Anticipation and excitement have been building for months as the RS800 fleet returns to Garda for the first time in three years for their European Championship this week. For those who competed in 2016 in Torbole, memories of a near-perfect regatta might be hard to live up to but few sailors have decided it worth risking missing out and the fleet has returned with almost double the number of boats. Certainly this will be one of the largest European Championships in a decade. As the class celebrates its 20th Anniversary it is fantastic to see many new young teams emerging and a number of class veterans making a comeback.
The field includes the current UK and French National Champions, the current European Champion helm, the Waszp World Champion, the 420 Women’s World Champion crew, International 14 World Champion crew, numerous previous RS800 National and European Champions and members of the British Olympic sailing team. Read on.
