Please select your home edition
Edition
Palm Beach Motor Yachts

RS Aero Open at Chelmarsh Sailing Club

by David Thursfield 17 Oct 2017 06:48 UTC 14 October 2017
RS Aeros at Chelmarsh © Terry Gumbley

On Saturday 14th October, 2017, Chelmarsh Sailing Club held their RS Aero Class Open on their picturesque, 110 acre reservoir near Bridgnorth, Shropshire.

Race Officer Tony Hanan with wife Tracy as Assistant, briefed the 18 entrants that 3 races were planned, one before and two 'back to back' following lunch. The two rig sizes, RS Aero 7 of which there were 13 entrants and RS Aero 9 of which there were 5 entrants would have separate races with a staggered start. The 9 rigs started first, but both would sail the same course and for the same number of laps.

Nine entrants were Chelmarsh home boats and the nine visitors had travelled from as far north as Cheshire and from southern coastal Clubs to compete. This was to be a day for the young talent of the RS Aero Class with top 'Junior' (U16) sailor Tim Hire blitzing the RS Aero 7s with three 1sts and 'Apprentice Youth' (U22) Greg Bartlett winning the RS Aero 9s.

Race 1 started as scheduled and in 8 to 10 knots of wind gusting frequently to 12 to 18 knots, from the south.

In the 9 rig race and at the first mark, Greg Bartlett (Starcross YC) enjoyed a 50 yard lead over Robert England (Chelmarsh SC) who was 20 yards ahead of David Partridge (Chelmarsh SC).

A fortunate gust whilst off-wind propelled Bartlett 200 yards clear also allowing Partridge to gain second. The fleet became grouped into a leading two and the remainder of the fleet until the finish. Bartlett first, Partridge second and England 3rd.

The 7 rig fleet started 3 minutes later. At the first mark. David Cherrill (Broadwater SC) had a lead of 50 yards over Andy Hill (Hayling Island SC) with Tim Hire (Royal Lymington SC) very close astern.

Lap 2 saw several place changes between all three of the above leading boats and with Peter Townend (Chelmarsh SC) lying in 3rd place at times. Hire shimmied through the last 9 rig contender and stretched out a lead of 100 yards which he held to the finish. Hill taking second and Cherrill third. Fourth place was held by Charles Clapham (Chew Valley SC).

Race 2 started in increasing wind and more powerful gusts.

In the 9 rig fleet and at the first mark, Bartlett, Partridge and England held the top placings respectively. Sadly for Bartlett, equipment failure forced his retirement. By lap three Nick Eales (Lymington Town SC) battled for second place in a neck and neck duel with England but with Partridge still leading some 100 yards ahead of the remaining fleet. At one stage, England gained the lead but at the finish it was Partridge, England and Eales in the leading 3 positions respectively.

The 7 rig fleet race 2 saw Hire, Cherrill and Townend in the lead at the first mark but later the fleet split into three separate groupings each around 100 yards apart. A lap later, Cherrill had taken the lead with Hill in second place and Townend retaining third. The finish, however, saw early leader Hire first across the line, followed by Cherrill and Townend. Hill held fourth place.

Race 3, back to back, got off promptly with a clean start in an ever-increasing wind strength.

The 9 rig fleet saw Bartlett, who had retired in the previous race, using borrowed Chelmarsh Member's, hull take the lead at the first mark. Partridge and England followed him respectively. These three competitors struck out a leading group some 200 yards clear. While the leading positions held changed several times for very short periods, the first mark positions of Bartlett, Partridge and England were doggedly maintained through to the finish in that order.

The 7 rig fleet saw Hire take the lead with Cherrill second and Townend third at the first mark. Those positions were maintained for 2 complete laps of the course before Hill squeezed himself into third place before finishing. So, a Hire, Cherrill and Hill finishing sequence with Townend in fourth.

Overall Results:

RS Aero 9 (full results here)
1st Greg Bartlett (Starcross YC) 2pts
2nd David Partridge (Chelmarsh SC) 3pts
3rd Robert England (Chelmarsh SC) 5pts
4th Nick Eales (Lymington Town SC) 7pts

RS Aero 7 (full results here)
1st Tim Hire (Royal Lymington YC) 2pts
2nd David Cherrill (Broadwater SC) 4pts
3rd Andy Hill (Hayling Island SC) 5pts
4th Peter Townend (Chelmarsh SC) 7pts

The first three places of both Fleets were presented with a Dartington Crystal whisky class which was engraved with their position and the event.

Maybe 'old fashioned' but the first Lady was Liz Potter of West Kirby SC who achieved 7th place with 12 points and received Prosecco and Maltesers.

Winners' speeches extolled the virtues of the Race Committee and particularly the galley of sausages, baked spuds and beans presented by Ray Andrews and Linda Thursfield.

Next up for the RS Aero UK Class is Chew Valley for the RS Aero and Singlehanded Open this Saturday 21st followed on 28/29th October by the RS Aero UK Inland Championships at Northampton. Full details on the UK event pages.

Related Articles

RS Aero Open at Draycote Water
The 13 strong club entries were bolstered with 4 visitors The 2nd event of 3 on the RS Aero UK Midlands circuit was hosted by Draycote Water SC with 17 RS Aeros arriving to be greeted with champagne sailing conditions that just improved as the day progressed. Posted on 1 Jul
RS Aero Lago Maggiore International Regatta
7th edition sees 45 boats from 10 different countries The pretty Italian town of Cannobio on the shore of beautiful Lake Maggiore in Northern Italy saw 45 RS Aeros from 10 different countries, split across three rig sizes racing for three days. Posted on 19 Jun
RS Aeros at Lymington Town
There were no discards, no dress rehearsals Seventeen RS Aeros turned out to enjoy the Lymington RS Aero Open and were blessed with blue skies and a moderate sea breeze. The fleet raced together on PY using corrected time scoring with RS Aero 6s, 7s and 9s represented. Posted on 22 May
RS Northern Championships at Strangford Lough
Tight racing across the RS Aero, RS200 and RS400 classes The RS Northern Championships came to Strangford Lough Yacht Club in County Down, producing some tight racing across the RS Aero, RS200 and RS400 classes. Posted on 19 May
RS Aero Spring Championships at Island Barn
Sunshine and warmth all day with winds from 5 to 15 knots, with a 25 knot squall This great class came again to Island Barn for its 2025 Spring Championships on 10th May. We had sunshine and warmth all day and out of a cloudless sky came winds ranging from 5 to 15 knots, with a remarkable short squall of over 25 knots - not sure why. Posted on 14 May
2025 RS Aero Europeans at Lake Garda overall
Almost 120 competitors took part in the event at Circolo Vela Arco The RS Aero European Championships 2025 concluded on Sunday 27 April on Lake Garda, Trentino, organised by Circolo Vela Arco in collaboration with the Italian Sailing Federation and the RS Aero Italian and International Class Associations. Posted on 28 Apr
2025 RS Aero Europeans at Lake Garda Day 1
Four races completed on the first day despite uncertain weather The RS Aero European Championships 2025 officially kicked off today on the northern shores of Lake Garda, hosted by Circolo Vela Arco in collaboration with the Italian Sailing Federation and the RS Aero Class Associations, both Italian and International. Posted on 24 Apr
2025 RS Aero Europeans at Lake Garda Preview
110 sailors from 15 nations are set for racing at Circolo Vela Arco Everything is ready at Circolo Vela Arco for the start of the 2025 RS Aero European Championships, which will kick off on Wednesday, 24 April, on the stunning waters of northern Lake Garda. Posted on 23 Apr
RS Aero UK Winter Training at Restronguet
The turnout was at the maximum: 21 boats The penultimate RS Aero Winter Training Weekend was held at Restronguet SC over the weekend 29/30th March, marked by Spring tides and the change of clocks on Sunday to keep the participants on their toes. Posted on 3 Apr
RS Fest Miami 2025
Miami, nicknamed the magic city, really did dial up the magic this weekend RS Fest Miami 2025 promised a true celebration of all things RS, and it didn't disappoint! The RS Tera, RS Feva, RS Aero, and RS21 fleets, absolutely sent it racing around Biscayne Bay, and they celebrated in style on shore at Coconut Grove Sailing Club. Posted on 2 Apr
Palm Beach Motor YachtsMaritimo M75