Dart 18 Worlds at Torbole, Lake Garda

British teams fill the podium at the Dart 18 worlds on Lake Garda © Geoff Lloyd

123 Darts from ten countries made the start line at Lake Garda, Italy, with 41 UK teams making the long journey. The appeal of the venue saw a return of some famous faces from the past and a strong turnout of ex-World, European and National champions, making a lively atmosphere in the boat park.

Day 1 saw a delayed start with light winds from the head of the lake. These unusual conditions (the fabled Ora should blow from the foot of the lake every afternoon!) made tactics difficult but Dan Norman & Mel Rogers (Whitstable YC) led from the start and won from Michiel & Joline Fehr (Switzerland) with Manganelli & Racheal (Stokes Bay SC) third.

The unpredictable winds led the race officer to opt for an 8am start on day 2, much to the dismay of the social sailors! A light northerly wind saw the fleet get 2 more races in early. Ex-World champion Gareth Owen & crew Will Thompson (Dee SC) recovered from a disastrous first day to win race one from Mienie & Robinson (RSA) with David Lloyd & Cathrin Farthing (Stokes Bay SC) winning the second from European champions Dode & Besson (France). Norman/Rogers finished third and fourth to keep the early points lead from Besson/Dode. The fleet re-launched in the afternoon to attempt race four but a shifting and dropping wind saw it abandoned on the first run.

The event Party Night took place that night with a big Italian buffet and loads of wine plus music and dancing for the hardier souls.

Thursday saw the Ora arrive at last! At 1pm the northerly breeze reversed and rapidly built to force 4, allowing the fleet three perfect races. Owen/Thompson achieved their second bullet in race four, Huber & John (Germany) opened their account in race five and Dode/Besson won race six. With consistent results from Norman/Rogers, Lloyd/Farthing and Paul Wakelin & Emma Curtis (Mumbles YC) things were very tight at the top.

Day four saw lighter breezes with three races again completed. Race seven was won by Lloyd/Farthing, race eight by Le Maux & Jones-Pierce (Le Touquet), but Norman/Rogers led everyone home in race nine. Wakelin/Curtis were again consistent to move into contention, but Dode/Besson had a mixed day with a rules infringement leading to disqualification in race nine, all but finishing their chances of victory.

The final day allowed no start after 3pm, so a delayed start and a general recall meant a second race was unlikely. In the event Norman/Rogers came home in front of Lloyd/Farthing, and with the tail-enders just failing to beat the 3pm limit, the event was complete.

Norman/Rogers were worthy victors followed home by Lloyd/Farthing and Wakelin/Curtis. This all British podium plus two other UK boats in the top ten reflects the continuing strength of the UK Dart fleet.

The fleet all thank Circulo Vela Torbole and The German Dart Association for hosting the event and we look forward to the next DartWorlds in Workum, Netherlands next year.

Overall Results:

1st 7788 Dan Norman & Melanie Rogers (Whitstable YC) 27pts
2nd 7724 David Lloyd & Cathrin Farthing (Stokes Bay SC) 37pts
3rd 7894 Paul Wakelin & Emma Curtis (Mumbles YC) 45pts
4th 1812 Emmanuel Dode & Billy Besson (France) 56pts
5th 7777 Herve Le Maux & Joanna Jones-Pierce (France/UK) 63pts
6th 7321 Robert Kletzander & Anton Zagler (Austria) 71pts
7th 7795 Josef Iral & Jonathan List (Germany) 91pts
8th 7834 Gareth Owen & Will Thompson (Dee SC) 97pts
9th 7810 Marco Manganelli & Racheal Foster (Stokes Bay SC) 102pts
10th 7363 Matthias Huber & Guido John (Germany) 107pts