Some pics of the RS Aero 6/9 Nationals at Felpham SC, nearly all are by Jonathon Bailey @jonathan.2442. Read the full event report.

Sailors and boats are gathering on the beach and starting to launch.

There were around 60 boats in all, the day one starts were tricky in the very light winds with a short start line. This contributed to a good number of general recalls.

Days 2 and 3 were pretty windy, with epic waves. The wind chart is from day 2, where racing started at midday. Felpham SC is on the open sea which means it has big waves.

The RS Aero 9 easily nose dives in strong gusts; see how far the helm below has to sit back to prevent that. This then makes steering tricky as tiller movement becomes restricted. I found the same on the 6 rig too, and am minded to wear a bib next time to prevent the tiller catching on my buoyancy aid.

Here’s me in 3328. I capsized a lot downwind on day 2, then got the hang of it on day 3 (thanks for the tips Rich). It was a blast and I got the hang of sailing in big waves and wind. Can’t wait to do this again.

At the end of the day’s racing on days 2 and 3, recovery was quite an effort and the race and beach teams did an amazing job with everyone helping. Safety boats kept the fleet offshore and we came in two at a time.

And finally, the race team came ashore. Big thanks to them for running a brilliant event.

My final place wasn’t great but I was very happy with my sailing, fitness, lessons learned and I had a fantastic time. Many things came together, and I know the key things to work on next. Game on!

Read the full event report.