Noble Marine RS800 National Championship 2024 at Hayling Island Sailing Club - Runners & Riders
by Clare Sargent 9 Sep 15:22 UTC
12-15 September 2024
Clubhouse from water © Peter Hickson
After apocalyptic levels of rain over the last few days, dare I say it can't get any worse for the Nationals later this week... I mean surely there can't be a drop of moisture left in the sky after all that!
Whilst the sun might be a distant memory, things are sure to heat up with the upcoming battle for RS800 Nationals glory about to take place in Hayling Bay. With a mixture of old faces, new faces and faces which probably have not entered yet, we take a look at those battling for the top 10.
Tom Morris and Tommy Darling:
With the lingering uncertainty as to who Tom would team up with in the absence of Guy Filmore, there were a few milligrams of hope that the door to the title would be left slightly ajar. However Tom could hardly have scooped a more capable replacement with the bullet train fast Tommy jumping on board. They are certainly going to be up there and pushing the front. Will Tom's jaunty outings in the Europe Class somehow rendered him useless in an 8? Probably not.
Rob Gullan and Tom Partington:
A couple of rare sightings in the RS800 these two. Whilst normally found to be hibernating for the rest of the year (pursuing other interests) they are often spotted by the keen twitcher swinging in at pace at the occasional RS800 Nationals and this year is no exception. They've come close before and it would be no surprise to see another royal rumble at the top of the order.
Monique Vennis-Ozanne and Hugh Shone:
Where youthful hunger for glory and natural talent meets slightly exhausted dad with endless amounts of waffle. Whilst coming second in basically every race at the Euros these two are looking to do one better. They even had a quick practice sail earlier in the week where the event was discussed in some depth...and chances that fungus might be controlling humanity, in a lot more detail.
Tim Gratton (not to be mistaken with Tin Gratton) and Arthur Henderson:
Tim's been in and out of the RS800 more times than a woodpecker in a soft oak and so arrives with buckets of experience. With the joyfully exuberant Arthur Henderson in tow these two will get better as the event progresses (or worse depending on how the socials regress). Either way, a very talented duo who will keep everyone honest in their pursuit of the championship.
Geoffrey Carveth and Lesley Dhonau:
With a super impressive track record in multiple classes and excellent local knowledge (eg code to get into the changing rooms), we can expect a lot from this pair. Only raced against them once in Garda where they were occasionally rapid and occasionally chaotic, will a few more years in the boat have honed their skills? Most definitely!
Cameron Moss and Darrol Moss:
Darrol was last spotted elbow deep in a soup of the day and Cameron has been earning his stripes at Top Gun / Exeter Airport /EasyJet / somewhere above our heads / I don't actually know I must catch up with him to find out more, so who knows if these two are still lightning quick in the big breeze. If so, brace brace brace and hold onto your bucket hats as the wave happy Moss Bros will be coming in at Lyme Regis pace.
Ben Palmer and Bruna de Queiroz:
I can only imagine Ben's sales pitch in the course of entering this one. "Yes of course it will be blazingly sunny in early September, the most gorgeous time of the year". Well how things pan out hey. Despite what seems like a particularly grey take on an Indian summer, Ben and Bruna always have a way of wiggling their way to the front and with a new boat it is only assumed that their wiggling will be weally wery good.
Chris Feibusch and Matt Alvarado:
Long standing but short in stature, Chris has had a massive impact on the class over the years. He pushed for crew sheeting and then almost immediately started doing more helming because he is clearly very lazy. Matt's been given the grunty bit.
Bryan Ormond and Anna Ormond:
Always easy to spot with their English Channel spanning rack set-up, these two will be eeking out a few extra nuggets of boat speed with their very shiny new boat. They already take up half the start line and they are coming for the podium next.
Ralph Singleton and A N Other:
I'm going to assume Ralph has managed to sign up the elusive Amadeus Napolean Other. Let's be honest this would not be an RS800 Runners and Riders without mentioning Ralph's undying loyalty to the port flyer at whatever cost. Often executed cleanly, without fuss and with a short, sharp high-pitched yelp, it really is a beautiful thing to behold.
Fred Lord and Louise Gale:
Last spotted helping the RS800 quiz team at the Lymington Open avoid dead last place by the skin of their teeth. This pair aren't just a bunch of pretty faces with some random knowledge about the nationality of horses competing at the Olympics and whether they need to be born in the same countries as the riders they are competing with - they are also really handy RS800 sailors with some random knowledge about the nationality of horses competing at the Olympics and whether they need to be born in the same countries as the riders they are competing with. I can't remember the answer to that one.
See you at HISC 12-15 September for the 2024 RS800 Nationals!
Not yet entered? Don't worry! You can enter on paper in person at registration. See the event website here.