RS Sailing
Premier Way, Abbey Park
Romsey Hampshire SO51 9DQ
01794 526760
RS Sailing
Premier Way, Abbey Park
Romsey Hampshire SO51 9DQ
01794 526760

The 2020 RS Aero Season has officially started in America!

March 5, 2020
The 2020 RS Aero Season

RS Aero North America Midwinter Championship – Indian River YC, Cocoa Beach, FL, USA, Feb 8/9

by Bob Patterson

Trailers of boats from across the United States descended upon Kelly Park in Merritt Island Florida for our RS Aero Midwinter Champs. Thursday, Marc Jacobi put on one of his signature pre-regatta clinics in strong breeze. Your author was unable to attend the clinic, but by all accounts the participants learned a lot and handled the challenging conditions with aplomb.

An approaching cold front made the weather a point of anxiety for many competitors. Friday looked to be breezy and cold with overcast skies. Four races were completed with Marc Jacobi and Madhavan Thirumalai sailing RS Aero 9s revelling in the strong conditions. Bob Patterson and Hank Saurage were in the lead pack as well in RS Aero 7s, mixing it up with the 9 rigs and thinking they were looking good while on the water. There was a good bit of swimming on Friday, with Boris Mezhibovskiy showing impressive form. Staying upright was a key component to better results. When results were posted later and they realized that they had OCSs in their scorecard, they realized they had their work cut out for them Saturday.

Saturday was clear and sunny with a little less breeze but still quite sporty conditions. Jacobi and Madhavan continued their run in the RS Aero 9 fleet while Patterson and Saurage went to work. With the exception of race 1 on the day when Saurage went to the wrong mark and ended up at the back, the two sailors were 1, 2 on the day. Patterson was especially careful to be conservative at the starting line, hanging back and relying on his upwind speed to keep him within striking range. I will also mention that Erik Aker, sailing clean on day one (no OCS) and in the top three on Saturday was leading. Only when discard races would come into play would his lead be threatened.

A lovely dinner at the Hawksbill Restaurant was held Saturday night with some tired but happy sailors enjoying food and camaraderie. The restaurant was close to the sailing venue and was glad to accommodate us.

Sunday was forecast to be warm (correct) and light (nope). While not as consistently strong a breeze as Saturday, boats were depowering with sailors hiking full on to get that last chance to move up. Saurage put up a 1, 2, 1, 1 and Patterson was looking to move past Erik Aker with a 3, 1, 2 until he miscalculated a cross with Jacobi, did a penalty turn, capsized and had to battle his way back to 4th in the race. This cost Patterson second place overall but Erik Aker, having a 4 and a 5 as his drop races (versus 2 OCS for Patterson and a 12, OCS for Saurage) sailed a great series with very consistent results. Well done!

In the RS Aero 9 fleet Jacobi played his regular tune of straight bullets while Madhavan and Sean Fidler had quite a back and forth battle. Madhavan prevailed, but only by 3 points. The top 7s and 9s were often racing each other so it was interesting to see how things unfolded.

An interesting fleet in the regatta was the race among the RS Aero 5 rigs. While grouped with the 7s in the results, Paul Gingras, Gregory Popp, Melissa Solnick, and Tony Corkell all decided to sail with the smaller rigs, deciding that it was more fun to be out on the water than to be killing yourself with too much sail or staying on shore after trying to do so and getting hurt. We will definitely have a separate RS Aero 5 fleet next year.

The general consensus from this regatta was it was a positive experience. Indian River YC put on a great event, with little waiting on the water in between races and efficient changing of marks for the conditions. Launching was from a soft sand beach that we shared with windsurfers and kites and hose off right at the top of the ramp leading to it. There was ample parking for cars and trailers and Gregory Popp even had space to bring his RV as the unofficial shore base for the event. The racing area had little motorboat traffic and was a quick sail right off the beach. There were lots of smiles on shore afterwards and most agreed they will be back next year.

NEXT UP in Florida is the fleet’s first visit to the keys with an event at Key Lago March 7/8, before moving on the Sarasota OD Regatta on March 20-22. For full detail of RS Aero events in North America through 2020 check out the events list.

SUBSCRIBE

  • Sign up for RS stories, offers, epic wipeout videos and much more!
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Record-Breaking Attendance at the RS21 World Championship 2023 in Sardinia

The biggest event of the RS21 Calendar has begun in the stunning surrounds of Porto Rotondo in Sardinia, Italy. The RS21 World Championship 2023 is the second edition of the International Class...

Robotic Bouys: MarkSetBot returns to the RS21 World Championship 2023

Recognised as one of the oldest sports, sailing is based on centuries of traditions and customs. However, that doesn’t mean that they are stuck in the past! More and more yacht clubs, events and...

RS Aero UK Women’s Championship – Hayling Island Sailing Club, Hampshire, 23-24 Sep 2023

This weekend, 45 RS Aero women made their way to Hayling Island Sailing Club, excited for the third RS Aero UK Women's Championships. Visitors travelled from as far away as Scotland, Northern...

Jeddah Yacht Club & Marina Partners with RS Sailing to Open Training Academy in Saudi Arabia

Jeddah Yacht Club & Marina is proud to announce the launch of the JYC Academy, a state-of-the-art training centre designed to give the best sailing and powerboat training in Saudi Arabia. Jeddah...

RS21 UK & IE Cup – Calendar Announced for 2024

The RS21 Class Association is excited to announce the RS21 UK & IE Cup Calendar for 2024. Sticking to the Corinthian ethos, sailors compete in identical RS21s; levelling the playing field and...

World Sailing Training Scholarship Visit RS Sailing at the Southampton International Boat Show

Yesterday, World Sailing brought a group of aspirant international Sail Training Program Managers to the RS Sailing stand at the Southampton Boat Show. The marine trade visit was part of their...

Competition Sign-Up: Win a RS Sailing Goody Bag!

Want to win a bag of RS Sailing Goodies? We're celebrating the Southampton International Boat Show with a competition sign-up! The Goody Bag 1 x 35L RS Sailing Branded Rooster Dry Bag 1 x RS Sailing...

Event Report: Noble Marine RS700 National Championship 2023 at Brightlingsea Sailing Club

Day 1 Event Report by John Booth Fuelled by Wednesday night’s excellent chicken casserole and fresh from a pleasant snooze under the warm starry sky, the 30-strong fleet of the RS700 National...

Event Report: Noble Marine RS800 National Championship 2023 at Brightlingsea Sailing Club

Day 1: Event Report by Guy Fillmore 20 boats set sail from Brightlingsea Sailing Club towards new racing waters for most of the fleet. Some were sceptical of the forecast, but the first day of the...

RS Tera North American Championship 2023 in Utah, USA

A beautiful waterfront regatta in a stunning state park; the RS Tera North American Championship 2023 will be hosted by Sail Park City, in Utah this weekend. This is the first time the championship...

Robotic Bouys: MarkSetBot returns to the RS21 World Championship 2023

Recognised as one of the oldest sports, sailing is based on centuries of traditions and customs. However, that doesn’t mean that they are stuck in the past! More and more yacht clubs, events and...

RS Aero UK Women’s Championship – Hayling Island Sailing Club, Hampshire, 23-24 Sep 2023

This weekend, 45 RS Aero women made their way to Hayling Island Sailing Club, excited for the third RS Aero UK Women's Championships. Visitors travelled from as far away as Scotland, Northern...

Jeddah Yacht Club & Marina Partners with RS Sailing to Open Training Academy in Saudi Arabia

Jeddah Yacht Club & Marina is proud to announce the launch of the JYC Academy, a state-of-the-art training centre designed to give the best sailing and powerboat training in Saudi Arabia. Jeddah...

RS21 UK & IE Cup – Calendar Announced for 2024

The RS21 Class Association is excited to announce the RS21 UK & IE Cup Calendar for 2024. Sticking to the Corinthian ethos, sailors compete in identical RS21s; levelling the playing field and...

World Sailing Training Scholarship Visit RS Sailing at the Southampton International Boat Show

Yesterday, World Sailing brought a group of aspirant international Sail Training Program Managers to the RS Sailing stand at the Southampton Boat Show. The marine trade visit was part of their...

Competition Sign-Up: Win a RS Sailing Goody Bag!

Want to win a bag of RS Sailing Goodies? We're celebrating the Southampton International Boat Show with a competition sign-up! The Goody Bag 1 x 35L RS Sailing Branded Rooster Dry Bag 1 x RS Sailing...

Event Report: Noble Marine RS700 National Championship 2023 at Brightlingsea Sailing Club

Day 1 Event Report by John Booth Fuelled by Wednesday night’s excellent chicken casserole and fresh from a pleasant snooze under the warm starry sky, the 30-strong fleet of the RS700 National...

Event Report: Noble Marine RS800 National Championship 2023 at Brightlingsea Sailing Club

Day 1: Event Report by Guy Fillmore 20 boats set sail from Brightlingsea Sailing Club towards new racing waters for most of the fleet. Some were sceptical of the forecast, but the first day of the...

RS Tera North American Championship 2023 in Utah, USA

A beautiful waterfront regatta in a stunning state park; the RS Tera North American Championship 2023 will be hosted by Sail Park City, in Utah this weekend. This is the first time the championship...

Nordic Para Sailing Championship 2023 in Oslo, Norway

Set to be the BIGGEST parasailing event in Norway ever, the Nordic Para Sailing Championship 2023 will host 12 teams at KNS Ulabrand Sailing Centre in partnership with the Royal Norwegian Yacht...

RS Aero UK Women’s Championship – Hayling Island Sailing Club, Hampshire, 23-24 Sep 2023

This weekend, 45 RS Aero women made their way to Hayling Island Sailing Club, excited for the third RS Aero UK Women's Championships. Visitors travelled from as far away as Scotland, Northern...

Jeddah Yacht Club & Marina Partners with RS Sailing to Open Training Academy in Saudi Arabia

Jeddah Yacht Club & Marina is proud to announce the launch of the JYC Academy, a state-of-the-art training centre designed to give the best sailing and powerboat training in Saudi Arabia. Jeddah...

RS21 UK & IE Cup – Calendar Announced for 2024

The RS21 Class Association is excited to announce the RS21 UK & IE Cup Calendar for 2024. Sticking to the Corinthian ethos, sailors compete in identical RS21s; levelling the playing field and...

World Sailing Training Scholarship Visit RS Sailing at the Southampton International Boat Show

Yesterday, World Sailing brought a group of aspirant international Sail Training Program Managers to the RS Sailing stand at the Southampton Boat Show. The marine trade visit was part of their...

Competition Sign-Up: Win a RS Sailing Goody Bag!

Want to win a bag of RS Sailing Goodies? We're celebrating the Southampton International Boat Show with a competition sign-up! The Goody Bag 1 x 35L RS Sailing Branded Rooster Dry Bag 1 x RS Sailing...

Event Report: Noble Marine RS700 National Championship 2023 at Brightlingsea Sailing Club

Day 1 Event Report by John Booth Fuelled by Wednesday night’s excellent chicken casserole and fresh from a pleasant snooze under the warm starry sky, the 30-strong fleet of the RS700 National...

Event Report: Noble Marine RS800 National Championship 2023 at Brightlingsea Sailing Club

Day 1: Event Report by Guy Fillmore 20 boats set sail from Brightlingsea Sailing Club towards new racing waters for most of the fleet. Some were sceptical of the forecast, but the first day of the...

RS Tera North American Championship 2023 in Utah, USA

A beautiful waterfront regatta in a stunning state park; the RS Tera North American Championship 2023 will be hosted by Sail Park City, in Utah this weekend. This is the first time the championship...

Nordic Para Sailing Championship 2023 in Oslo, Norway

Set to be the BIGGEST parasailing event in Norway ever, the Nordic Para Sailing Championship 2023 will host 12 teams at KNS Ulabrand Sailing Centre in partnership with the Royal Norwegian Yacht...
Winter Buy Offer

Winter Buy Offer – 10% Off RS Class Sails & Top Covers

The Winter Buy Offer for next year’s sails is open from the 1st of September. Be an early bird and take advantage of RS Sailing Store's pre-order speciality! While you're packing away for winter,...

Jeddah Yacht Club & Marina Partners with RS Sailing to Open Training Academy in Saudi Arabia

Jeddah Yacht Club & Marina is proud to announce the launch of the JYC Academy, a state-of-the-art training centre designed to give the best sailing and powerboat training in Saudi Arabia. Jeddah...

RS21 UK & IE Cup – Calendar Announced for 2024

The RS21 Class Association is excited to announce the RS21 UK & IE Cup Calendar for 2024. Sticking to the Corinthian ethos, sailors compete in identical RS21s; levelling the playing field and...

World Sailing Training Scholarship Visit RS Sailing at the Southampton International Boat Show

Yesterday, World Sailing brought a group of aspirant international Sail Training Program Managers to the RS Sailing stand at the Southampton Boat Show. The marine trade visit was part of their...

Competition Sign-Up: Win a RS Sailing Goody Bag!

Want to win a bag of RS Sailing Goodies? We're celebrating the Southampton International Boat Show with a competition sign-up! The Goody Bag 1 x 35L RS Sailing Branded Rooster Dry Bag 1 x RS Sailing...

Event Report: Noble Marine RS700 National Championship 2023 at Brightlingsea Sailing Club

Day 1 Event Report by John Booth Fuelled by Wednesday night’s excellent chicken casserole and fresh from a pleasant snooze under the warm starry sky, the 30-strong fleet of the RS700 National...

Event Report: Noble Marine RS800 National Championship 2023 at Brightlingsea Sailing Club

Day 1: Event Report by Guy Fillmore 20 boats set sail from Brightlingsea Sailing Club towards new racing waters for most of the fleet. Some were sceptical of the forecast, but the first day of the...

RS Tera North American Championship 2023 in Utah, USA

A beautiful waterfront regatta in a stunning state park; the RS Tera North American Championship 2023 will be hosted by Sail Park City, in Utah this weekend. This is the first time the championship...

Nordic Para Sailing Championship 2023 in Oslo, Norway

Set to be the BIGGEST parasailing event in Norway ever, the Nordic Para Sailing Championship 2023 will host 12 teams at KNS Ulabrand Sailing Centre in partnership with the Royal Norwegian Yacht...
Winter Buy Offer

Winter Buy Offer – 10% Off RS Class Sails & Top Covers

The Winter Buy Offer for next year’s sails is open from the 1st of September. Be an early bird and take advantage of RS Sailing Store's pre-order speciality! While you're packing away for winter,...

Are Robotic Racing Marks a Game Changer?

Described as a “potential game changer” for regattas by both race officials and competitors, robot racing mark tech is set to change the course of race management forever. Having used smart...

Pin It on Pinterest