Back to top anchor
Close main menu
Open main menu Close main menu
RS Feva

Manly to host RS Feva world champs

Issue date

The RS Feva has been growing in popularity among clubs around the country and that will be reflected in the number of entries for 2021 RS Feva world championships at the Manly Sailing Club.

It has been known from some time that New Zealand would host this year's world championships but it wasn't until earlier this week that Manly were announced as hosts.

Club vice commodore and chairman of the event committee Harold Bennett expects anything from 80-150 boats to compete at the world championships.

"The club are delighted to be hosting the world championships because, along with the O'pen Skiff, the RS Feva is one of our core boats," Bennett said. "The international association have been gauging offshore interest and believe there will be a reasonable number who will make the journey down here."

There should also be a healthy New Zealand contingent. Many clubs are using the boat as a good way to introduce youngsters to double-handed sailing, including the use of a gennaker, and it's also a popular boat for adults to sail with youngsters.

Former Olympian Simon Cooke teamed up with Oskar Masfen, who was 11 at the time, to win last year's world championships in Italy. It was the second time a crew from New Zealand had won the title, following on from the success of Eli Liefting and Rose Dickson in 2017.

The 2021 world championships will be held over the New Year period (Dec 27-Jan 2) at a time when students in New Zealand and overseas are typically on school holidays. 

Manly hosted the 2019 O'pen Bic (now O'pen Skiff) world championships over the same period and it is their experiences with that event that has club members more relaxed about hosting another major regatta.

"The two classes are not too dissimilar and our experience from the last one will prove invaluable," Bennett said. "When we stepped up to do the Skiffs, most of our members were like deer in the headlights.

"Now we have done something like this we know we can do it. This time around the reaction was quite different, especially as we will have the same team as last time."

The notice of race will be available soon and Bennett expected entries to open around May or June. 

The RS Feva association will have a number of charter boats available for the world championships and these are likely to go into the New Zealand market following the conclusion of the event.