Nissan Formula 18 Nationals at Worthing Sailing Club

Worthing hosted Club hosted the strongest F18 fleet ever in the UK, with high quality entrants from Holland, Belgium and France.

Friday opened with a good breeze, Force NW 4 off shore but with rain in the air, and the power of the Nissan sponsored Hobie Team was instantly recorded with Mischa Heemskerk and Sander de Boer (Holland) gaining their first win with UK Andy Walsh and Ed Barney in second and another "pro" Nissan member Jorg Gosche/Martin Bach (Germany) in third.

Although it had been known for some time, that the "heavy weights" of F18 sailing were coming to UK for the Nationals, few Club sailors realised just how fast these sailors are. Worthing was lucky to have three or four of the top ten in the World and this is serious competition. The fleet spread from first to last was very large, however some UK sailors manage to compete and the youngest of them all, Chris Rashley/Alan Sign are just 16 and 18 coming in fourth in the first race. Results in the second race were starting to take shape, with Heemserk/deBoer winning again, and Stuart Gummer/Gillian Power (Stokes Bay SC) taking second. Another member of the Nissan Pro-Team was Jean-Christophe Morniac (4th in Worlds 2005) who came in third. The remarkable point about this is that he was sailing a Ben Stubbs(UK) for the first time and they were just settling in !! So if you are good enough, you can take a scratch crew and perform but you have to be VERY good. The last race of Friday started with the wind a touch stronger Gosche/Bach got this one, with Heemskerk/deBoer showing vulnerability in sixth. Second was Russell Clark/Penny Mountford (Stokes Bay) with Mourniac/Stubbs in together in third, RashlySign fourth ad the dependable Sunnucks/Self (Brightlingsea SC) were fifth.

Saturday was close to perfect, not as much wind but clear blue sky and warm sunshine. Mourniac/Stubbs leading home, Gummer/Power second, Heemskerk/deBoer in third place, with the young British pairing of Simon Kearns and Ben Burns(Grafham Water SC) in fourth, local Club members Jonnie Hutchcroft/Robbie Jon Garcka getting their best result in fifth.

Four long races a day "back to back" is hard work and the fifth race (second on Saturday) went to Kearns/Burns with another pro team, Remco Kenbeck/Paul Brower (Holland) this time from Team Capricorn coming in second, with Hutchcroft/Garcka third and Gummer/Power fourth.The fifth race proved just how similar all the F18's are for boat speed with Walsh Barnet winning, Heemskerk/deBoer second/Farrow/Lamb (Worthing YC) third and the Cirrus of van Cutsem/Lepetre (Belgium) in fourth place. The fifth was similar with Heemskerk/deBoer finding their form again, followed in by Farrow/Lamb and the Nacra F18 of Jonathan Worthing/Tom Quayle in third.

Sunday dawned still and overcast. The catamarans drifted out to the race area, and waited and waited, but it was worth while, the sun came out and the wind picked up and the early afternoon became one of those days that you will remember all winter. But results don't change, Mourniac/Stubbs then Sunnucks/Self, followed Heemskerk/deBoer, proving that the cream certainly rises to the top. With just one more race to go in perfect conditions, "normal" results were to be expected, and even in a big fleet, the "pro's" can manage to get their boat in the right place at the right time. Heemskerk/deBoer leading in Walsh/Barney, followed by Mourniac.Stubbs, Gummer/Power and GoscheBach.

There are about twelve top UK teams that are able to "mix it" with this serious competition, but they seem only to be able to get a good result now and then whereas the teams that sail all over Europe every weekend can manage good results most of the time.

Overall Results:

1st Mischa Heemskerk/Sander deBoer (Holland) 1,1,(6),3,(8),2,1,3,1, 12pts
2nd Jean Christophe Mourniac/Ben Stubbs (France) (18), 3,3,1,(13),6,8,1,3, 25pts
3rd Andrew Walsh/Ed Barney (GBR) 2,6,8,(8),(17),1,6,6,2, 31pts
4th Stuart Gummer/Gillian Power (GBR) 8,2,(18),2,4, 7,(16),4,4, 31pts
5th Chris Rashley/Alan Sign (GBR) 4,5,4,6,(30),5,(20),5,8, 37pts
Other UK results:
7th Jonnie Hutchcroft/Robbie Jon Garcka
9th Willam Sunnucks/Mark Self
10th Simon Kearns/Ben Burns
11th Jonathan Worthington/Tom Quayle
12th Rob Garkca/Rod Winrow