As we all know, a huge amount of work goes into running a world championship. Being able to communicate efficiently and effectively with multiple teams is key for the delivery of great events. At the 2024 RS Venture Connect World Championship, 30th September to 3rd October, at Rutland Sailing Club, the RS Venture Connect Class were hugely appreciative of the opportunity to use Icom’s marine technology radio solutions to aid the running of the event.
Staff and volunteers relied on smooth communication to coordinate the racing for 32 teams from 15 different countries. The event saw competitors swapping in and out of a fleet of RS Venture Connect charter boats from RS Sailing, often in pretty challenging weather conditions. Icom’s radio packs were resilient, reliable and full proof in the strong winds and biting rain!
Icom loaned the RS Venture Connect Class two types of radio packs to support the event. Their full-proof Regatta Pack consists of six C-M73EURO VHF radios, which is an ideal solution for providing event-based marine communications for RYA and World Sailing affiliated clubs and organisations.
Dan Jaspers, RS Venture Connect Class Builders’ Representative, commented: “A huge thanks to Icom UK for supporting us at this key event in our yearly calendar. Being able to communicate efficiently is key to being able to deliver a successful event. This was something we were able to do at the RS Venture Connect World Championship thanks to the super reliable IC-M73EURO VHFs.”
The class also got to test out a second set of radios at the event, Icom’s innovative IP501H; a smaller, lightweight radio that uses local 4G/LTE and 3G networks rather than VHF frequencies. This benefitted organisers who were communicating onshore inside buildings where traditional radio frequencies can often be constrained by architectural layout and materials.
“We had never used this device before. It proved time and time again to be a super addition to the comms infrastructure used during this championship,” explained Dan. “The RS Venture Connect Class look forward to working with Icom UK again in the future.”