It’s official! The Equipment Committee members of World Sailing, the global governing body for the sport of sailing, voted unanimously in May to approve the RS21 International Class Association. This means the RS21 Class can host several international level, World Sailing-endorsed events, including World Championships.
The RS21 is a modern-style 21-foot-long keelboat with a 7-foot beam, 695-square-foot sail area, capacity for 2 to 6 crew collectively weighting 265 to 1000 pounds. The powerful rig and distinct chines are balanced by well-mannered boat handling and an ergonomic deck layout to ensure everyone sailing has a key role to play. The retail price starts at US $36,000.
With RS21 fleets now established in countries including the United Kingdom, Italy, Norway, Germany, Poland, USA, Bermuda and Australia as well as fleet development projects well underway in other parts of the world such as the Middle East, Central and South America, and Asia, the next couple of years will no doubt see a large growth of the class in all continental regions. This growth is poised to include the Caribbean too as there are to date three RS brand ambassadors in the Caribbean: BVI Water Sports in Tortola, Beach Addiction in St. Kitts & Nevis, and L.M. Watersports in Antigua & Barbuda.
In addition to the RS21, there are five other RS classes that can also promote themselves as World Sailing Class Associations: the RS Tera, RS Reva, RS Aero, RS100 and RS500. www.rs21sailing.org, www.rssailing.com
