F16 Europeans 2014: France beats Australia & Belgium: “This year, sailing superpower Australia seems to have no serious challengers. But at the F16 Europeans in Le Touquet Daniel and Nathan van Kerckhof on a Viper had to give way to the young and promising French sailor Kim-Anne Le Formal on a Falcon.

With Flying Phantom crew Benjamin Amiot, they managed to grab the F16 European crown 2014 in a very close fight with the other top teams.

The Europeans on the French Channel coast saw more than 30 teams from Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, United Kingdom and Australia. One third of the fleet were youth teams, solo sailors had registered as well and there were highly competitive mixed and women’s teams on the water as well. All brands were present and despite the fact that it still is the sailor and not the boat winning or loosing, it seems that the box rule is working. There was no signfificant dominance of any brand and that’s the way Formula classes should be run.

Over a challenging five days conditions varied from 22 knots and big waves to light wind summer breezes. And the strong currents in the Channel make racing a tricky issue in terms where to go and where to tack. With tough conditions in the first two days, not every team decided to head out. Remarkably, German solo sailor Stefan Dorfner took the challenge and managed to finish almost all races. But as the Formula 16 class still has a lot of pleasure sailors, it might be just the right decision not to race if you don’t feel safe.

Fighting at the top of the fleet was very tight all week, as with 2013 world youth champs Arnout and Klaas Victor, a very competitive youth team chased Kim-Anne next to the Aussie team. And with last year’s World Champ Henri Demesmaeker and his crew Emile van Holsbeke, followed by this year’s Texel winner Froukje Feenstra another top team took care of close racing. In fact, the Championship was open until the last race and looking at the results of the races, there was no dominance of any sailor either.

Next to Kim-Anne winning the European Championship, Dutch Froukje Feenstra ended up as the best women’s team, Andi Lutz from Switzerland and Dominik Leuthold took the masters podium and German Stefan Dorfner won the solo challenge. The Victor brothers from Belgium finished as the best youth team within this event.

Full results on: https://sites.google.com/site/assofrf16/european-f16-2014

Thomas Koenig, Chairman F16 CA

Overall results F16 Europeans 2014 Le Touqet

Adrian Fawcett and Jesse Dobie World Champion F16

World Championship F16 was sailed from June 23 – 27 in Newport, USA. 4 days of racing and 29 boats at the start. Youth teams, mixed teams, solo sailors,… An unique mix, typical for the F16 class.

Here is a report about the event where you can read about the venue, the sailors, top 5, a link to the full results and a letter of the US chairman with a big thanks to event sponsor Red Gear Racing.

2014 F16 Worlds Podium

Adrian Fawcett & Jesse Dobie, Australia: “this was a great location. You have to visit Newport. Lots to see and great sailing conditions. Due to unstable wind there was 1 day where we could not sail, but our race officer made sure that we still managed to get 13 races in.”

On Monday we had the practice race. Matt McDonald, USA: “Each race was different due to different wind and current. Getting the course right and adjust yourself to it was very important.”

On Tuesday racing started in difficult conditions with winds up to 20 knots. Alot of teams were very close to each other, especially the top 4. After day 1 Adrian & Jesse, Australia, were leading the fleet. On 2nd place were ex olympic sailors Jay&Pease Glaser. On third: Olympic sailor Robbie Daniels.

Fleet approaching the top mark

Wednesday was a very light wind day, to the advantage of lighter teams. Andi Lutz, Switzerland: “we noticed on Wednesday that lighter teams really had an advantage on us, a heavier men team. The lighter teams could speed up and Adrian & Jesse could not be kept up with!”

On Thursday no sailing because of too little wind. Sailors discovered the area and went to see some nice yachts and race boats, like the American VOR70 and the Spindrift, the 140 foot catamaran.

Chillin’ at the beach

With 2 discards the race was still very exciting. Adrian & Jesse were leading with 2 points ahead of Ravi & Sam. Robbie on 3rd and Glaser on 4th place.

Adrian and Jesse in action

On Friday, the last day of racing, there was a distinct gap between top 4 and rest of the fleet. Top 4 only a few points separate of each other. Very exciting! Andi: “On this last day all sailors decided to sail as many races as possible today. We started early and we managed to race 5 more races!”

Adrian & Jesse stayed on top of the fleet during the whole event and also this last day they were not to be stopped. Their boat speed made sure they sailed Gold at these Worlds! Congratulations to the new World Champions!

Adrian and Jesse – 2014 F16 world champions

Top 5:

Adrian & Jesse – world champion – Falcon F16

Ravi&Sam – 2nd place – Viper F16

Robbie & Catherine – 3rd place – Viper F16

Jay & Pease Glaser – 4th place – Falcon F16

Sandra Tartaglino & Max Kramers – 5th place – Viper F16

Full results can be found here: http://f16worlds2014.org/assets/F16%20Worlds%20Final%20Results.pdf

Next big event for the Formula 16 class is the European Championship in Le Touquet: 28/07 – 01/08. Register here: https://sites.google.com/site/assofrf16/european-f16-2014/european-competitors

Here is a letter of our US chairman about the Worlds:

I trust that you have all made it safely home by now after our very successful World Championship regatta in Newport, Rhode Island. Hearty congratulations to all of our trophy winners, and most especially to our newly crowned Formula 16 World Champions, Adrian Fawcett and Jesse Dobie from Australia!

The success of an event like this depends on many, many people, but ultimately it would be nothing without the sailors who make the effort to come and compete. So I want to thank every one of you who made the decision to join us in Newport. A week-long event away from home involves a very significant commitment of your time and money and we are grateful for your participation. We particularly appreciate those who traveled from outside the US and helped to make this a truly international event.

It’s also important to reiterate how greatly we appreciate the support of our sponsor, Red Gear Racing, who came through with a significant financial contribution in support of the Class to help us meet the costs of the regatta. Jill Nickerson and Robbie Daniel from Red Gear have been stalwart supporters of the Formula 16 and we are extremely grateful for their continued involvement in the Class.

For me, one of the most enjoyable aspects of the regatta was observing the great diversity of the Class – sailors aged 12 to 75, male and female, and with Olympic campaigners and medalists competing alongside weekend sailors relatively new to racing. It reflects well on the versatility of the Formula 16 Class that we’re all able to participate in an event like this together, both in the competition on the water and in the camaraderie on shore.

Numerically, it was encouraging to see the regatta attract a similar number of boats (29) as last year’s Worlds in Travemunde (32) and significantly more than last year’s US Nationals at Racine (16). Nonetheless, continuing to build the Class, and multihull sailing in general, remains an important goal for all of us. Every one of us has an opportunity to play a role here: every time you go sailing other people get to see you in action. So please, get out and have fun!

For the US Class, now that the Worlds are behind us, planning can begin for our 2015 Nationals. We are grateful to have received expressions of interest from two clubs so far who are interested in hosting us next year, and in due course you can expect an announcement about that event.

Sail well!

Mark Thomson
US-F16 Class Chairman

The 2014 F16 worlds start today in Newport, USA!

First start at the practice race

Great fleet of boats with ex-Olympic sailors joining in: Pease and Jay Glaser and Robbie Daniels.

Want to stay up to date on the action?
Check the F16 worlds facebook page or the F16 international facebook page

Register now online for this years Europeans in France, Le Touquet. Great venue and great people! Register now:

https://sites.google.com/site/assofrf16/european-f16-2014/european-entry-form

This past Eastern week-end was the end of the first F16 Spring Training. Meeting point was Italian village Domaso on Lake Como.

We had a coming and going of different F16. In total 7 boats from 4 nations showed up for this European season kick off!

Weather was great, altough not very stable like it is in summer. We had different kinds of wind and weather. From very sunny to even a little snow up in the mountains. From 0 knots to 20 knots. And all this sometimes in one day. Adapting to the new wind was key to maintain speed.

Matt McDonald from Falcon Marine joined us in Italy for 3 days of training. Trim and tuning tips on land followed by on the water sessions. Very interesting to start the season with these tips and tricks. Lots of things to practice on and to get quicker during this new 2014 season.

We are all looking forward to the Europeans in Le Touquet, July, to see how we have improved. We’ll keep you updated on any more training clinics! Subscribe here for this event: https://sites.google.com/site/assofrf16/european-f16-2014

More pictures on our Facebook page: http://tinyurl.com/SpringTrainingF16

Waxed?

Ever wonder how badly you might get waxed by an Olympic Sailor?  Or maybe by a guy who was born when Franklin D. Roosevelt was President, who just happens to be sailing with a woman who may be older than your grandma.  Or a couple kids who are the defending USF-16 Champions, but still not out of high school? Well, if you’re coming to the F16 Worlds in Newport, RI in June, you’re soon to find out.

We’ve got a great fleet of 23 boats signed up already, stacked with talent…

Sailors currently engaged in Olympic Campaigns for Rio in 2015 include: Robbie Daniel, Catherine Shannahan and Katie Flood.  We’ve also heard from others who are expecting to make it, but still working on schedule details.

76 year-old, Bob Johnson, and his 65 year-old wife, Cheryl (sorry Cheryl, I shouldn’t be talking about a lady’s age, but damn, you guys are awesome!).  His email is address is Hobiebob.  Something tells me he knew Hobie Alter, may he rest in peace.  Can’t wait to meet Bob and Cheryl, they must be really cool!

18 year-olds, Ravi Parent and Sam Armington will be back to defend their US Champions title.  They put the hurt on a talented fleet last Summer up in Racine, Wisconsin.  And from what I’ve seen since then, they certainly haven’t gotten any slower.  Really great stuff going on there at the Sarasota Sailing Squadron.  Great leadership from Jim Zellmer and Dalton Tebo.

And just yesterday, I saw Ken Marshack’s name show up on the list.  Ken is another long-time cat sailor.  He’s from the state of Washington, and I know he’s represented that area at multiple US Sailing Alter Cup events.  He is also an active F18 and A-Cat racer. You can expect him to be tough on the F16, as well.

Need Another Gear?

Well then, get it in gear, and get to the event early for the Red Gear Racing Training Clinic.  Led, of course, by former Olympian, Robbie Daniel, who is actively pursuing another Olympic bid.  Right now he’s racing the Olympic 17 somewhere in Europe.  I can tell you from personal experience, that he’s an outstanding coach. He’s got the unique ability to connect with weekend warriors and world-class sailors alike, and help them both improve.  For details on the training packages that can even include food and lodging, contact Jill atfuninthesunweb@gmail.com.

Big Pimpin’

As the USF-16 Chairman, it’s important for me to be brand agnostic.  We’re fortunate to have several top-notch brands of F16s in the United States, and I’m pleased to see that they will all be represented at our upcoming Worlds.

I’m not the least bit hesitant, however, about pimpin’ Goodall Design/Red Gear Racing for leading the way on sponsorship of the Worlds Event.  As the result of their Viper Charter Offer, we are already guaranteed a minimum of $1,700 cash, which is the current high bid for the auction.  Simply put, we couldn’t make it work without this type of support.  If you can top this $1,700 bid, go herehttp://f16worlds2014.org/auctions/1  RIGHT NOW, jump to the front of the leader board and to help out the class at the same time.

Then in June, please join me in profusely thanking Jill Nickerson and Robbie Daniel for supporting the F16 community in such a big way.

“It Ain’t the Chariot, It’s the Horse”

One of my favorite quotes from triathlon circles.  Apropos when a super-human triathlete just crushed the field with their bike split and the only thing the rest of us want to talk about is what type of bike they were riding.  News flash: she could crush you on a Schwinn Varsity.

But, since we all seem to love the drama, here’s the current brand boat count for the 2014 Worlds:

Viper                13
Falcon                7
Blade                 2
Nacra                 0

The Wickford Regatta:  A Great Tune-Up for Worlds

Just north of Newport there’s an excellent regatta on June 7-8.  Skip Whyte, Head Sailing Coach for the University of Rhode Island is the regatta chair.  There’s already a great fleet of cats signed up with 17 F18’s registered.  Skip would love to see a bunch of F16’s, as well. The cats will likely have a common start, and mix it up together racing in the West Passage of Narragansett Bay.  For more information visit http://wickford.sailspace.net/   or email Skip at mailto: Skip@1stPlaceSailing.com

Best,

Daniel Hearn
USF-16 Chairman

Worlds Contacts:

Richard Feeny, Regatta Chair, richardfeeny@gmail.com
Mark Thomson, Event Registration, nzl216@gmail.com
Daniel Hearn, USF-16 Class Chairman, danielhearn@tds.net

Sailing Newport will host the 2014 Worlds of the International Formula 16 Class Association.

From June, 24th until Friday, 27th the class of the light and fast beach catamarans will race at one of the most exposed venues in sailing.

Although being a multi-generation catamaran, the Formula 16 boats have been the nursery of many crews sailing the Olympic Nacra 17 today. After Henri Demesmaeker was crowned the youngest World Champion ever apart from the optimist dinghy in Travemuende last year, let’s take a thorough look on young hotshots showing up in Newport, dropping their calling card for future F18 or Nacra 17 racing.

Registration is open for double-handed and singlehanded crews. Charter boats will be available.

Further information on http://f16worlds2014.org/. 

Dear Formula 16 Sailors,

The year after ISAF’s move towards the Nacra17 was a difficult one. The vote was followed by a loss of some highly professional sailors, not any more promoting our mission of supporting a fast and easy to handle catamaran. On the other hand, we don’t have to handle an Olympic issue and thus can concentrate on the development of our class that did see some highlights this year.

It seems that the diversity of catamaran classes is still growing, but as the number of cat sailors is not, the next years will be challenging. The big regatta events clearly show, that with a lightweight crew, our boats are just as fast as an F18 without the load on the strings and the load on the beach. Racing on the media course during the Worlds in Travemuende brought a lot of public attention and surely Henri Demesmaeker was our best sales agent in 2013. He demonstrated how versatile these boats are in their current configuration.

These characteristics make them the perfect training platform for the Olympic catamaran. And this may have been the reason, why U.S. Sailing as well as the Swiss Sailing federation are supporting the F16 as a youth catamaran. But the sailing world is changing. The next generation of the Nacra F16 will be equipped with a daggerboard case, that can be fitted with straight daggerboards as well as curved ones. But looking at local regattas and club events, it is evident, that our boats serve family and leisure purposes as well. It seems that the fathers of our box rule did a good job and therefore we should be careful about touching it.

In Travemuende, a new team took over responsibility for the International Class Association. Hans Klok and the former team did a great job in nursing the baby and we are grateful for him having put that much effort into the building of the class. But I am sure, that Antoine Meunier, Stéphane Étienne and Gill de Bruyne as well will do their very best to support our mission and our association. The registration is on it’s way and as soon as this is done,
finances, member organization and administration will be adapted. Besides organisation, the boat register as well as the race calendar will be the big tasks for the International Formula 16 Class Association. And with new National Associations in Belgium and the Netherlands we will again improve our service for the sailors.

In 2014 the U.S.A. will be in the focus of the class as Rhode Island is hosting the World Championship. The NOR will soon be published and we hope that this event will further push the class in the U.S. Please don’t wait too long booking flights and accommodation. Ahead of the European sailing season Germany will again host the biggest boat show worldwide and Catamaran Sailing will be presented on a special event within this big fair. Le Touqet on
the Channel coast will host the Formula 16 Europeans 2014 shortly after the Viper Worlds in France. In order to be prepared, the National Class Associations will offer various training events from early spring onwards. Stay tuned for more information. And with other events like Carnac and the various Nationals we will offer challenging regattas to our members worldwide. The Class Association is currently working on a world race calendar in order to
provide up-to-date information for our members.

For beginners or experienced sailors, the boat brands to choose from have increased again as with Duma Catamarans a new full carbon F16 is available from a U.K. manufacturer. Let’s hope, that this will trigger some new Formula 16 activities in the United Kingdom.

I wish you a merry Christmas and all the best for 2014. Have fun with your boats, go racing and always take care about safe return to shore.

Thomas Koenig,
Chairman