Who's yer driver!!!

F18 Worlds

I'm hoping that the USA shows strong contention ... I'm routing for our local's Alex and Nigel!

The Euros know how to run a world class event no matter the racing class! The race program is awesome. Should be a fun event to follow. It will be interesting to see the showdown with the new designs against the Tiger. Hobie for sure has the guns sailing the Tigers (the Booths and Bundock/Ashby).

Hey Jake

are Alex and Nigel sailing an infusion over there?

I really don't know - but I would assume so.

Say...they should be nearing completion of racing for today - anyone got any news? I haven't been able to find anything on the website yet.

are the numbers of entries per country based on total class members from that country?

Yes, each country is limited to a specific number of slots based on their membership. I believe we are limited in NA to 6 slots in the current being. Those slots are usually assigned through finish position at the North American Championship...but I believe it can also go through the regatta points system. With a 14th place NA finish and a 10th place points finish, David and I were offered one of the slots...but it takes a lot of time and ching to do that! Neither of which we have an over-abundence of.

Can anyone give me an idea of who is racing a tiger, infusion, cirrus, mattia, capricorn or 4x? Also, which sailors are pros?

Results are up...

http://www.f18worlds2006.com/resultats/index_q.htm

Looks like Greg and Jacques are doing OK.

I think that 10 of the 1st 11 are tigers with the odd one out being Ned76 which is a Cap.
As far as Pro goes, I struggle to kep tabs on who is getting money chucked at them for what!

Numbers 4, the brothers Sach sailed a capricorn F18 in last years F18 Worlds. I doubt whether they are now sailing Tiger, but I'm not sure.

Mark Laruffa launched his own Predator F18 design last year, wouldn't he be sailing his own design ?

Wouter

Rumor is that Laruffa has a chartered Tiger.

Speaking of rumors I heard that the Nacra is not built at max beam. Could that be true?

BTW I say Ashby wins by 10 pts.

Mark L is sailing a chartered Tiger (or at least he was going to be when I last spoke to him two weeks ago, and the 4 digit sail number suggests its true). He is currently working on the mark 2 version of the preditor and has been racing both a Tiger and Capricorn in Aus. He has just sold his Tiger and intended on shipping his Capricorn over for the worlds. Unfortunately a mix up meant that the Capricorn was left out of the container, so he ended up with the chartered Tiger.

Surely the Nacra is at full beam. They wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

AFAIK the Predator didnt pan out as well as he hoped. He has a Capricorn at home but the sail number looks Tiger on the results sheet.

Tiger Mike

Not exactly the Round texel website is it!

So the old Nacra design was not full beam but the new design (Infusion) is? What could possibly have been the logic for a catamaran that was not at max beam?

Mark is on a Tiger, Picture 5 in gallery 10-07 shows da couple

The F18 at 2.6m beam is too wide to tow legally in some countries like Australia.
So the Nacras were released at a 2.5m beam which is legal.
The only problem here was the other F18 manufacturers were willing to take the gamble and released 2.6m boats.

Later on Nacra released an upgrade kit here to widen the boats to the 2.6m beam. I don't know if it is true but I was told that you had to have a tilt trailer before they would sell the kit to you.

Basically unless you have a tilt trailer, or in some states, a special permit the F18s are being towed illegally.

I'd hate to clean up a push bike up with the bow of a hull.
I think Nacra reasoned that they would be partially lible.

I guess there are other countries with the same problem?

Regards,
Phill

Legal trailering width here in the states is 8.5' (2.6 meters). I haven't measured but I would assume that my F18 is max beam.

Jake,
That is how I figured it would be. I think they only released the narrower beam where they would run into problems.