160 Formula 18 crews for Worlds at Nigran in Spain
'Venue for F18 Worlds - Nigr?n, Pontevedra in Spain'
In Nigran, near Vigo in Spain, where the Solitaire du Figaro will make a stopover this summer, 160 Formula 18 crews will be competing in the world championship for the series. A newcomer to the series, the crew of Groupama sum up their ambitions for this spectacular competition.
11:00 hours on Monday 7 July. According to the sailing instructions, this should be the point where the start of the first race is given. In the wide bay of Vigo, the organisers have designed two rounds measuring 2 miles in diameter. According to the wind direction, they'll choose between racing in the north or south. Either way, the fleet will be divided into 2 groups:
'It's not possible to have all 160 catamarans racing together over the same course. As a result we've been split into two groups of 80 boats. At the end of the first two days of racing and hence with six races under their belts, the first 40 from each group will end up in group A whilst the others will race in group B.
Clearly the organisation is very different from that which we experienced in the ORMA class' says Franck Cammas, smiling. Alongside him, J?r?mie Lagarrigue goes a step further: 'It's a little odd but, in contrast to Franck, I'm used to it as it's my fourth Formula 18 world championship'.
Champion of France in the recent spring series, the Groupama duo are anticipating a difficult championship:
'The level is very high. In such a big fleet, it's imperative that we get off to some good starts in order to avoid sailing in the dirty air of the other competitors. It's these starts that are difficult though as you have to position yourself on the line very early. You have to be capable of holding onto the same position for 2 minutes' adds J?r?mie.
With Franck on the helm and J?r?mie on the sheets, the two men have been training in Nigran since Thursday:
'It's a nice race zone which I am a little familiar with having contested a Grand Prix aboard Groupama 2. We're quite quick, particularly in the light airs and the boat has been prepared very well' continues the skipper of Groupama. His crewmate adds:
'In the light airs, we are racing at 100% of our potential, which won't necessarily be the case in breezy conditions as the F 18 is highly technical. It's still a balancing act and Franck hasn't yet got to the stage where all the manoeuvres are second nature to him'.
Nevertheless it would seem as if the weather forecasts are pretty favourable: 'There shouldn't be too much wind but we'll still have to watch out as the thermal breeze could pick up towards the end of the afternoon'.
If this is the case, then it's extremely likely that the more honed crews like Booth and the French sailors Mourniac - Citeau will be in front. In contrast, if the wind is fairly calm, the Groupama duo could really cause a stir, as proved to be the case during training.
Website - www.cammas-groupama.com
F18 Worlds website and Rolling Stones - www.f18worlds2008.com
by Kate Jennings 
Click on thumbnails to enlarge and find more photos:
Port Macquarie, NSW
