Formula 18 TT at Worthing Sailing Club

This weekend saw a brilliant 2 days of sailing at Worthing on the South coast, where the Formula 18 catamaran competitors enjoyed some excellent sailing conditions and great race management. The regatta consisted of 6 races which were held in a range of conditions, over the 2 days.

The Nacra Infusions of Hugh Styles and Grant Piggott dominated the weekend, sailing to 1st and 2nd overall and winning 4 out of the series of 6 races out right.

Saturday was the windier of the two days and with a poor forecast for wind on Sunday the race officer wisely decided to go for a 4 race day. The wind began with a North Westerly gradient and wind against tide, which gave a short chop which challenged sailors on the downwind and meant it was hard to read the shifts upwind. In the first race it took most of the crews time to get used to the conditions and positions changed a great deal during the course of the 3 lap race. Luke Yeates, finally took first place from Stuart Gummer and then Grant Piggott.

A smaller course was set for the next three races and these were dominated by Hugh Styles and Greg Windle in their Nacra Infusion, who lead each race from start to finish. The pair had great speed especially downwind and once in the lead kept pulling away from the opposition all the way through each of the 3 races. The smaller placing's were contested for by Grant Piggott crewed by Andrew Sinclair in another Infusion and Stuart Gummer and Ryan Crawford sailing a capricorn. The overall positions on Saturday night were, 1st Styles and Windle, 2nd Gummer and Crawford, 3rd Piggott and Sinclair.

Sunday dawned with a dying northerly wind. With 2 races left to sail the race officer took the fleet well offshore for steadier wind. The first race was a mix of single and double wiring conditions with big wind shifts and pressure patches. The race was a great battle between the two speedy Infusions of Piggott and Styles; who exchanged tacks all the way round the course whilst still pulling a huge lead on the remainder of the fleet. It was Piggott who clinched the win, with Styles taking the runners up position.

The fleet had to wait a while for the last race to start, as the race officer decided wisely to wait for the wind to stabilise after a sea breeze tried unsuccessfully to establish. The race began and at the first mark Styles had a large lead over Piggott who was comfortably in front of Yeates. The wind gradually faded to nothing during the second lap and the trailing fleet ate up the distance to the leading Infusions. Yeates was able to get into this wind earliest passing Piggott and then just nipping in front of Styles before the course was shortened.

Overall Results:

1st Hugh Styles and Greg Windle
2nd Grant Piggott and Andrew Sinclair
3rd Luke Yeates and Matt Humphreys

A big thanks to Worthing Sailing Club for organising a great event. Now the Formula 18 teams are all focussed on their preparations for the world championships which will be in Knokke, Belgium on the north sea coast in the middle of July.

Thanks also to Towergate Mardon, Nacra Europe, Gill, Holt, Marlow Ropes and Tacktick, without whose support Team Hugh Styles would not have been able to achieve such good results this weekend.