Breeze on at Formula 18 Americas Championship

Long Beach, CA (September 6, 2017) – The first day of the 2017 Formula 18 Americas Championship featured big breeze of 18-24 knots and 3 to 5 foot steep waves. While the top teams mastered the conditions, attrition was felt down the rank as the day progressed.

Ken and Eric Marshack (Portland, OR) dominated the day with three bullets. Long time F18 sailors, this father son team are one of three teams sailing with a new sail design called the “Decksweeper,” which along with being one of the heaviest and tallest teams, the combination proved to be very powerful upwind.

In second place are Charles Tomeo and Dalton Tebo (Sarasota, FL) followed by Charles Froeb and Erwan Griziaux (San Francisco, CA).

The forecast for tomorrow expects slightly less breeze – 12-16 knots – with the course to be locatedinside the breakwater. With three more days of racing and several top teams sitting on the beach, the results will get mixed up a bit in the coming days.

Event details – Results

The biennial event acts as the USF18 National Championship with a change to the “Americas” title biennially to encourage participation from Central and South America. A maximum of 16 races are planned for the 3 teams on August 6 to 9.

Source: Report by Todd Riccardi. Photos by Rohan Hollingsworth.