International News

18ft Skiff Euro Grand Prix Rankings 2016

 Rankings after the EU / UK Grand Prix held at Sandbanks, Poole.  Hosted by Parkstone Yacht Club and Watersports Academy

18ft Skiff Euro Grand Prix at Sandbanks, Poole - Day 4

"Heads or Tails" - rig decisions for the final day pay off

The final day of the European 18 foot skiff Grand Prix at Sandbanks saw a split in rig choices as some teams opted to rig for the dropping breeze forecast while others rigged for the stronger gusts. Ultimately, there was a slight upwind advantage with the smaller rigs however the huge big rig sail plan allowed for heavier teams to sail deeper downwind.

The fight for first was between team Pica and team Be Light. Both teams pushed each other hard however Pica had the best score sheet with a 1,5,1 securing them the event win with Be Light in second. The race for the final podium spot was hotly contested between Chameleon I and Original Chia. Experience in overpowered big rig conditions paid ultimately with the Danes holding off a strong charge from Chameleon I to secure third.

The event has also been a great opportunity for newcomers to the class two of which added the following. "Fergus Kelley and Samuel Curtis would like to thank and highly recommend every sailor to try an 18ft skiff at some point in their sailing careers. Great racing and fantastic socials. Looking forward to coming along again".

The UK 18 foot skiff class is very lucky to be able to hold an event from Sandbanks beach and ultimately its thanks to both the Watersport's Academy in Poole for providing the venue and Parkstone Yacht Club for providing all of the on water event management. The UK class would also like to thank title sponsors Chameleon I and support sponsors VRsport.tv, Zhik, C-Tech and English Braids.

18ft Skiff Euro Grand Prix at Sandbanks, Poole - Day 4

18ft Skiff Euro Grand Prix at Sandbanks, Poole - Day 4

EU/UK Grand Prix Round 3 - Sandbanks, Poole Day 4

 "Heads or Tails" - rig decisions for the final day pay off

The final day of the European 18 foot skiff Grand Prix at Sandbanks saw a split in rig choices as some teams opted to rig for the dropping breeze forecast while others rigged for the stronger gusts. Ultimately, there was a slight upwind advantage with the smaller rigs however the huge big rig sail plan allowed for heavier teams to sail deeper downwind.

The fight for first was between team Pica and team Be Light. Both teams pushed each other hard however Pica had the best score sheet with a 1,5,1 securing them the event win with Be Light in second. The race for the final podium spot was hotly contested between Chameleon I and Original Chia. Experience in overpowered big rig conditions paid ultimately with the Danes holding off a strong charge from Chameleon I to secure third.

The event has also been a great opportunity for newcomers to the class two of which added the following. "Fergus Kelley and Samuel Curtis would like to thank and highly recommend every sailor to try an 18ft skiff at some point in their sailing careers. Great racing and fantastic socials. Looking forward to coming along again".

The UK 18 foot skiff class is very lucky to be able to hold an event from Sandbanks beach and ultimately its thanks to both the Watersport's Academy in Poole for providing the venue and Parkstone Yacht Club for providing all of the on water event management. The UK class would also like to thank title sponsors Chameleon I and support sponsors VRsport.tv, Zhik, C-Tech and English Braids.

18ft Skiff Euro Grand Prix at Sandbanks, Poole - Day 3

Day three of the 18 foot skiff European Grand Prix in Sandbanks proved to be as eventful as the forecast indicated with a building breeze and sea state testing all of the teams.

The day dawned with moody grey skies and every team opting for their smaller, No2 rigs which when powered up provide the spectacles 18 footers are so well known for with boats jumping fully out of the water on a regular basis.

The first two races were held in 16 - 20 knot wind but the large waves made for a very tricky racetrack with many boats visiting the mine as they got to grips with the conditions. Team Pica were casing Chia for the first lap after a strong start from the Danes. Pica gained the overlap just before the windward mark and held the lead for the rest of the race with Chia in second.

The second race saw a strong return of Be Light to the front of the fleet with Pica leading until a nosedive on the first downwind leg. Be Light, Chia and Union Rose lead the charge for the rest of the race however Pica did sail back into third in the end. With Be Light winning another race positions at the top remained tight.

The final race of the day proved the most challenging with gusts occasionally hitting the high twenties and the biggest waves of the day. Quite often downwind the sea would simply open up as boats tried to maintain control in the top end conditions. For most the conditions proved too much however team Pica sailed conservatively to take the win with Chameleon I in a strong second.

After the final discard kicks in tomorrow, Be Light will still be within two points of Pica ensuring close racing between the teams. Likewise the fight for third will also be very tight between Original Chia and Chameleon I.

18ft Skiff Euro Grand Prix at Sandbanks, Poole - Day 2

Day 2 dawned on Sandbanks beach, the complete antithesis of day one with grey clouds dominating the skyline and rain on and off throughout the three races.

With two rig options, the 18 footers have a great advantage over many high performance dinghies with the ability to tailor the sail plan for the prevailing conditions. While this provides another tactical element to racing it also gives the skiffs enormous range in both light and winda conditions. Today the fleet split with half racing on the small (No2) rig and the rest using the larger (No1), ultimately it was the big rigs that saw the best results.

The fleet was treated to a 13-17 knot south westerly wind that provided great racing. Team Pica didn't have it all there own way today with the Hungarian team Be Light showing brilliant pace in the testing conditions securing three bullets. With that, team Be Light and Pica are tied on points going into the third day with strong 2 rig conditions forecast.

The fight for the final podium spot is tight with Original Chia and Chameleon I both scoring strongly today. Chameleon currently holds third with the Danes just behind. The Danes suffered a kite tear at the end of race one but recovered quickly between races taking what seemed like seconds to sail in and rig a new kite. Chameleon runs one of the biggest No1 rigs in the fleet and so showed exceptional boat handling today to muscle their skiff round the track in gusty conditions.

18ft Skiff Euro Grand Prix at Sandbanks, Poole - Day 2

18ft Skiff Euro Grand Prix at Sandbanks, Poole - Day 1

The 18ft Skiff fleet return for their 6th year to Sandbanks, but this year European crews have joined to make for a great sized fleet. Not much wind was forecast for Thursday, but what greeted the sailors on the water was a good surprise.

Three races were held in an increasing breeze that led to a few sailors asking if they were going to end up on the wrong rig. The first race got off in a lighter breeze, allowing some of the newer crews to get settled. Pica led the fleet to the first bullet of the event challenged by ChameleonI, Be Light and Original Chia.

The second race was similar to the first, with the Danish boat of Original Chia catching a mark, making it hard for them to challenge Pica at the front.

The final race was something a little different. The fleet tried a trapezoid course to mix up the fleet with a couple of reaching legs. The building breeze made handling the boats off the wind a tricky exercise with boats not used to racing on these legs outside of Australia. Pica rounded off their day with a trio of bullets, followed by the Hungarian boat of Be Light.

The wind is forever increasing this weekend so tomorrow may see a switch to the smaller rigs for some of the crews.

Results after Day 1: