International Formula 18 Catamaran Association
July 2014.
Ukraine Air Disaster
This awful crash affected many countries in the world, but none more than our friends in the Netherlands. Our condolences go to all involved and our sympathy to all our Dutch sailors and friends upon their National loss.
Worlds 2014
All sailors who attended the regatta in Ireland will look back with great satisfaction. It truly was a “regatta to remember”. This is due to the people in the Club, many said that there were so well received that they were made to feel like royalty. There was a spontaneous round of applause at the Sailors Meeting when one leading experienced international stated that he had never received such help and support. We thank all our Irish friends who made the occasion so special and of course they have created a standard which others will be expected to follow.
We congratulate Gunnar Larsen and Ferdinand van West (Holland) for winning, Gurvan Bontemps and Benjamin Amiot (France) for second place and Taylor Reiss and Matthew Whitehead (USA) for third place. Taylor and Matthew also won the Junior which is a great achievement. They do have a stellar career ahead of them.
Ballyholme YC had 120 volunteers to help support both on and off the water and we thank everyone one of them. The Club also has plenty of Olympians and World Champion in the ranks. Now they have a Rory McIlroy who has just won the Open Golf Championship. It must be something that they put in the water in that part of Ireland.
Sailors Meeting
When we were in Ireland , we held a Sailors Meeting, as we could not have a Council Meeting as there were not enough Chairmen present to be quorate, but I am sure that Council will listen carefully to the responses from the sailors. We had representatives from 11 countries:
UK, Ireland, Netherlands, Argentina, Belgium, France, Germany, Sweden, Australia, USA, Finland.
UK, Ireland, Netherlands, Argentina, Belgium, France, Germany, Sweden, Australia, USA, Finland.
Europeans 2016
Brest was agreed by the sailors, although there were comments that more “Mediterranean venues” should be considered. Dates are still to be settled depending upon tidal variations.
F18 Rules update
The meeting was strongly against any further rules changes, there had been talk of “developments” with F18, this was certainly condemned by all sailors present, there wasn’t one voice that wished to seek a change to the boats. There will be a “tidying up” process of the rules, mainly numbering and administrative work. These are NOT rule changes. There was a suggestion that a two piece mast be considered to help shipping transport, as I write there has been little response and what there has been is not favour.
Marketing Support
The meeting was delighted to have Jasper van Staveren “on board” to support with photography, all sailors thought it was “money well spent”. To see update of Jasper’ work on Ireland, please go to: Jasper’s Gallery on www.2014.f18worlds.com . In the months to come we will continue to work hard to promote the Class.
Builders Opinions
There were three builders present and they all very buoyant about the future of the Class. Each builder present had made considerable donations to the Class and they were sure that they will see benefits in the future, they thought that the Class was in a “better state” than for some time. They also agreed with the sailors present that there does not want to be any talk of rules changes for the foreseeable future. They pointed out that there were many F18 catamarans on the market at realistic prices, boats that could be brought to an international regatta with confidence. With the added promotion that was being provided, they saw a strong future for the Class. The lower attendees as seen in Ireland should not be taken as a sign of decline. The world economic situation was appreciated, but it must always be remembered that the Class was growing considerably, F18 is no longer a European Class.
F18 Worlds 2015
We are moving to Germany for Worlds in 2015 and then Argentina in 2016, (with Europeans in Brest, France.) In time decisions have to be taken for 2017 and 2018 , as plans are already being considered to go back to Australia for 2019.
Weight / result analysis
We thank Ad Noordzij en Marion Alards from the Netherlands, for the work that he did on this complex subject. I have detailed a summary of the work on the IF18CA website and a supportive comment from William Sunnucks (UK) adding to the interpretation of the work.
William wrote:
“The F18 class tries to provide fair racing for crews with a combined weight of 130kgs upwards. Even lighter crews may compete, but are required to use a smaller jib and spinnaker.
It is widely believed that the optimum combined weight is 150kgs. Fortunately we have excellent data to see if this is true because every team is carefully weighed before each World Championship, and the statistics meticulously maintained. (we thank Pierre-Charles Barraud)
Ad Noordijk from Holland has done a detailed analysis of the results from three World Championships as follows:
| Year | Location | Prevailing conditions | Number of entries | Winner / combined weighted |
| 2011 | Hungary (Balatonfured) | Light | 101 | Aus 888 / 161.2kgs |
| 2012 | California (Alamito Bay) | Light to stiff sea breeze | 114 | Fra 36 / 158kgs |
| 2013 | Italy (Grossetto) | Light to stiff sea breeze | 161 | Fra 1796 / 159kgs |
Ad grouped competitors into weight groups to see if any one weight group did better than others. He used the concept of relative ranking to measure results. A relative ranking of 0.5 is exactly mid fleet. If you have a relative ranking of 1 you are last!
The graph on the website shows the relative rankings for all weight groups over the three regattas. It shows that:
- the most competitive weights are from 150-160kgs, a wider range than might have been expected after the efforts of crews to adjust their combined weights to 150kgs.
- Light crews from 140-150kgs are performing to the average, despite being required to carry 50% lead for their weight shortfall below 150kgs
- Crews above 165kgs or below 140kgs are underperforming
This does not mean that crews of 165kgs or more have no chance. It just means that on average they have done less well, and this may be due to a lower level of fitness or commitment as well as the higher weight. A fit and determined heavy crew can still do very well. The same applies to very light crews. These groups may include some younger teams who may be underperforming due to inexperience rather than their weight. They will enjoy learning as they grow into the bigger weight categories.
Many thanks to Ad for an excellent analysis. Please don’t blame him for my interpretation of his work. “
William Sunnucks
GBR 501
Information Flow
Please keep us informed of all your local regattas. There are major Nationals being sailed throughout the World, the Nordic F18 Championships in August in Denmark and many local F18 regattas. We have just helped with the poster for the “Round Chausey” (see www.cvjullouville.com) in France, so please promote your events, Jasper will provide high resolution photos for ALL F18 promotional activities.
Enjoy you season, best wishes
Don Findlay