It was the French son and father team of Tim and Jean Christophe Mourniac who managed to work their way up to the windward mark first followed by fellow countrymen Morgan La Graviere and Arnaud Jarlegan. Jean Christophe is a long time professional catamaran sailor but had given the helm this week to his son. Close behind were the Dutch team of Gunnar Larson and Ferdinand van West followed by Australia’s Glenn Ashby and Brett Goodall. Local crew Adrian Allen and Barry Swanston rounded in a very credible 6th position but struggled in the second downwind leg in light and patchy conditions to finish 40th. Many of the top teams had their problems as well but Larson/Van West held their first place through the line, followed by Ashby/Goodall in second and the German team of Helge and Christian Sachs in third.

The Committee boat tried to squeeze in the second of three races scheduled as the wind started to fill in. A 30 degree windshift however persuaded them to abandon racing for the day.

On Day 2, the F18’s experienced 3 seasons. After the previous night’s “home hospitality” and with a few sore heads, the day started off with little wind and vertical rain. Thankfully the forecasted breeze and sunshine started to set in just as the fleet went afloat, and the day finished with 20 knots, sunshine and rolling waves.

After only 1 race on Monday, the fleet were a little eager resulting in 2 general recalls and the resultant black flag start when everyone got away clean in just 6 knots of breeze. Despite the delay and being ferried out to the start in a high powered Rib, local helm Adrian Allen was still 4 minutes late for the start having had to go to his daughter’s graduation this morning at Queens University. Crew Barry Swanston was tearing what little of his hair he has left out waiting.

Most of the fleet plumped for the right side of the course and GBR’s Grant Piggot and Simon Farren found themselves first at the windward mark with a large lead over FRA Rouges/Souben and GER Tonne/Sunnocks. With a 20 degree shift to the right, a mark boat was positioned below the gate to signal a course change starboard and shortened. Unfortunately Grant mistook this for a shortened course and proceeded to the finish line under spinnaker where he dropped it and turned to watch the others off up the beat. He somehow managed to regain first place by the next windward but had lost the lead and on the run was passed by Patrick Demesmaeker and Klass Victor from Royal Belgium Sailing Club followed by the French Mourniac’s and the German Sach brothers.

Thankfully by Race 3, the fleet decided that they were fed up with general recalls and everyone got away cleanly. Still in light winds, it was the turn of the a clean youth team from Florida - Taylor Reiss and Matthew Whitehead - to show the rest of fleet a clean pair of hulls and lead the way home from the first mark. The Sachs brothers backed up their earlier light wind showing to take second and the overall lead.

A little more wind for Race 4 got things a bit excited. Gunnar Larsen and Ferdinand van West were clean first off the start line followed out by Reiss/Whitehead over to the left. Unfortunately for Glenn Asby and Brett Goodall, a Dutch boat barged in below them forcing them head to wind at the Committee Boat and having to gybe off and find clean air behind the rest of the fleet. At the other end two French boats bounced off the pin end mark boat onto port and then took out the Irish crew of Dermot McHugh and Siobhan Keogh. More wind on the left saw many of the boats coming into the windward mark on port although the extra power made “threading the needle” and finding a gap more easy than normal. As the breeze started to build there were a few flogging kites on the downwind legs but Larsen/ van West showed their pedigree to finish ahead of the French crews of Lois Breeder and Hugo le Pomellec, followed the Mourniac family.

First Irish boat home in Race 4 was local crew Andrew Gallagher and Michael Gunning despite being squeezed out at the final mark by a boat coming in on port and having to crash gybe on the wong side of the course. Unfortunately the protest committee didn’t agree that their shout of protest was within the allotted 3 seconds - something to learn for next time. Another visit to the protest room saw the Finnish crew first withdraw their original protest and then be told that they hand’t completed the course properly as they had capsized at the bottom mark and drifted past it rounding the other “gate” mark instead of rerounding the original one. More learning points.

A fouth race of the day, Race 5 saw gust of up to 20 knots and everyone twin wiring. The Finnish crew found themselves on the wrong side of the start line but everyone else got away clean. Morgan La Graviere and Armaud Jarlegan from Nantes found themselves first in front of Glenn Ashby and Brett Goodall at the windward mark. By the downwind gate Larsen/Van West squeezed ahead of the Australians. Adrian Allen and Barry Swanston were leading the local fleet while many were pitchpoling and capsizing. Others were breaking rudders while one unfortunate crew discovered the “salami slicer” and was taken to hospital with a suspected broken arm.

At the end of the second day with 5 races, Larsen/ van West led from Ashby/Goodall and the young Americans Reiss/ Whitehead. The next day’s forecast looked set for more of the final conditions with 15-20 knots, rolling seas and sunshine. America’s Cup sailor Glenn Ashby was heard to bemoan the length of the courses hoping for something a bit shorter tomorrow. Unusually for a crew, Brett however was “loving it’.

The next day as promised, Northern Ireland offered glorious sunshine, waves and a steady 16-18 knots. With only 1 minor course change all day, the Committee Boat was able to run another 4 races to get caught up on schedule.

We’re not sure if Florida offers similar conditions to Bangor but the USA Youth team of Taylor Reiss and Matthew Whitehead excelled with 5,2,2,1 and moved into first place overall with a small lead over Gunnar Larsen and Ferdinand van West.

The French crews also showed their pedigree through the day filling the top 4 places in Race 6. Gurvan Bontemps and Benjamin Amiot menacingly appeared on the leaderboard with 1,3,3,3. Title contenders Glenn Ashby and Brett Goodall unfortunately hit a floating object (suspected plank of wood) at full speed on the first race of the day and damaged their port hull. With only 6 races to go but their boat fixed (it helped that the crew is the boat builder), it would take a superhuman effort to get back to a respectable score.

Meanwhile at the other end of the fleet there was lots of action - local crew Richard Swanston and Matt McNicholl pitchpoled in front of the finish line (ala Devon Loch), Gislain Melanie fell out of the boat crossing the finish line and Chris Brooks had to convince his new crew member “English” Dave Anderson to let go of the bow as he was dragged up the beat. Thankfully Dave missed the Dolphin striker between the hulls and was picked up behind by the Safety Boat.

On Thursday, after the heroics of the previous two days, the crews of the F18 breathed a sigh of relief when they woke up. Day 4 of the F18 World Championship offered light winds and sunshine and the Race Committee managed to squeeze in three races before the wind died.

In the first race of the day (Race 10), Lois Breeder/Hugo Pomellac and Robert Solune/Riwan Perron showed that the French Junior teams also have plenty of boat speed, with the American Junior team of Taylor Reiss and Matthew Whitehead coming in third.

After swapping hulls over night with the damage yesterday, Glenn Ashby and Brett Goodall returned to form in the second race (Race 11) winning in front of France’s Thomas Normand and Antoine Jalbert. Tim and Jean Christophe Mourniac came in third and also again in the last race of the day, moving up to 5th overall.

Normand/Jalbert were a little too keen to repeat their new-found success and were the only boat OCS in Race 12. Emeric Dary and David Fanouillere came in second instead, but it was Gunnar Larsen and Ferdinand van West who lead the way home and moved into first place overall.

For others, the dying wind proved a little tricky and English crew Ben Lodge and Niall McLoughlin decided to park on one of the gate marks, hulls either side, while the rest of the fleet sailed past.

On the final day of racing, the podium looked settled though the positions were certainly not agreed with 3 races still to go. With only 10 points separating the top 3, everything was up for grabs. Belfast Lough offered a potential minefield for the competitors with variable light winds. Unfortunately the young Americans Taylor Reiss & Matthew Whitehead were the first to falter.

Race 13 saw Glenn Ashby and Brett Goodall power away from the pin end of the line while the committee boat side had little breeze. Those that tacked off to clear air or try the right hand side of the course got left behind and this included the USA team. Girvan Bontemps and Benjamin Amiot rounded the windward mark in the top 5 while Gunnar Larsen and Ferdinand van West got caught up in the traffic behind.

Ashby/Goodall went on to secure the first of three bullets for the final day. Who know’s what their overall position might have been without the hull damage on Day 3. Bontemps/ Amiot closed the gap on Larsen/ van West but Reiss/ Whitehead were now looking at third place. Race 14 saw Bontemps/ Amiot again get in front of Larsen/ van West until the last downward leg but Gunnar somehow got in front before the finish.

In the ultimate Race 15, a shift at the start and light winds on the left hand course stranded half of the fleet. Simon (Nobby) Northrop/Josh O’Brien and Grant Piggot/Simon Farren restored a bit of pride for GBR leading into the windward mark. Larsen/ van West emerged from the middle of the fleet and worked their way into 2nd place behind Ashby/Goodall with Bontemps/ Amiot back in the fleet with Reiss/ Whitehead.

After 14 years of competing in F18s, Netherlands’ Gunnar Larsen was finally World Champion with Ferdinand van West.

The fight for top Irish boat came down on the final day to a contest between Ballyholme’s Adrian Allen’s head and his F18’s boom as they gybed. Unfortunately after a great start in Race 14, Adrian forgot to duck his head and had to be taken in by rescue boat to the shore slightly dazed and wobbly. For his troubles he also won the final day’s Mug of the Day before the Closing Ceremony and Prize Giving.

The 4 Ballyholme YC boats all came at the top of the 11 boat Irish contingent, with Andrew Gallagher and Michael Gunning given the local overall bragging rights in front of Adrian Allen and Barry Swanston with Richard Swanston/ Matt McNicholl and Philip Quinn/ Alistair Leslie next.

At the prize giving, Gunnar Larsen thanked the sponsors North Down Tourism and Northern Ireland Tourist Board for a great event. He also congratulated Event Chairman David Taylor and Race Officer Bill O’Hara and all 160 volunteers. This was the first time all 15 races were sailed in the World Championship with great racing, weather and race management, the hospitality was second to none and the welcome from Northern Ireland surpassed previous World Championships. It may be a long time before Ballyholme YC see another F18 World Championship but he recommended any class to come here and enjoy the craic.

Results:

1. Gunnar Larsen and Ferdinand van West NED
2. Girvan Bontemps and Benjamin Amiot FRA
3. Taylor Reiss and Matthew Whitehead USA (1st Junior)
4. Morgan La Graviere and Armaud Jarlegan FRA
5. Tim Mourniac and Jean Christophe Mourniac FRA
6. Lois Berrehar and Hugo el Pomellac FRA (2nd Junior)
9. Robert Solune and Riwan Perron FRA (3rd Junior)
10. Helge and Christian Sach GER (1st Master)
20. William Sunnucks and Freddie White GBR (2nd Master)
21. Grant Piggott and Simon Farren GBR (3rd Master)
22. Sven Lindstadt and Marne Odefey GER (1st Mixed

Irish Boats:

33. Andrew Gallagher and Michael Gunning
35. Adrian Allen and Barry Swanston
37. Richard Swanston and Matt McNicholl
42. Philip Quinn and Alastair Leslie