The 2026 RS800 Rooster National Tour has concluded after six events spanning the south coast and inland waters of the UK, with Monique Vennis-Ozanne and Hugh Shone crowned overall champions following a remarkably consistent season.
The tour opened at Queen Mary Sailing Club in March before visiting Weymouth, Stokes Bay and Lymington. While several teams claimed individual event victories through the year, Monique and Hugh established themselves as the benchmark for consistency, recording top-five finishes at every counting event and winning at QMSC and Lymington where they took three race victories from five starts.
September saw the fleet gather at Royal Torbay Yacht Club for the Noble Marine RS800 National Championship. In one of the strongest fleets of the season, Tom Morris and Guy Fillmore delivered an impressive performance to secure their 6th National Championship together. They finished ahead of European Champions Louis Johnson and Lucy Hewitson, while Tim Gratton and Arthur Henderson completed the podium. The championship provided a superb showcase for the class, with tight racing and a full range of conditions on the waters of the English Riviera.
Later in September, the fleet headed to HISC for the ever-popular Soak Insure Tide Ride. Famous for its short-format races, strong tidal currents and winner-takes-all final, the event once again lived up to its reputation as one of the most entertaining stops on the calendar. Rob Gullan and Hugh Shone mastered the unique format to take victory in the final showdown.
The season concluded at Grafham Water Sailing Club with the RS800 Inland Championship. Light and highly unpredictable winds produced a true "snakes and ladders" weekend, with significant gains and losses available throughout every race. Bryan Ormond and Anna Ormond emerged victorious after a strong second day, winning two races and securing the Inland Championship title ahead of Louis Johnson and Harry Chatterton.
Those results set up a closely fought conclusion to the National Tour standings. Ultimately, it was the consistency of Monique and Hugh that proved decisive. Their scorecard of 1st, 2nd, 2nd and 1st from their four counting events delivered a tour-winning total of just four net points. Bryan and Anna finished a close second on five points, while Louis Johnson, sailing with Lucy Hewitson and Harry Chatterton across the season, completed the podium on eight points.
The RS800 Class would like to thank Rooster Sailing for their continued support of the National Tour through prizes, vouchers and event backing throughout the season. Thanks also go to the host clubs, race officials and volunteers whose efforts made another successful year of RS800 racing possible.
Looking ahead, the fleet now turns its attention to the 2027 season, with another exciting National Tour planned and the National Championship set to be hosted by Mount's Bay Sailing Club next August.
View the final Rooster National Tour results here.
Photos by Paul Gibbins and Paul Sanwell/OPP
