Irish Team at F18 European Championships

The International Formula 18 Catamaran European Championships were held in the Real Cub Nautico de Gran Canarias in Las Palmas from 7th to 11th December, with Ballyholme and Royal Ulster Yacht Clubs Andrew Gallagher and Catherine Gunning representing Ireland in the 85 boat fleet.  After successfully defending the top mixed team trophy at the UK F18 Nationals in August, the pair were aiming for a solid position within the top 40 and within the top 5 mixed teams.   

With 15 races scheduled over 5 days and a wind forecast of over 20 knots for the event, it looked as though it would be an extremely fast week on the water, the favoured conditions for the Irish pair despite weighing in as the lightest team.   With a fantastic few days acclimatising in the strong breeze and huge swell,  conditions quickly changed for the first day of racing.  The wind decided not to put in an appearance and a 2-3 metre Atlantic  swell in no more than 8 knots of breeze left even the hardiest of teams feeling a tad queasy! 

The challenging conditions and a packed line left no room for holding back on the start line. An over-enthusiastic push in Race 1 resulted in a black flag for the team.  After collecting themselves for Race 2, an extremely fast first beat saw the pair round the windward mark in the top twenty and continue to the last leg in that position.  Racing against some of the top professional teams in multihull racing, the Irish pair maintained a respectable 25th.

Throughout the week, upwind sailing proved the strong point, however, a lack of familiarity with the conditions downwind saw Andrew and Catherine slip back into the twenties in a number of races.  The pair looked on target to surpass their goal and take 3rd mixed team until a points penalty for not returning the tracking device within the time limit, combined with a collision with a Swedish team at a leeward mark saw them slip to 4th mixed team and 36th overall.

After a solid  result in their second international event, Andrew and Catherine are currently preparing for the newly introduced European F18 circuit beginning early next year.