectively, making these the largest fleets the classes have ever seen. The growth of the RS Aero class has been remarkable – it’s hard to find another class that has held a 200-boat world championship within four years of launch. Combining the RS Tera and RS Aero championships allows families to take part in both events and socialise together.
Next up is the PA Consulting RS Feva European Championships (again a record Euros fleet) and many of the RS Tera sailors will be smashing out a second week of racing and putting their skills into double handed sailing with a friend or sibling. With 30 nations taking part in the first three events at the RS Games, there is no doubting that the RS family has gone global.
RS Tera and RS Feva racing is streamed live to facebook for parents and families to follow online or on the huge Kingfisher TV’s in the sailors hub. Both RS Sailing and WPNSA are committed to running sustainable events, with the reduction of single use plastics, wooden cutlery, cardboard plates and reusable pint glasses. There are socials every night, music, happy hours and BBQs because having fun on shore is as important as the racing on the water.
This is just the start – there’s much more to come! Follow the event updates, photos, video and camaraderie on the RS Games Facebook Page.
Check out the RS Games Youtube channel for daily videos.
