RS Elite wins the RYS Bicentenary Regatta

04 June 2015

'If you want to win silverware, may I suggest that you all look no further than an Elite"

Charlie and Julia Egerton-Warburton, with crew Rory Page on board, triumphed in the Dayboat Open Handicap class at the Royal Yacht Squadron Bicentenary Regatta held in early June. Charlie, pictured here receiving his prize from The Earl of Wessex, expressed himself 'not a little surprised but delighted' after coming out on top in a highly competitive fleet of fellow Squadron helms, which saw boats as diverse as a Dragon, XOD, Seaview Mermaid, Solent Sunbeam and even a Norfolk Broads One Design hit the start line together off the Castle.  Three bullets across very varied conditions spanning Force 3 to 7 saw the Cowes RS Elite Fleet Captain engage in some exciting, close quarter duals with, in particular, Dragons driven by local Cowes helm Julia Bailey and Danish two-time Olympic Soling gold medalist Poul-Richard Hoj-Jensen, with the Elite faster downwind but the heavier Dragons better upwind, especially in heavy seas. Charlie reports that Jonathan Perry, the RYS Rear Commodore Yachting, -- who had coincidentally provided his motor yacht as the committee vessel for both our 2012 Nationals and 2014 Southern Area Championships, is thus well acquainted with the comparative attraction of the RS Elite and clearly a huge fan of the class -- gave us a resounding endorsement in front of a large prize-giving crowd numbering multiple European royalty with the powerful statement "If you want to win silverware, may I suggest you all look no further than an Elite". Charlie further explained that when he had told this reporter he was 'proud to be flying the flag for this exceptional one design class', he had meant this literally, as both he and Christopher Preston had also, as part of the Regatta festivities earlier in the week, dressed their RS Elites overall for a 180-boat RYS Fleet Review in Cowes Roads by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh and The First Sea Lord.