Feedback

A very fair assessment of the RS600? A very fair assessment of the joys of sailing an RS 600. I have to admit that I am now hooked on the joys of single-handed RS 600 blasting - no matter what point of sail you are on. I am now on my second boat in 18 months and love the thrills and spills. Yes it is true there can be a small amount of swimming involved in the early stages but with the help of the class association training days this can be reduced. The RS 600 fleet also has a very strong e-mail group that allows views and opinions to be aired and shared - which helps everybody.

The GUL sponsored racing circuit is excellent in terms of the venues visited and the full-on close racing. It is a great feeling to race a 600 with 30-plus other boats - an extremely good way to learn more about the boat and have a great time with other like-minded individuals. Like all other RS classes the social scene also has a well-deserved reputation for being wild! In addition to the full RS Gul circuit the RS 600 benefits from its own circuit sponsored by Cutty Sark Whiskey.

This was developed with the aim of helping people to get over the perceived ability level need to compete on the full RS Circuit. It is a series of one day events (usually Sunday) often combined with the training days the day before. Last weekend at Datchet we had around 25 boats taking part, in a friendly and competitive atmosphere. The 600 fleet is very friendly and even the very top guys will be all-too willing to discuss points or boats set up which is just what is required in a boat such as the RS 600. Overall I think the test was very fair. The boat is relatively bulletproof and once you have mastered how to sail it, can be sailed in all conditions. We raced in 40 knots recently at Lake Como in Italy - wow!

From Mathew Barton
A very fair assessment of the RS600?The RS600 is simply the best boat. Your review brought back many happy memories of big rig at Garda in 30knots and amazing wipe-outs while getting to grips with it. If anything I'd say your review laboured the fact that it's tough to sail, I went into it from an Enterprise and struggled for a few months, however once through the pain barrier it just went faster the windier it got.

There's a lot of older boats out there for around £2500, as alluded to in your review and all those people out there singing the praises of the 5000 should try one. It knocks that tank into a cocked hat, or is that a bit provocative?

From Rob Redbourn
A very fair assessment of the RS600? Very fair - I bought my 600 after about 15 years away from performance dinghies, and while I have not mastered it to the extent of being at the front of the fleet, I fairly quickly mastered it well enough to stay upright the majority of the time up to F5 (after which I still struggle - but big winds were never my strong point!). Highly recommended.

Mark Sempers
A very fair assessment of the RS600? It's a reasonable assessment, however, a few things have changed in the years since the 600 first hit the water:

1) The wide wing weight penalty is now 3, not 6 kilos

2) The original Angel mast is now a Superspar mast with a carbon sleeve. The two are slightly different to set up, but neither dominates on performance. However, the superspar is substantially more robust (and the angel was pretty good). As far as I am aware, no one has ever broken or bent a Superspar, no matter how big the crash.

3) With anything other than VERY early angel masts, you get a different feeder which works fine. The superspar masts are a totally different track system, again, no feeder problems there.

Other than that, they are bullet proof - I'm sailing a 7+ year-old boat on the circuit to good effect. We have Gul on board again for 2001. Boats are getting cheaper as they are available older, and as the market gets more competitive due to the Musto skiff and RS700. Oh, and lastly, before you dismiss it as a poor relation to the Musto/700, try one. I wouldn't swap for either; all round, any direction performance makes up for the lack of ultimate, kite driven, downwind speed, and makes it a great handicap weapon.

From Mike Farr
Did Heeley's helming or Percy's tactics win this regatta? The one thing you have to say about Farr40 racing is it's a team sport. If you are not fast you do not look smart. GBR 25 is fast, well sailed, and they make few mistakes. It gives all the other members of the Farr 40 fleet something to aim at. Thanks Mark and the rest of your crew for giving us all a reality check. Bit of a Coup will be back.

From Bret
Australians - still the best Skiff sailors? NO! However skiff sailors from Australasia are. This is including New Zealanders. I sail a 12 foot skiff for New Zealand and have competed at the last four interdominion contests against the Aussies and in that time have only seen two Aussie boats win a race. The 38 other races over these four contests were won by New Zealanders. This contest has been run for many years and for a long time was dominated by the Aussies but in the last six years the Kiwis have developed their boats to a standard that is now far higher than 95% of the Australian fleet. An Aussie sailor once said to me after sailing on one of our boats: "we are sailing against a different class of yacht".

Skiff sailing is about development and open-minded thinking - looking outside the square for the next thing that will make you the fastest. I believe the Aussies are in their own little world of complacency thinking they are still the best, but until they move away from this thinking they will slowly be passed by the more motivated sailors from other countries who are thinking and sailing better.