What a perfect weekend of RS Aero sailing on San Francisco Bay out of Richmond Yacht Club!

 

On Saturday the breeze started off light (5-8kn), however, built to a solid 15kn by the day’s end. In fact, after the last race was completed, all four RS Aeros stayed out to play in the chop and the building breeze reaching back and forth amazing all who were watching. Saturday’s buoy racing was close and intense with James Baurley taking the top honours with three first place finishes. New comer Greg Palmer showed off his Kiwi Laser skills in a borrowed RS Aero 7 from Barbara Smith who could only sail Sunday (thank you Barbara). Michael Sealey finished third for the series, while Craig Perez had to fight off traffic from the other classes.

Sunday’s Pursuit Race brought out the typical San Francisco Bay breeze, convincing all the RS Aeros to switch out their rigs to RS Aero 7s. It turned out to be the correct call as the winds built to a solid 20kn providing eye-popping reaches and wild gybes. Once again James showed good up wind speed however Craig’s crazy downwind reaching almost picked him off by the end of the race; James nosed out Craig by 25 feet after a 10 mile race. In fact, at the bottom mark of the pursuit race, after a gybe in big chop, both James and Craig took off from a pack of four lasers leaving them behind like they were stuck in mud. In the end, the two Aeros finished fourth, fifth, out of fifteen, behind 2 International 14s and a Willey Wabbit. Make no mistake, the RS Aeros made a statement, they are VERY fast!