Noble Marine RS800 National Championship at Royal Torbay Yacht Club - Day 3
by Tim Gratton 6 Sep 06:08 UTC
3-6 September 2026
Noble Marine RS800 National Championship - Day 3 © Bob Penfold
Two more races shake up the leaderboard with everything to play for on Sunday
Saturday dawned with the sun shining once again on the English Riviera, although the wind had rather failed to get the memo. With barely a breath on the water, the fleet was held ashore while everyone waited patiently for the sea breeze to make an appearance.
Eventually, the patience paid off and the fleet launched into a beautiful 10-12 knots from the south east, setting up another great day on the Torbay racecourse.
Race 6 got under way with Monique and Hugh making the most of the pin end and blasting off into the lead at the first windward mark, closely followed by Tom and Guy. As the fleet settled into the first downwind, the breeze became lighter and increasingly patchy, but the leading positions remained largely unchanged.
At the leeward gate, the leaders headed off towards the left-hand side of the course. However, with some yachts in the distance providing rather confusing evidence of just how differently the wind was behaving further up the course, Louis and Lucy, along with Alex and Simon, decided to take a gamble and head hard right.It proved to be an inspired decision. The breeze shifted by around 45 degrees and suddenly the gamble was paying off handsomely. Louis and Lucy came out on top, taking the win, with Alex and Simon in second and Tim and Arthur rounding out the top three.
By Race 7, the breeze had settled into a shifty 12-15 knots from the south west, and the fleet was back into full RS800 mode. The leading bunch were tightly packed, with several boats fighting hard for every metre as they chased Tom and Guydown the first run. By the first leeward gate, 2nd through 5th were almost inseparable, setting up a close battle for the remainder of the race.
At the top of the second beat, Blake and Brett followed Tom and Guy around the mark, with Tim and Arthur rounding out the top three. With the breeze continuing to shift and the fleet pushing hard, there was still plenty of opportunity for things to change — but ultimately the leading positions held all the way to the finish.
With no time left on the clock for a third race, the fleet headed back ashore and swapped trapezes for smart clothes as everyone gathered for the Championship Dinner.
One thing is certain: after three days of racing, nobody will be taking anything for granted when the fleet heads back out for the final day.