Type | Private company |
---|---|
Industry | Maritime |
Founded | Brockley, London, UK (1957) |
Headquarters | Premier Way, Abbey Park, Romsey, Hampshire, UK |
Website | www |
RS Sailing is an international designer, builder and supplier of sailboats and dinghies and associated goods and services supported by a worldwide dealer network and class associations. [1]
The current RS range contains 19 dinghies and related parts and fittings, as well as clothing, footwear, hats, caps, bags and other kit. The RS range includes All Purpose Boats (the RS Tera, RS Quba, RS Zest, RS Neo, RS Feva, RS Quest, RS Vision and RS Venture) for beginners, families, sailing clubs and schools. [2] The Performance Boats are the RS100, RS200, RS300, RS400, RS500, RS600, RS700, RS800, RS Vareo, [3] the new RS Aero and the RS Elite is a racing keel boat. [4] The Performance Boats have been created to make modern high performance sailing available to a huge range of sailors, and includes single handers and two person skiffs. [5] Offering sailors competitive one-design racing, RS Events take place throughout the UK [6] and internationally for some RS classes. [7]
The RS range is the world's largest and fastest growing sailing/boating brand with boats for championship level racing, recreational sailing, families, clubs and schools.
Class | Designer | Length | Recognition | Test report(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|
2000 | Phil Morrison | Originally known as the Laser 2000 | ||
RS Aero | Jo Richards | 4m / 13'2" | - | - |
RS Feva | Paul Handley | 3.64m / 12'0" | ISAF International Class RYA Supported Class [8] | Yachts & Yachting [9] |
RS Elite | Phil Morrison | 7.4m / 24'4" | - | Yachts & Yachting [10] |
RS NEO | Paul Handley and RS Sailing | 3.53m / 11'5" | - | |
RS Quest | Jo Richards | 4.5m / 14'1" | - | - |
RS Tera | Paul Handley | 2.87m / 9'5" | ISAF International Class ISAF Learn to Sail Boat RYA Recognised Junior Class | Yachts & Yachting [11] |
RS Venture | Phil Morrison & RS Sailing | 4.9m / 16'4" | - | - |
RS Vareo | Phil Morrison | 4.47m / 14'8" | - | Yachts & Yachting [12] |
RS Vision | Phil Morrison | 4.57m / 15' | - | - |
RS ZEST | Jo Richards and RS Sailing | 3.59m / 11'9" | - | - |
RS Quba | Paul Handley | 3.53m / 11'5" | - | Yachts & Yachting [13] |
RS14 Cat | - | - | - | - |
RS16 Cat | - | - | - | - |
RS21 | RS Sailing | 6.4m / 20'8" | World Sailing Class | - |
RS100 | Paul Handley | 4.30m / 14'2" | World Sailing Class | - |
RS200 | Phil Morrison | 4.00m / 13'0" | - | - |
RS300 | Clive Everest | 4.24m / 14'0" | - | - |
RS400 | Phil Morrison | 4.52m / 14'10" | - | - |
RS500 | Phil Morrison | 4.34m / 14'3" | ISAF Recognised Class | Yachts & Yachting [ permanent dead link ] [14] |
RS600 | Clive Everest & Nick Peters | 4.47m / 14'8" | - | - |
RS700 | Nick Peters & Alex Southon | 4.68m / 15'5" | - | Yachts & Yachting [15] |
RS800 | Phil Morrison | 4.8m / 15'9" | - | - |
RS900 | Phil Morrison | 4.68m / 15'4" | Olympic skiff trial. Not in production |
RS Sailing is a partner in World Sailing Connect to Sailing programme which seeks to revitalise grass roots participation in all categories of sailing outside elite activity and put sailing firmly back into a growth sport with a focus on youth. [16]
Team racing, also known as team sailing, is a popular form of dinghy racing and yacht racing. Two teams compete in a race, each sailing two to four boats of the same class. The winning team is decided by combining the results of each team's boats. This differs from an inter-club fleet race where boats from three or more clubs compete, with the results of each club's boats combined to determine its overall position.
Dinghy sailing is the activity of sailing small boats by using five essential controls:
Dinghy racing is a competitive sport using dinghies, which are small boats which may be rowboats, have an outboard motor, or be sailing dinghies. Dinghy racing has affected aspects of the modern sailing dinghy, including hull design, sail materials and sailplan, and techniques such as planing and trapezing.
The Topper is an 11 foot 43 kg (95 lb) sailing dinghy designed by Ian Proctor. The Topper was a one-design boat until 2023 when a new version was produced, and is sailed mostly around the British Isles. It was recognised as a World Sailing Class. The boat previously constructed from polypropylene, and now roto moulded, is popular as a racing boat or for sail training. The class association (itca) organise racing events, which range from small travellers to major championships. The RYA run squads alongside the events; in these squads young sailors who are given specialist race coaching.
The Laser is a class of single-handed, one-design sailing dinghies using a common hull design with three interchangeable rigs of different sail areas, appropriate to a given combination of wind strength and crew weight. Ian Bruce and Bruce Kirby designed the Laser in 1970 with an emphasis on simplicity and performance.
The Portsmouth Yardstick (PY) or Portsmouth handicap scheme is a term used for a number of related systems of empirical handicapping used primarily in small sailboat racing.
World Sailing (WS) is the world governing body for the sport of sailing recognized by the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).
The Fireball is a British sailing dinghy that was designed by Peter Milne as a one-design racer and first built in 1962.
The RS300 is a modern racing sailing dinghy made by RS Sailing. The RS300 is a one-design, single-handed, hiking dinghy with a PY of 972. Designed by Clive Everest and first produced in 1998, it is inspired by the International Moth, of which Everest was a successful designer.
The RS800 is a light-weight sailing dinghy designed by Phil Morrison and manufactured by RS Sailing. The boat is sailed by two people both on trapeze and has a main, jib and spinnaker. The RS800 has a Portsmouth Yardstick number of 799 and a D-PN of 77.0. There is a large racing circuit in the UK, and some European events each year.
The RS Vareo is a modern, single-handed sailing dinghy raced throughout the UK at both club and national level. The RS Vareo is a hiking singlehander with an asymmetric spinnaker.
The RS Feva is a two-person sailing dinghy designed by Paul Handley in 2002. It is manufactured and distributed by RS Sailing. The RS Feva is an International Sailing Federation (ISAF) International Class, a Royal Yachting Association (RYA) Supported Junior Class, and has been selected by the Dansk Sejlunion and Norges Seilforbund for major sailing growth projects.
Burghfield Sailing Club is an inland sailing club located close to the town of Theale in Berkshire near Reading in the south of England. The club and lake are easily seen from the M4 motorway as the westbound lane approaches Junction 12. BSC was one of the first Clubs in the UK to be awarded RYA Champion Club status.
The RS500 is a double handed trapeze skiff designed by Phil Morrison, manufactured and designed by RS Sailing. The class has a PY number of 972. There are two sail size options and makes the RS500 suitable for youngsters and adults. With ISAF Recognised Status, the RS500 has a racing circuit with events in UK, Europe and World Championships.
The RS700 is a single-handed racing dinghy built by RS Sailing and designed in 2000 by Nick Peters and Alex Southon as part of the RS series and built in 2001. It is raced in many sailing clubs around Britain, with a PY number of 850 and a D-PN of 73.3.
The RS Tera is a one-man monohull dinghy in the RS Sailing range of sailing boats. It is recognised by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) as an international class, and is a popular boat for beginners and for children to race.
The RS Vision is a sailing dinghy created by RS Sailing designed for 2 crew members. It can, however, be sailed by a larger crew or be single handed. It is sailed at many clubs around the world.
The RS100, first launched in 2009 by RS Sailing, is a singlehanded skiff. Possessing an asymmetric spinnaker the boat has two PY numbers of 981 for the 10.2 rig and 1004 for the 8.4 rig. The RS100 has a racing event circuit in the United Kingdom and in Europe, with the Eurotour beginning in 2011.
The RS Venture launched by RS Sailing in 2011 is a large, modern GRP dinghy. The design concept was to deliver a large multi-role dinghy suitable for cruising, training or even club racing, in response to growing demand from training centres, private customers and international RS dealers. The RS Venture can take a maximum capacity of 8 crew, however can also be sailed by just 2 making it popular with RYA training schools as well as racing and cruising families. The RS Venture can be purchased from any RS dealer around the world and in 2013 has won Sailing World's Boat of the Year accolade.
Bosham Sailing Club is the oldest sailing club in Chichester Harbour and was founded in 1907 It is located in the historic village of Bosham in West Sussex. Its clubhouse is the Old Mill on Bosham Quay.