F18 Worlds heats up

Stiff breeze and sea snakes for competitors to contend with

The Formula 18 Catamaran Class has never held a World Championship outside Europe, but today Australian race organisers were warmly welcoming sailors from more than a dozen countries to the 2007 Seawind F18 World Championships 'down under.'

Yesterday was another classic day of sailing Off Yeppoon in tropical North Queensland: a warm and wet 15-18 knots, greeted competitors. Today there will probably be too much breeze for most of the crews, the southeasterly trades belting in at 25-30 knots. No one is too concerned as today it is registration and time to have the boats measured, while the crews recover from long road trips and jetlag.

For the Australian F18 sailors to have the World titles in the southern climes is a source of considerable pride.

Sydney Sailor Steve Medwell, the helm of a Capricorn F18, covered with Seawind signage commented: "It's certainly a top class fleet, with 45 percent of the fleet Internationals. As this is our first Worlds, it's a massive learning experience. Looking at today's breeze it is a good day to get measured, don't want to break the boat...or my crew."

He was talking about Brent Vaughan from Seawind Catamarans, the naming rights sponsor, and a key member of the organising committee, who had been busy surveying a very full boat park at Rydges Capricorn Resort this morning.

Vaughan said: "We have around 50 boats here now, another container of European Hobies is due in tomorrow which is being trucked from Adelaide, and there are another 25 or so boats on road trailers from all points south, some of them coming from Melbourne and that's 2600 kilometres away."

Australian sailor Mark Laruffa, also from the organising committee, is expecting that the current strong south easterly winds will ease over the next two days: "It should be perfect sailing conditions by the time the 80 boat fleet face the starter. It is going to be a big week with lots of spectators on the beach. We have a rock concert on Saturday night, with some top bands and a big crowd is expected."

And more laughs in the boat park. It's not just 'the sharks and crocodiles' to worry about according to some of the Australian crews. David 'Slime' Elliott from Brisbane was telling the British Greenhalgh brothers, Robert and Peter, to watch out for the Coral Sea sea snakes. According to David, he'd caught a big one on his leeward hull in a race last year and just managed to shake it loose in time to tack around a five metre crocodile.

The Greenhalghs' were unphased, there were more worrisome things than Coral Seasnakes... this morning they were in line for Bow number 13, but they decided it would be better to go to breakfast andby the time they arrived back, they received number 15. What had happened to 13? Race organisers decided to leave it unallocated anyway.