1st-5th August 2022
Eight Starcross sailors made their debut at a world championship, entering the RS Tera Worlds at the amazing venue of Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy.
Part of the large RS Games, the week was full of fun and new friends – for sailors as well as their parents. There was a flag bearing opening ceremony, and the Tera fleets included representatives from nine different nations as far away as Australia and Japan.
Two of the Starcross sailors sailed in a separate coached regatta fleet which sailed every day, with no regard for strong winds or fog! This fleet is designed to help less experienced sailors have fun and improve their skills to be able to progress into the main championship fleet in future. Mornings were for coaching, whilst in the afternoons they ran a race series.
Meanwhile the other six sailors enjoyed stiff competition in the championship fleet, which was split into two classes depending on their rig size – the Sport and Pro. Both fleets were very competitive, the larger-sailed Pro fleet particularly so, having a large number of Laser sailors who had moved back into Teras for the Worlds.
The first day favoured the heavier sailors, with a lovely Force 4-5 south-westerly. On the second day very bad visibility barred the fleet from going out despite the glorious breeze, which was very frustrating. The third day was similar to the first and then on the Thursday the wind swung round north, causing light and shifty conditions, where it stayed for the Friday. These fickle conditions frustrated many, with at least five races started and then abandoned – but at least it made for good starting practice! The race officer did a great job all week, but due to no sailing on Tuesday and all of the shifts on Thursday we only managed 12 out of 14 races over the week.
Everyone in the Starcross team sailed very well, and this was by far the largest event anyone had sailed in. The conditions made it a frustrating week for some, but much fun was had both on and off the water. Two from Starcross narrowly missed out on a top 10 result in the Tera Sports.
The event was part of the RS Games, a celebration of the RS culture, which saw thousands of sailors descend upon WPNSA over a two-week period in a variety of different RS classes. The RS 500s and the RS Aeros were racing at the same time as the Teras, providing an upbeat, buzzing atmosphere all week. The sailors (and their parents who danced embarrassingly after drinking too much beer) enjoyed the sailing as well as the parties.
There are lots of great professional photos of the event on these links:
Pro fleet
Sport fleet
Starcross results
Sport and Pro Fleet results
Regatta fleet results (18 competitors):
Tom Solly 1st, Archie Kemmish 11th