Formula 16 European Championships in Cesenatico: Henri strikes again!
The podium: 1/Henri & Alec, Viper F16 2/Manu/Eric, Bimare F16 3/ Aurélie/Morgan, Falcon F16
Three years after having been the youngest World Champion ever on a high performance boat, Henri Demesmaeker together with Alec Bague grabbed the European crown 2015. With six bullets in eleven races, and winning all races on the last day, there was no doubt, who was setting the benchmark in this light wind event. The race committee managed to start 11 races over a series of four days in steaming hot weather conditions with water temperatures reaching more than 30 degrees.
Neither former European Champion Kim Anne le Formal nor current World Champs Adrian Fawcett with his crew Jessie Dobbie had a chance to get near the young Belgian hotshots, who also won thetrophy for the best youth team. With 43 boats from six nations, this Euro on the Adriatic coast was the biggest F16 event ever. Most teams were mixed with girls and boys on the helm. And with two youth teams on the podium, some all female teams and four single handed sailors in the fleet the class again gave proof of the versatility of those catamarans.
Except the boats from Manu Boulogne, all common brands were present. The box rule seems to work as the first ten places were just about eventy shared by Viper, Bimare and Falcon boats. The Nacra F16 carrying a bit more weight does not seem to like those lightwind conditions. But as next year’s Worlds are in Belgium, this boat might again show it’s highwind potential. Mattia, showing up with a new developed F16 probably came for testing. Let`s hope, that they will establish the boat on this very competitive market.
The Circolo Vela Cesenatico did a brilliant job on the water and on shore. The maximum waiting time between the last boat crossing the finish time and the next warning signal was less than five minutes. And getting your boat hosed with fresh water while pulling it to the boat park surely is a service, that is not common either. Grazie mille!
An overview of pictures on the beach can be found our Facebook page, stay tuned there for even more racing pictures!
Thomas Koenig, Chairman F16
