SAILING NEWS
Feature 21
Small fry that
is growing fast
Spotlight on The RS Tera
VERY so often a new boat comes along that
looks like it’s set to make a real impact on the
sailing scene – the RS Tera is one. It has all the
features and style of a modern single-handed
sailing dinghy but is scaled down to an ideal
Epackage for youngsters, whether beginners or
experts. With its big sister the RS Feva already firmly
established as a sailing club and school favourite, and
recognised by the RYA and ISAF as a junior racing class,
it’s easy to imagine the Tera following in its footsteps. But
perhaps more importantly the Tera has the sort of fun appeal
to kids that will hopefully attract them to sailing and keep
them in the sport. As former RYA Head Coach Dave Ritchie
put it “if a boat as simple, slick and downright easy to sail
as the Tera had been around when I was a child, I would
have wanted to do a lot more sailing than I did”.
Dave Ritchie also reckons that with boats like the Tera
sailing has never been so easy to teach. Perhaps not
surprising then that out of the 700-plus RS Teras produced
since its launch last year, the majority have been bought by
sailing schools and clubs for junior training. RS say that the
Tera is ideal for the RYA Youth Scheme stages 1-3 as
youngsters can easily rig and handle the boats without adult
assistance and quickly learn the sailing basics, then move on
to more advanced sailing. When the wind is a little stronger
the Tera planes early and comes up dry from any capsize so
youngsters can really enjoy their sailing experience in a
breeze. The RS Tera is made from tough, maintenance-free
polyethylene, but is surprisingly light, about the same
weight as an Optimist. At just over 9 feet (2.8m) long, it is a
little longer than an Optimist and shorter than a Topper, but
is slightly wider and the cockpit is surprisingly spacious –
big enough for two small youngsters or an adult. Although
the Tera was designed mainly for junior sailors to sail
single-handed it will also sail well with an adult. The Tera
designer, Paul Handley, who also designed the Feva, spent
plenty of time sailing Teras during development and despite
weighing over 11 stone (70kg), found he could often get the
boat planing.
At the other end of the crew weight scale, the RS Tera
Owners Club have reports and photos of youngsters of just
four stone (25kg) handling Teras well in a good breeze. For
all-round performance the optimum weight with the Sport Several of the competitors had never raced before, but all program of Tera race and training events next year. As well
sail is probably in the region of 30 to 50 kg, typically the managed to complete the races without problems. The event as spreading quickly in the UK the RS Tera has got off to a
eight to 13 year age group, and for older, heavier sailors was won by 12-year–old Andrew Higgins of DSC who won flying start overseas, particularly in Sweden where they
there is a larger Pro sail to boost performance, a cool-look- a beautiful trophy donated by Nauticalia. Olympic sailor already have nearly 100 Teras and their own race pro-
ing fully-battened windsurfer-style main. There is also a tiny Sarah Ayton also kindly donated a trophy; the Ayton gramme for Teras. Given the rapid international growth and
Mini-sail which is very forgiving for small juniors’ first Endeavour Trophy which was awarded to Lewis Keith. its suitability as a junior race class and training boat the
sailing experiences or lightweights on windy days. The first RS Tera open on the sea was run by Hill Head Owners’ Club have already applied to ISAF for ISAF recog-
For days when the wind refuses to blow you can switch Sailing Club and again the sun shone, bringing with it a nised Status, which will be considered in November.
any Tera to rowing mode just by adding the oars – a more fairly strong sea breeze. Despite the wind and waves the Additionally the Swedish have offered to host the first inter-
than useful feature when you have dozens of enthusiastic young Tera sailors coped really well with the conditions and national RS Tera regatta next year, just after the Feva World
young sailors to keep occupied and dead calm! A Tera rows completed three short races. George Firth of Hill Head SC Championships in teh same country.
well with two youngsters on board and the oars are of the produced three convincing wins to take first place overall The RS Tera Owners’ Club will coordinate all these
locking type so they don’t get lost when they get distracted followed by Chloe Barr of Lee-on-Solent SC. In between events with support from RS. Unlike most class associa-
and forget to hold on to them. races the youngsters were given some coaching and race tions, membership of the RS Tera Owners’ Club is free; any
This season has seen a lot of young sailors racing their tips by Dan Jaspers of RS so they were learning as well as Tera owners can register online at the club’s website
Teras for the first time at club level or open junior handicap enjoying the sailing experience. www.terasailing.com. Schools and sailing clubs with club-
events. The Tera Owner’s Club and RS also arranged sever- The Mount Batten Centre hosted another RS Tera open owned Teras are also welcome to register their Teras and
al RS Tera race and training days open to sailors of any skill race day as part of the Port of Plymouth Regatta, won by cadets and will then regularly receive the Owners’ Club
level. The first RS Tera open day was held on the Thames Hannah Brown, and several other sailing clubs had Teras newsletters and information on future Tera events.
at Desborough Sailing Club and 20 junior sailors competed racing as part of their summer cadet weeks. The host sailing Anyone wanting to try an RS Tera or to see them action
on a rare day of perfect sailing conditions, sun and a light clubs of the RS Tera open days are all keen to run similar can visit one of the new RS Academies; details of them and
breeze. Four short races took place with most sailors using events next year, and with a growing number of sailing more on RS Teras can be found on the RS website
the Sport sail but a few beginners sailing with Mini-sails. clubs starting new Tera fleets the Owner’s club expect a full www.rssailing.com.
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