Gul RS800 Nationals, 2007 - Here it comes ...

We’re just days away from the start of the 2007 GUL RS800 National Championships and everything’s in place to make it the biggest and best event of the season…

So far the temperatures are looking promising for the time of year and as always with Eastbourne, good wind is almost guaranteed!

With Act one now finished the favourites are beginning to emerge…

Andy Jeffries and Ally Ody convincingly won the series and certainly have the odds stacked in their favour. Other good performers include fellow Eastbourne sailors Dave Pike and Nick Jerkins. Fat Face circuit champs Pete Barton with new crew David Steed have are amongst the top rankers along with Spod Olive and Guy Filmore. There are plenty more contenders for the National Championship title and you can follow the event’s progress through daily write-ups, available on www.rs-association.com.

The social programme is full to bursting, with a mixture of club-based dinners, parties, bands and the long-awaited pub crawl….

A fantastic evening meal deal has been organised - £19.50 for 4 tasty dinners from Saturday to Tuesday night. Chilli, curry, Hog Roast and Lasagne all feature on the menu; and a huge thank you must go to LDC for subsidising the food. Tickets can be purchased at Registration this weekend.

There are also loads of daily prizes including Gold and Silver rudderstocks for the leaders of each fleet plus the Duckhams award. Most of you will remember Spod winning this last year – let’s hope he remembers the Superman pants plus the obligatory addition to this years outfit…. Prizes will be awarded at 8pm each evening at the organised social.

The full social programme is listed below:

Saturday – 19:00 Chilli Night at ESSC plus DJ (courtesy of West Country Boat Repairs). Bar open until mid-night

Sunday – 19:00 Lasagne at ESSC followed by Super Heros pub crawl. Prize for the best costume of the evening!

Monday – 19:00 Curry Night at ESSC plus the Harken Party featuring the Red Hot Chilli Peppers Tribute Band!

Tuesday – 19:00 Hog Roast at ESSC and the bar will be open all night!

Wednesday – Championship tea plus prize giving after racing.

The Galley will be open throughout the day to cater for your every need and for those that haven’t been to ESSC before; you’re in for a real treat! The ranch pasties at lunch time are a must and the selection of freshly baked cakes in the afternoon will ensure you keep up to weight for the duration of the championship!

That rounds off the pre-event information. If there are any questions before the weekend then please email your class rep, Ian Martin on [email protected] or Heather Chipperfield, [email protected].

Look forward to seeing you all there!

Thanks to the Event Sponsors: GUL, LDC Racing Sailboats, West Country Boat Repairs, Reekie Design, Holmenkol, SeaSure, Velocitek, Xtremity and C2 Marine.