Top Class Sailors choose F18!

2014 eurOcat edition was definitely a good one, and all competitors did appreciated the efforts made by YC Carnac to provide them with improved service and welcome.

Apart on Thursday, where wind strength was over 27 knots, wheather conditions did permit the Race Committee to manage 6 windward/leeward races, plus Round Houat Long Distance on Saturday, under shiny sky and gentle breeze...

It was once more a pleasure and honour for the Class to welcome Sailing Champions coming from a wide range of top Classes, in order to contest the supremacy of our "usual" F18 top teams, such as Gurvan Bontemps and Benjamin Amiot, as well our "rookies" Solune Robert and Riwan Perron, 2013 SL 16 Worlds Medalists ... 

Please have a quick look on to some of the participants:

• Iker Martinez, Gold and Silver Olympic medalist, Volvo Ocean Race skipper, and currently campaining in Nacra 17 series, who seized the opportunity to taste F18, crewed by Ferdinand van West, with some success, finishing first overall;
• Morgan Lagravière, Top Offshore Figaro skipper, sailing together with F18 World Champion Arnaud Jarlegan, and winning Round Houat Long Distance;
• Fred Duthil, other Top Offshore Figaro skipper, crewed by Fred Moreau;
• Thibaut Vauchel-Camus, multiple Raid and Long Distance winner (Archipelago, Costarmoricaine, ...) waiting for receiving his brand new 40 Foot Ocean Racer;
• Jean-Christophe"Kinou" Mourniac, triple F18 World Vice Champion, former French Olympic team member, Extreme 40 skipper, sailing together with his son Tim for the first time in an international competition;
• Lamberto Cesari, 2010 F18 Youth World Champion together with Vittorio Bissaro, finishing third in Round Houat Long Distance with helm Carlo de Paoli;
• William Sunnucks, First Finisher in Texel and Round Houat races, and by the way Chair of UK F18 Class Association;
• Grant Piggott, talented UK Sailmaker;
• tbc...

It was then nice to hear the kind words Iker expressed on the podium after receiving his trophy, clearly assuming he was more than pleased by F18 racing, and that he will certainly come back asap, according to his Olympic commitments.

EurOcat Full results
Round Houat Long Distance results

Newsletter nr. 8 - 2014

F18 Sailors,

Welcome to the new season, with all the hopes of sailing in warm winds and sunny skies.  I hope that it brings you all great sailing and many happy memories to live with throughout the next winter. For our friends in the South, we know many of you have had a busy sailing season. We look forward to hearing from you all, PLEASE keep Jasper informed of all your activities, he can do a great job for the Class but only if you let him know what will and has happened where and when.

Austria becomes an official F18 country

This year we have a newkomer in the F18 class: Austria. We spoke with their president Philipp Belcredi (45 - Vienna):

“We are happy that we have started our F18 National Class Organisation. It took about two years before we could start our own class. Together with the Austrian Hobie Cat Class Organisation we created a F18 scene with approximately 50/60 boats. About 20 boats are active in most regattas in Austria. Nowadays we have, besides Hobie Cat, also a Nacra dealer in Austria, so we don’t have issues with spareparts for  our boats at all.  And we notice that F18 sailing is getting more populair every year. Maybe you wouldn’t expect immediately, but the conditions for sailing in Austria are just perfect! We have some really nice lakes here with a perfect breeze. For example the Neusiedler See, where often international regattas are being held. So if you’re around, let us know and we’ll show you around.

We are also busy arranging transport to the F18 Worlds in Ireland. We often do this in collaboration with ‘our neighbours’, the German F18 class organisation. But of course we hope to see you all there! If you’re looking for our class website, that’s in progress. As soon as it’s online we’ll inform you guys of course.”

Available: NOR US F18 Nationals

From 19 till 24 October 2014 the US F18 Nationals will be held at the Corpus Chrisi Yacht Club

This regatta promises to be a great event at a fantastic venue! The NOR is now available, hope to see you there!

Hobie Alter, a legend in surfing & sailing, will be missed

Hobart “Hobie” Alter, who started out shaping surfboards, and ended up shaping a culture, passed away peacefully at his Palm Desert home on March 29 surrounded by his loving family. Born on October 31, 1933 in Ontario, California, he was 80 at the time of his passing. The International Hobie Class Association published a Hobie Alter Tribute.

Our condolences to the Alter family and Hobie's loved ones. He will truly be missed.

'We're there when the class needs us' - Interview with Goodall Design

A new week, another interview with one of the F18 sponsors. This time we spoke with Brett Goodall, General Manager at Goodall Design. Last year they had a rebranding and changed their name and logos from AHPC (Australian High Performance Catamarans) into Goodall Design. This year they will show their new design on the water during the F18 Worlds in Ireland.

First we are curious why Goodall Design directly said yes to sponsoring the International F18 Catamaran  Association. “The F18 Class is been the largest and far reaching catamaran class for the last 10-15 years. They have provided us and many other manufactures, a strong market to provide boats and product info. The least we can do is give back when the class needs us. In the last few years the class has seen some difficult times, but we believe the class has a lot to offer the catamaran sailing community and with united front and clear organization the F18 will forge strongly into the future.”

But how does Goodall Design see the future of F18 sailing? “There are a number of challenges and threats to the F18 that the class need to acknowledge and create action plans around. Some of these are technical advancements in catamaran sailing and others are new classes such as the Olympic Catamaran. It is important that the class management works with manufactures and sailors to create clear, transparent long term plans consistent with growing the class. If this is done then sailors confidence will grow and will continue to invest in the class.”

What will be the focus of Goodall Design on F18 sailing in 2014? “Historically we have been a very “advancement” based brand… always looking to do our product better. While this is still the case, we are focusing a lot more this year on sailor engagement at all levels. We want our customers to enjoy their sailing as much as we do. Buying an F18 is not like buying a coffee table from Ikea, you want to know setup, maintenance and most of all the little tricks the top guys do that normally doesn’t make it to the club sailors. We are working on a number of media to bring this information to sailors. 

We have a new YouTube channel with a lot of tips & tricks, an owner’s corner on our website and we are setting up new dealers around on a regular basis with the best training on our products to help customers with any questions they may have.”

Charter C2s at the Worlds?
“Right now we are in the process of organizing a container of charter C2s for the F18 World Championships in Ireland. There’s a lot of interest because this will allow sailors from other continents and regions to attend World Championships who may not have been able to without this service. The only way this type of service is possible is with local support from our dealer network and the ability to liquidate the boats after the event. We are offering an amazing deal on post worlds C2s available through Goodall Design Ireland.”

Are there new F18 developments at your company? “We are extremely happy with the performance of the C2. We believe it is the fastest and best packaged F18 on the market. Aside from the incremental changes we make every year, we have no intention of releasing a “new” F18. The class needs stability from manufactures and the last thing sailors want to see is a new design, just for the sake of a new design. There are a number of good F18 products on the market for sailors to choose from and it’s time for the manufactures to allow the market to stabilize.”

 
Last but not least, we’re hear some rumours about a ‘special team’ at the F18 Worlds in Ireland. Any chance you can give us an update about that? “No sorry, not yet. You’ll have to be patient.”

For more information about Goodall Design please visit their website 
 

St.Barth Cata Cup 2014 almost open for registration

Quick.., write down Saturday April 5th 2014. That day the registrations will be open for the 7th edition of the St. Barth Cata Cup 2014. Make sure you claim your slot this year!

On November 19-23, 2014, Saint Barthélemy will once again fall under the spell of the St Barth Cata Cup. As this exceptional regatta celebrates its 7th edition, the number of sailors who want to participate continues to grow! The organizers Ana, Hélène, Jeff, Vincent, & Thierry share their ever-growing enthusiasm for the success of the St Barth Cata Cup. The proof in the pudding: online registrations sell out at the speed of light! The members of the non-profit associations, Saint Barth Multihulls and Centre Nautique de St Barthélemy, plus the solid public relations & marketing team, are determined to make this event a success with a wave of their magic wand.

The competitors come from around the world to be enchanted… France, Belgium, Sweden, Germany, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Canada, The United States, and Australia, as well as Puerto Rico, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Saint Martin, and Saint Barthélemy. Hélène Guilbaud, one of the organizers confirms: “We have always enjoyed having a large number of nations represented and hope to keep up this truly international spirit. For this 7th edition, we had requests from South America (Chili and Argentina) and the Canary Islands. We hope to facilitate connections for these teams via our partner, RMP Caraïbes.”

More than just a sport, Formula 18 racing is a lifestyle
The emotions felt by the competitors when racing are extraordinary, and those passionate about F18 racing are avid voyagers seeking new destinations and competitions. And since the destination of Saint Barth is so attractive, they are happy to make the voyage with their families to follow their passion.

The ambiance and hospitality typical to the island are in fact among the b points of the regatta. Arrivals that are properly celebrated, races on crystal clear waters, and festive evening events create a wonderful atmosphere for the participants. “Every year the number of people who want to be on the starting line continues to increase,” says Jeff Ledée, with deserved pride. However it is necessary to limit the number of places, as he explains:“We want to continue to guarantee a maximum quality for the participants. Our experience over the past six editions has taught us the limits we cannot exceed in order to maintain all the ingredients for the continued success of the St Barth Cata Cup.”

Got to the official website and try get your ticket for this amazing adventure!

Pictures by Pierrick Contin