Thursday, April 07, 2016

RS Aero News Roundup March 2016

There is so much going on in RS Aero world that I am having to be more and more selective in choosing a few items to include in my monthly reports. Apologies to the sailors at all the regattas and events I haven't covered below, but you have to do something really newsworthy or spectacular or photogenic to make the cut these days.


1. New RS Aero World Speed Record



Is totally smashing the RS Aero world speed record newsworthy enough?

I included a video about this in my February news round-up but I didn't know then the full details of the new record. At Northampton SC in the UK with the club anemometer peaking at 37  knots, Anthony 'Chunky' York obliterated the old record with an amazing 23.9 knots (27.5 mph.)

Who can beat that?



2. Estonian RS Aero Sailors Looking Forward to End of Winter


The caption for this photo was in Estonian. But have no fear - thanks to Facebook, here is the English translation.
Let's take one last winter and we have been waiting since long eyes Tallinn Maritime Trade Fair (18-20. March), Where you can get from the rs sailing centre with boats (Rs Aero, Rs grain, Rs quest). Bye Sea Fair Rs sailing centre area!
OK. I don't understand it either, but it's a nice shirt.



3. RS Aeros are Manufactured in Boston



Tillerman - why have you posted this photo of a very boring building? Please let's have more photos of that Estonian lady in her RS Aero T-shirt - CabinFeverWisconsin.

Sorry CabinFeverWisconsin but didn't your Mummy and Daddy tell you where baby RS Aeros come from?

I did know that RS Sailing contracted out the manufacture of RS Aeros (and all their other boats I believe) and that the factory that builds the RS Aeros is somewhere in the East Midlands of England.  A couple of weeks ago,  jeffers revealed on Dinghy Anarchy that the builder is Mtag Composites Ltd who are based near Boston, Lincolnshire in England.

Although I don't necessarily believe everything I read on Sailing Anarchy, this sounds plausible. Mtag Composites do list RS Sailing as one of their clients on their website and report that they do build the RS Venture. Check out their website. They build a lot of other cool stuff there as well as boats.



4. Demos. Demos. Demos.

In the northern hemisphere everyone is planning RS Aero demo days to help RS Sailing sell a gazillion RS Aeros and earn oodles of overtime pay for those hard-working guys building RS Aeros in Boston.

There was a demo day at Daytona Beach in Florida on March 12.



The Seattle fleet had a demo day on April 3.

The sailors at my old stomping ground, Rutland Sailing Club are having a "Taster Weekend" this weekend.


Mmm. Sounds yummy. With hors d'ouevres I assume?

Of course those balmy Brits have demo days four times a week and twice on Wednesdays.







And the Boston fleet (that's Boston USA) is planning an RS Aero Taster Weekend for Memorial Day weekend. Unless someone can come up with a better name. Any suggestions?



5. Aussies and Batman and Dented Head

Ron Fergusson, the current Australian RS Aero speed record holder has been racing at Portarlington Sailing Club.

One of the first European settlers at Portarlington according to Wikipedia (which is never wrong) was  Batman...


No. Really. You can look it up

And, of course, Portarlingon is also famous for Indented Head.


I couldn't make this stuff up.

And apparently, according to Ron Fergusson's GPS, they also have very unusual race courses for RS Aeros.


Tillerman- have you been drinking? You seem to have forgotten my plea for more pictures from Estonia - CabinFeverWisconsin.

OK. OK. OK.

Never let it be said that I don't listen to feedback from my readers. Here is another nice photo of RS Aero T-shirts.



But let's get back to RS Aero sailing



6. Antigua

Al Buzz Keck went to Nonsuch Bay in Antigua and it looks like he had a lot of fun blasting around there.






7. Easter in England

And some other crazy Brits went racing at Keyhaven on Easter weekend.



Unbelievable!

I think I'll take a nap now.



12 comments:

CabinFeverWisconsin said...

Thank you Tillerman.

Is there any chance that the Estonian ladies will be at the Boston Fleet Taster Weekend?

O Docker said...


I think the Boston Fleet would have a bigger turnout if they renamed their event The RS Aero Clothing Optional Weekend.

Tillerman said...

Calm down O Docker. You really don't want to see me sailing an RS Aero with my clothes off.

Anonymous said...

MTAG do indeed make Aeros. Gotta love a Midlands industrial estate!

Tillerman said...

Man, don't make fun of it. That's my heritage.

Tillerman said...

If it weren't for the 1944 Education Act that enabled kids like me to go to grammar school, a few inspirational teachers in grammar school, and the 1962 Education Act that gave us free tuition at university, I could easily have spent my whole life toiling on a Midlands industrial estate just like that.

And now America is debating the "revolutionary" idea of free tuition at (only) state universities!

Joe said...

The state universities in California ...University of California and Cal State were free. Now they're a bloody fortune!

O Docker said...


Wait, stop this dialog about funding education right now!

What an unnecessary distraction in an election year when we should all be focusing on important issues, like which candidate most piously defends his family values.

I, for one, still need to hear a lot more about 'family values', because I still don' know what that term means.

Tillerman said...

O Docker - "Family values" are when every member of the family has an RS Aero.

Anonymous said...

I'm not making fun of them, I went for a job interview at MTAG and now work for another composites company on another Midlands industrial estate in Huntingdon :)

Tillerman said...

Good luck in your new job Anonymous.

I find it kind of interesting how many diverse things are made in a factory like MTAG's. I never knew so many things in the modern world are made using essentially the same kind of process. I visited a local boat manufacturer at the weekend and discovered that in the same building there was a composites company building blades for those huge power generating wind turbines we see everywhere these days.

Anonymous said...

Thanks! MTAG make everything from Aeros to ducting for new trains. The company I work for now do everything from fibreglass ducting for plane galleys to pre-preg autoclaved carbon parts for Rolls Royce, and Mercedes F1. And my boss used to be a boatbuilder in La Trinite!

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