| KOKSIJDE, BELGIUM-(13-7-2003) The event, which concluded yesterday in Koksijde in Belgium saw 104 established Olympic catamaran sailors and F18 Supremo's from 11 nations compete in varied conditions.
Day one was sailed in a moderate force three and sunny conditions, with current on the race course making big impressions on the tactical brains of the fleet, both Emmanuel and Vincent BOULOGNE (FRA) and Darren BUNDOCK and Glen ASHBY took full advantage, leading their respective flights in the qualification stage of the regatta.
After day two of qualification was cancelled, it was down to the wire to decide the final places for the fleet split into Gold and Silver for the final races on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and after a few protests were heard, the final split was decided. By this stage it was clear who the main contenders for the title of Formula 18 World Champions were going to be. Australian Tornado Sailors, Bundock and Ashby, currently eighth in the ISAF World Sailing Rankings, as well as the Boulogne brothers, and Gavin COLBY and Cory COMENISCH (SUI).
Four races were sailed on Friday and it was Bundock and Ashby who dominated the first three, with a second and two firsts, however, they beat themselves to the overall lead by being black flagged in the fourth.
The World championship was effectively won by the Boulogne brothers on the penultimate day of racing. In difficult light to medium, choppy conditions, they succeeded in hammering home their advantage with two firsts in the bag. A ninth on the final day clinched it from Colby and Comenisch in second and Bundock and Ashby left thinking “what if”, in third.
Full results and more photos are available on the event website at the address below.
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