Storming finish to F18 Worlds by British Crew
February 26, 2007 0 comments
Hugh Styles and Tom Peel end the F18 Worlds 2007 on a high!! It was tight at the top as the final day of racing commenced at the Seawind F18 World Championship, being sailed in the waters off Rydges Capricorn Resort, Yeppoon Queensland. The we
Hugh Styles and Tom Peel end the F18 Worlds 2007 on a high!!
It was tight at the top as the final day of racing commenced at the Seawind F18 World Championship, being sailed in the waters off Rydges Capricorn Resort, Yeppoon Queensland.
The week had been dominated by winds blowing anywhere from 14 to gusting 30 knots.
The outcome of the regatta was a close fought affair all the way through the competition, coming to a climax on the last day with the overall title still up for grabs between AUS Darren Bundock and NED Mitch Booth. Close behind saw a fight between Nacra Infusion team mates FRA Billy Besson, NED Mischa Heemskerk and GBR Hugh Styles vying for the remaining spots in the top 5 overall.
The competitors had been blessed by good strong winds all week, intermingled with sunshine and 77 boats to compete against which made the regatta a heady mix of exhilarating sailing, competitive racing and a little sun burn.
The Rydges resort in Yeppoon hosted the 2007 Formula 18 Worlds. All the competitors stayed in the resort and enjoyed the fantastic facilities and welcomed the fact that the beach and boat park were a meagre 5 mins walk from the door of the apartment.
Many of the competitors had had ups and downs in their results during the course of the competition, with the windy conditions proving too much for some bodies and kit alike. Hugh and Tom were unlucky enough to fall victim of this on the first day, having to retire from the first race after the kite managed to wrap itself up so badly that they struggled to get it down and when they did the pole broke. This set back did not deter the team; they battled hard from there on in coming from behind in the rankings to be in contention for the top 5 at the start of the final days racing.
In each of the 3 races on the final day the fleet was so eager to get away that there were numerous general recalls. Bundock and Booth were at each other as soon as their boats touched the water, chasing each other pre start to get the upper hand. Hugh and Tom opted for a more conservative starting approach and with three solid starts they rounded the windward mark in the top 3 in all of the races.
Billy Besson was sailing very well, making it difficult for Styles and Peel to take their 3rd position overall, by taking line honours in the first race of the day, with Booth second and Styles third by a whisker.
The second race was very close fought between Booth and Bundock, with Styles biting at the heels of these two round the track, eventually taking thrid with Besson fourth.
The last race of the regatta was the crowning glory for Styles and Peel. Starting well they used their superior upwind speed on port tack to extend on the fleet to round the first mark with a comfortable lead. From this point onwards they were never headed, sailing away from the opposition. Hugh Commented “We said this morning that we wanted to win a race this week and it was fantastic to finish on such a high by winning the last race, helping us clinch 4th place overall.”
The overall title went to Aussies Darren Bundock and Glen Ashby, with a sterling effort in the last race to defend their slender 1 point lead over Mitch Booth and Pim Nieuwenhuis.
As F18 2007 worlds drew to a close, it was good to have seen such great racing in Australia, and it can only bode well for the rest of the season of F18 racing back in Europe. Carnac is the next big event, followed by Texel and then the F18 Europeans in Italy in July.
Hugh Styles and Tom Peel would like to say a big thank you to Nacra, Fat Face and Mardon Marine for making this event possible for the team. To Sailing Networks, Sail.TV and The Daily Sail for helping with the teams coverage through out the event. Lastly to all of the teams friends and family for their support and encouragement.
