UK Championship Attendance 2015-2021

•  Holding an early summer championship around late May Bank Holiday and half term week produces a smaller turnout. We have done this occasionally for a stepped build up to a larger summer event, like in 2016 before Germany's RS Aero Europeans and in 2018 before the UK's RS Aero World Championship.
•  The UK's south coast championships produce the larger turnouts as there are a large number of RS Aeros concentrated nearby. That said, it was fantastic to achieve 67 at Abersoch, North Wales, and 80 at East Lothian, Scotland. Whilst many sailors may have a large journey that can also be a motivating factor, when travelling to somewhere new and exciting.
•  The two largest RS Aero UK Champs, 114 and 138, standout as both being hosted at Hayling Island SC where a very large home RS Aero fleet (over 50 now) is added to by many more nearby. That coupled with the popularity of visiting HISC as a top championship venue gave a surge in numbers those years.
•  The 2018 blip of 67 is misleading, not just because it was an early event and off the south coast, but because two months later there was a UK RS Aero World championship at Weymouth with 205 RS Aeros, approximately 150 of which were from the UK! So a truer representation here for 2018 would be 150, but this table is UK Nationals data.
•  2020 was a hugely difficult year for UK Championships and the table emphasises the value of being able to hold our championship for the many positive outcomes it achieves; continuity, progress, Class administration (AGM and discussion), sailors well-being, social interaction, connectivity..... We were fortunate to have a late Champs date that year that we, together with our hosts Eastbourne SSC, could hold on to until it was deemed safe to proceed (with restrictions). We certainly owe the members of Eastbourne SSC a gratitude for standing by our combined determination to deliver a great Championship if at all possible.
• The final split between rigs in the RS Aero Champs literally changes with the wind! Many RS Aero sailors have a second rig option and enjoy having that versatility as it promotes their fun, participation and safety. Over seven years the pendulum has swung both ways, with a variety of breezes at our championships and often a good mix at any one champs.
• A high championship attendance is achieved by removing or minimising any barrier to entry....