The RS800s turned out in force for the Soak Insure Tide Ride at Hayling Island Sailing Club, with 15 boats entered and most of the current front-running teams on the start line. True to the Tide Ride ethos, the focus was on fun, fast, and furious short-course racing rather than serious championship points. A qualification series of slalom-style races would decide the seven-boat line-up for the winner-takes-all final.
Saturday delivered near-summer conditions with sunshine, 6–10 knots of breeze, and five short, sharp races. The compact course with twin downwind gates kept the fleet tight, making clean starts and consistency vital. After five races, it was Ben Palmer / Dicken Maclean and Rob Gullan / Rob Ashman who led the pack overnight. Despite winning four races on the water, reigning National Champions, Tom Morris and Guy Fillmore found themselves back in sixth after an OCS in race one and a self-inflicted broken spinnaker pole ended their day early in race five.
Sunday brought a step up in both wind and intensity. With 15–18 knots across the race area, black flags on every start, and no discards, pressure was high—exactly as it should be for the Tide Ride format. The breeze and tide made for plenty of drama: capsizes, trawled kites, even a person overboard keeping the onlookers entertained. The RS800 once again showed its versatility with its blend of high performance and relatively forgiving nature, but the tight slalom course demanded precision and mistakes were punished.
After three more high-energy qualifiers, Ben and Dicken comfortably topped qualification by a handsome 15 points, followed Louis Johnson and Lucy Hewitson who put in an admirable second day charge. Alex Hughes and Steph Orton claimed the seventh and last spot in the final by a mere point from Bryan and Anna Ormand. However, the manner of qualification was now irrelevant; the scoreboard was reset. One race. Winner takes all.
Smashing off the port end and obliterating the favoured left of the course it was Alex Hughes and Steph Orton who led at the top mark – could they do the unthinkable and steal the event win as the last placed qualifier? They were chased hard by Pete Barton / Chris Feibusch and the rapidly improving Louis and Lucy. Meanwhile an altercation with the pin end left qualification heroes Ben and Dicken as zeroes languishing in last place. By the leeward gate Barton and Feibusch had edged ahead, with Morris / Fillmore jumping from the pack to pop up second whilst Hughes/Orten lost out to Johnson / Hewitson.
Final beat and it was now apparent the winner would come from the tightly positioned top four. The chasers all took the extra tack to split left while Barton / Feibusch went right, minimising manoeuvres but plugging a stronger tide—a move that cost them as Morris / Fillmore rounded the final windward mark in front. From there, Tom and Guy extended their lead to the finish, sealing a well-deserved victory and underlining their mastery of the 800 with trademark speed and slick boat handling.
Behind them, Johnson / Hewitson and Barton / Feibusch fought to the line in a gybing duel, finishing half a boat length apart in second and third respectively. Palmer / Maclean, models of consistency all weekend, crossed in fifth—proof that the Tide Ride rewards risk-taking over reliability.
Great racing, great race management, and plenty of grins—everything the Tide Ride is meant to be. The RS800 once again proved why it delivers the best ‘smiles per mile’ in the dinghy park.
Next year’s Soak Insure Tide Ride will be held at the end of September—don’t miss it!
