means we can be more involved and it
supports our local marine industry.”RIG AND DECK LAYOUT 9/10
RSwasverykeenthatthereshouldbe
aclearroleforeveryoneonboard,so
that there aren’t any passengers, even
when sailing four-up. he mainsheet
is therefore continuous, with a pair
ofcleatssoitcanbeoperatedbythe
helm when short handed or downwind
and by a dedicated mainsheet
trimmer when fully crewed.
Instead of running under the deck
or in conduit, as many lines as possible
are out in the open. his has two
beneits – beginners can intuitively
see what’s happening with a line they
areadjustingandwhatit’sconnected
to;italsohasanadvantageinterms
of maintenance as any chafe or other
damage will be more obvious.
Many builders would be tempted to
makethedeckgearasbasicaspossible
foraboatintendedprimarilyforthis
client base, but that’s not RS Sailing’s
style. he boat beneits from the latest
thinkinganddevelopmentsindeck
hardware to create a performance-
orientedlayoutwithplentyof
opportunity to tweak sail shapes.here are athwartships jib tracks, for
instance,andapowerfulbackstay–the
latter in particular is a feature oten
missing from designs of this size.
Sheet winches were considered but
discounted;thelowloadsareabonus
for lighter weight sailors and mean a 2:1
purchase for the jib sheets is adequate.
As-standard deck ittings are by Seldén,
with a Harken upgrade ofered for an
extra £1,800. he composite mast is easily
steppedandrigged–Whitehousesays
the boat can be ready to launch within 20
minutes of arriving at a venue. here’s also
a single point liting eye that facilitates
quick craning in and out of the water. Two
deck hatches give access to twin watertight
compartments, the forward of which
has space to stow all the sails in the dry.
An optional retractable electric saildrive
has a Torqeedo motor on the bottom
of a foil blade that’s easily lited into a
sailing position under the mainsheet
hoop. It’s a neatly engineered system
that’sfarlesshasslethananoutboard.
he standard battery range is 8 miles and
there’sprovisionforasecondbattery.UNDER SAIL 10/10
Our test boat was the one design
versionwiththeoptionalelectricdrive.
hetesttookplaceonabrightbut
blusterydayinearlyMay,withwinds
gusting above 25 knots. Upwind, the
boat was inger light, but responsive,
onthehelmandwithbackstaytension
applied the North mainsail bladed
out nicely in the strongest pufs,
withouttheboatfeelingasthoughit
was being pushed rapidly sideways.
hemastiswellforwardintheboat,
which helps to maximise cockpit space.
With four of us on board there was
plenty of space, even when moving
around in tacks and gybes. here’s a
deliberate sit in coniguration, rather
than hiking with legs over the side
bigboatstyle.Plentyofthoughthas
gone into places to irmly brace your
feet and the tension of the padded
webbing back rest that runs between a
pair of short stanchions is adjustable.
Unsurprisingly, a wind across tide
chopintheSolentresultedinthebowOn the water, the boat is impressively well
mannered, rewarding to sail and lots of fun
Above
It’s a fast and
dry ride as the
RS21 powers
downwind70 Yachts & Yachting July 2018 yachtsandyachting.co.uk