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F18 NA Championship, Day One Results
Monday, October 13, 2008 -- Key Sailing, Pensacola Beach, Florida - Photo by Philip Mumm
Day one of the Formula 18 North Americans got started with three races. 33 F18's including boats from the USA, Canada, and Australia were registered. Since the F18's are a rule formula class there were several manufacturers represented including Nacra (Infusion), Hobie (Tiger), and AHCP (Capricorn).
After the first three races the team of Robbie Daniel/Hunter Stunzi are off to a fast start with three bullets on their Capricorn. Click on "Read Full Article" to see the rest of day one results.
Formula 18 North American Championship PIctures
The F18 Class is got started Saturday Oct. 11 with check-in and measurements. See F18 NA Schedule
Pictures from the Pensacola Florida event are already coming in. More will be added each day. Check back often, pictures are being added directly from the beach.
Pictures from the F18 North Americans If you have a website, you may link to that page so people can find the pictures.
This event has attracted some big names in beachcat racing and is being hosted by Key Sailing on their beautiful beach.
Pictures from the Pensacola Florida event are already coming in. More will be added each day. Check back often, pictures are being added directly from the beach.
Pictures from the F18 North Americans If you have a website, you may link to that page so people can find the pictures.
This event has attracted some big names in beachcat racing and is being hosted by Key Sailing on their beautiful beach.
Dutch Won't Use Upwind Gennaker, Americans Have To Use It
Qingdao / China, Olympic Tornado Sailing - On Thursday August 14 2008, the Dutch Tornado-duo Booth/Nieuwenhuis decided not to use the heavily discussed Chupacabra Code Zero during the Olympic regatta in Qingdao. That means they will leave their upwind gennaker onshore and take their normal seized sail out. As mentioned last week, it was a weather dependant call and the forecast does not look favourable for the smaller and flatter Code Zero. There will be three or four windy days and the breeze will come from the north, instead of the southeast, which is the predominant direction in Qingdao. The Tornado class will start racing tomorrow. Today’s practice race was cancelled due too a lack of wind.
'The risk is too big', said Pim Nieuwenhuis this afternoon. 'The forecast shows sixteen knots tomorrow and even more on Sunday. In that case, we have a better chance with the standard set of sails. Normally, the light breeze comes from the southeast, but for next week it looks totally different.' Their new sail was developed for typical Qingdao conditions. “We have always said that our decision would depend on the weather forecast”, declared Nieuwenhuis.
All teams are allowed to measure in two gennakers, including a spare one. The Dutchmen got a normal and small gennaker stamped and had to announce their final choice today at 6 PM local time. However, their American partners Lovell/Ogletree measured in two Code Zero’s and have no choice left. Nieuwenhuis: “By the end of the week, we will see who was right.”
Switching
American Olympic Tornado Team to Measure August 13th
Qingdao / China, August 10 2008 - On Sunday August 10 2008, the Dutch Tornado-duo Mitch Booth and Pim Nieuwenhuis are to complete the measurement procedures tomorrow. Today, the sailors presented their catamaran and widely discussed sail in the burning heat of the Olympic harbour in Qingdao. That means they plan to use the upwind gennaker at the 29th Olympic Games. The class measures looked carefully at the equipment. The Dutchmen have to come back tomorrow morning for the last details, such as correcting weight. As soon as everything is complete, the measurement can be concluded.
“It is progressing well”, said Mitch Booth this afternoon. “We have to finalize some details, but that is not unusual. We presented our small gennaker, which goes as planned. They started measuring the sail, but they haven’t stamped it yet, since the measurement is not final.” To the question whether the upwind gennaker is legal, Booth responded: “The ISAF announced that if the concept fits within the measures, it is fine. To us, it is more a question whether the sailing conditions will be ok. According to our forecast so far, there will be one or maybe two days above our range of eleven knots. The circumstances will be perfect during the rest of the time. Luckily we have one more day to monitor the forecasts.”
According to Booth, the Americans Lovell/Ogletree, training partners of the Dutchmen, will have their measurement on August 13th. The Australian favourites Bundock/Ashby will be next. Both teams have a code zero, but it remains the question whether they will use it. Booth: “I think they all look at us.”
The Olympic Tornado regatta will start on Friday August 15 2008.
Coen de Koning and Jeroen van Leeuwen win 2008 Nacra Championships
On Sunday August 3rd, Coen de Koning and Jeroen van Leeuwen won the 2008 Nacra Championships. The flying Dutchmen took the last three bullets on the final racing day. Xander Pols and Tjiddo Veenstra (NED) won silver, followed by Team Boskalis Sascha Larsen and Christa van Helden (NED). Their battle for podium positions was full on, as they were on equal points going into the last race. A fleet of 29 competing teams enjoyed three days of medium to strong wind conditions off the Belgian coast of Duinbergen at the Royal Belgian Sailing Club.
“It was great”, said helmsman Coen de Koning while rigging down their Nacra Infusion. Today, they had a perfect second start on port tack and took the lead by far. De Koning: “Sascha wanted to do the same in the third race and we tried to avoid that by closing the gap, but we hit the pin end and had to take a penalty turn.” Meanwhile, Pols and Veenstra were smoking to the top mark. De Koning and Van Leeuwen went to the left to make up for their loss: “I saw a wind shift to the left and decided to tack earlier to anticipate, which worked out well. Also because many people over stood the mark.” The Dutchmen rounded the upwind buoy in second position and overtook Pols and Veenstra on the second run. De Koning: “We are absolutely happy with our results. This season’s focus was on the F18 Worlds. After winning the title, the pressure was off and it was mentally hard to stay focussed on other events.” According to Jeroen van Leeuwen, they are now aiming for the highest podium finish at the Dutch F18 Nationals in September.
2008 Nacra Championships Expect 45 On Starting Line
Duinbergen / Belgium, July 31 2008 -- With one day to go, the organization of the 2008 Nacra Championships expects about forty to fifty entries. Twenty-six teams, representing seven countries, signed up so far. The newly crowned F18 World Champions Coen de Koning and Jeroen van Leeuwen (NED) will be present as well. From Friday August 1st until Sunday Augustus 3rd, the catamaran sailors will compete for the Nacra titles in three classes based on the ISAF rating. Racing takes place on the North Sea along the Belgian coast of Duinbergen (Knokke), with the Royal Belgian Sailing Club as host. A maximum of twelve races are scheduled. The weather forecast looks promising with a breeze of 13-17 knots from the southwest.
“I am happy with the process”, said Gunnar Larsen from Nacra Europe. “Our goal is to revive the ‘Nacra feeling’ of the nineties. In those days, you really did not want to miss any Nacra event.” Although it is about the competition on the water, Larsen emphasizes the significance of the pleasure onshore: “We like people to enjoy their time on the beach and on the course. Drinking a beer in the evening is as important as the battle around the cans next day.”
2008 Hobie Tiger and Dragoon Worlds
A month prior to the start of the 6th Hobie Tiger and 3rd Hobie Dragoon Worlds in 2008, the South African organization received 74 pre-entries representing fourteen countries. Seventeen youth teams (soon 25 in total) will battle it out on the Hobie Dragoons. The rest of the fleet will line up on Hobie Tiger catamarans (F18). Among them are top ranked sailors, like multiple Tornado World Champion and current F18 World Champion Darren Bundock (AUS) and silver medallist of the 2007 Tornado Worlds Carolijn Brouwer (BEL). The local youth squad is well prepared for an exciting competition in the Langebaan Lagoon on the West Coast of South Africa. The championships will start on Monday March 3rd and finish on Saturday March 9th. For both classes, a maximum of ten races are scheduled.
Langebaan is well-known for its strong winds and flat water. These are not only perfect conditions for the performance of Hobie Tigers and Hobie Dragoons, but also a pleasure for the competitors. Heavy weather specialist Mitch Booth (NED), Olympic medallist and Hobie Tiger World Champion 2003, will be eager to win the title again. But the competition will be full on, as current F18 European Champions Mischa Heemskerk and Bastiaan Tentij (NED) returned to the Hobie Tiger class in which also the local Hobie 16 heroes will try their luck. Among them are three past Hobie 16 Worlds Champions: Blaine Dodds (1998 and current Master World Champion), Shaun Ferry (1993, 1998 and 2005) and Colin Whitehead (1978). And South African most adventurous cat sailor Duncan Ross, he crossed the Drake Passage on a 20-foot multihull, grabs the opportunity to race once more on the highest level. Mixed crew Allan Lawrence (past Hobie 14 World Champ and placed 2nd at the inaugural Tiger Worlds in Italy) and Inge Schabort (past ISAF Ladies World Champ) will join forces in their attempt to win the event.
Spring Fever Regatta Back On!
March 21-23 2008, Milltown Campground, Hartwell Lake, GA
Update from Mr. Ernie
This afternoon, I received a call from my friends at the Army Corps of Engineers with a proposal for me to consider. They said they would give me the key to the gate, turn on the water, and the electricity. IF --- I, personally, would take care of everything else: Including, but not limited to, cleaning the entire park before and after the regatta, cleaning and repairing all bath house facilities, removing all trash and garbage, killing another gazillion fire ants, and raising the lake back up a few feet from it's present less than full pool level.
Obviously, I agreed to all of it although I sure hope we get a few inches of rain in the next two months.
So, in short, Spring Fever is back on for this year and if we take care of the campground, as we always have done in the past, I'm pretty sure we won't have to go through this exercise again in future years - I'm just getting too old for this foolishness.
Spring Fever Regatta Cancelled
The disapointing news came today that the Spring Fever Regatta, held each year on Lake Hartwell during Easter Weekend, has been cancelled. The main reason for the cancellation is that the Corps of Engineers will not allow the organizers (Nigel Pitt and "Mr. Ernie") to use the Milltown Campground on the dates neeeded due to budget cutbacks.
After efforts to convince the Corps to allow the even failed, alternative sites were investigated. The most promising appeared to be a sailing club on the North end of the lake named Western Carolina Sailing Club www.wcsc-sailing.org, but the board of that club refused to allow the catamarans on board.
This is a very disapointing development, the Spring Fever Regatta has been a well attended regatta for 10 years and is always a good time. (Spring Fever Regatta Pictures)
Read More to see the annoucement and more details from Mr. Ernie.
After efforts to convince the Corps to allow the even failed, alternative sites were investigated. The most promising appeared to be a sailing club on the North end of the lake named Western Carolina Sailing Club www.wcsc-sailing.org, but the board of that club refused to allow the catamarans on board.
This is a very disapointing development, the Spring Fever Regatta has been a well attended regatta for 10 years and is always a good time. (Spring Fever Regatta Pictures)
Read More to see the annoucement and more details from Mr. Ernie.
Christmas Shopping at TheBeachcats.com
Just in time for "Black Friday" shopping, I am pleased to announce the launch of "Shopping At TheBeachcats.com".
The plan for the new store is to offer catamaran sailors unique and usefull items related to our sport that are not available everywhere. In keeping with the gift giving season, the first items available are beautiful watercolor prints of catamarans, lighthouses, and nautical scenes. These have been created by the Maryland Watercolor Artist, William C. Gardner.
So if you happen to know any catamaran sailors who have been very very good this year (wink/wink) please let santa know that these are available, you will be sure to make that sailor happy, and support this site at the same time.
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