All change at London Boat Show

Champions reveal their plans for the coming season and RS talk about their latest baby boomer.......

It will not have escaped your attention that a considerable number of top dinghy sailors have a connection with the sailing industry in some shape or form, so a visit to the London Boat Show is an ideal way to catch up on what they will be doing this coming season.

New at the show this year is the stand of Steve Cockerill's Rooster Chandlery.

Steve has introduced a stream of innovative dinghy products over the last couple of years as well as finding the time to win some major championships.

This season he will be defending his Laser Radial Masters World title in the States and also competing in the UK Radial championships.

On a new tack Steve has plans for the RS400 championships and is also looking for another single-handed class to add to his stable.

On the right you see him testing the strength of his Laser tiller extension. Steve specialises in Laser parts and his tiller extension and Polilite mainsheets were used on the leading boats at the last Olympics (looks like they will be spreading to the Finn soon).

I also picked up a copy of his Single-handed Sailing Techniques CD at the stand and will be reviewing this soon. If you miss the show check out the new Rooster base at Westbourne opening in February.

At the RS stand Nick Peters revealed a change of class for himself this season - Nick will be campaigning an RS700 on the race circuit. He has decided to go for the new single-handed boat where he will find plenty of competition right on his doorstep, as Hayling Island SC expect to have a dozen racing there this year.

Nick will also be club racing an RS200 with his nine year old son and in a not unrelated subject also mentioned the new RS dinghy that they have in development.

With a young family Nick knows at first hand the problems of encouraging youngsters to sail and keeping the fun element without pressurising them onto the organised race circuits too early.

Looking at the existing junior boats, with the progression from Optimist into Topper being the solo route, he felt that the junior two man progression was lacking a modern boat that was appealing to youngsters.

It is this area that RS have been working on and a new Paul Handley design of Mirror dimensions and stability, but with the RS stylish look and incorporating modern construction and rig developments, will be appearing on test appraisal soon at chosen locations.

The new dinghy will be available in different rig versions and will be suitable for fun and learning. RS want to put the fun factor back in to junior sailing but if the Vareo experience is anything to go by, it won't be long before the competitive edge gets in there as well.

Other news from the RS racers is that Martin Wadham will be campaigning the K6 again this year, also with some RS200 sailing and Alex Southon still has some unfinished business in the RS600.

Over at the Sailspeed stand Richard Estaugh was showing a very smart GP14.

This class has reinvented itself in the past couple of years and the latest selfdraining version with all sail controls neatly incorperated in the centre thwart is a revelation.

Richard has a busy time coming up with the Enterprise Worlds in Goa in February followed two weeks later by the Fireball Worlds in Florida. In the UK he will be sailing at the Enterprise and Fireball Nationals and also the Merlin Rocket championship - a busy season.

Also at the Sailspeed stand is Stevie Morrison, Fireball World and European champion, who is putting together a 49er campaign with Ben Rhodes for the next Olympics.

They a have a new boat on order and will be out on the 49er international circuit this season in a full-on campaign, which will mean that the Fireball will take a backseat, although Stevie will try to fit the UK Nationals in if the dates are clear.

Frederikson UK supply blocks and deck fittings for yachts, including Kingfisher and Assa Abloy, but they keep their finger on the pulse of the dinghy scene with people such as Jason Belben.

Jason won the 2001 RS600 Championship and is a former RS800 Champion, he also had news of a class change for this year.

He has traded his 600 for an RS700 and will be out to add that missing championship to his RS class sequence this year.

Things could be sticky at Nationals time as his brother, Russell, also sails a 700 - could be the flip of a coin decides who gets the time off!