Dart 18 Worlds and Aruba Heineken Catamaran Regatta final day

by Diana Bogaards on 28 Nov 2009
On Friday November 27, the final race of the Dart 18 Worlds and Aruba Heineken Catamaran Regatta 2009 had to be cancelled.

The 28 knots strong trade wind put an early end to the sailing competition and battle for bronze. The German Dart duo Matthias Huber and Dominik Volke could celebrate its third position. John Moret and Paul Smissaert (NED) remain in second position at the Aruba Heineken Catamaran Regatta, followed by Leo Ambtman and Maarten Kroon on the Tornado. The prize giving will be at Moomba's Beach during a dinner party with live music.

As soon as the tenth race was officially abandoned, the German sailors started celebrating their medal. 'This is outstanding', jubilated Matthias Huber. 'We were looking forward to the last fight with Thierry Wibaux, but of course we are also very happy with this result.' It was the fourth event for Huber and Volke as a team. In 2008, they won the German Nationals and they finished eleventh at the Worlds in the Netherlands.

'We are absolutely pleased with our fourth place', said Bart Damen from the Netherlands. 'To be honest, I am glad that we didn't go out sailing today. It would have been difficult to keep this position with a second discard. It was a great sailing week.' Nicolette van Gorp and Ruud van Gisbergen (NED) also considered the abandoned race as their luck. Van Gisbergen: 'We didn't come for snorkeling, but it would have been hard to keep the fifth spot. It is the first time that a female helmsman makes it to the top five at the Worlds.'

Thierry Wibaux from France needed today's result in order to get rid off his second discard. That would bring him close to bronze, but it wasn't meant to be. Wibaux: 'The pressure is gone now, so it is ok. This is part of the game.'

Dart 18 News
'Yesterday at the Annual General Meeting, we proudly announced the Aruban Dart 18 Class Association', says Nicolette van Gorp, Chairman of the International Dart Association (IDA). 'Over the last few years, the Aruban Dart 18 fleet has grown from one to seven boats at the moment.' And it was the first time ever that the Caribbean Island hosted a World Championship for catamarans. Van Gorp: 'We are all pleased with this spot and it was very well organized. Unfortunately the crisis spoilt the number of entries. However, it was good to see a bigger Swiss and German attendance, which is good for the class. France was the only country that hesitated in 2007, when Aruba was chosen as location for the 2009 Worlds. And they came here with the biggest and enthusiatic group.' Next year's Worlds will be in Weymouth / England.

Aruba Heineken Catamaran Regatta
This morning, the F18 Capsize Kings John Moret and Paul Smissaert (NED) were relieved that they did not have to test the limits again. Moret: 'This was my 18th Aruba Regatta and I have never experienced this before. It was great sailing with lots of swimming and a good rescue team.' His crew Smissaert calls it a 'sensational week': 'In fact it was too windy and I normally don't ever say that. It took al lot of energy, but it was also good fun. We are grateful for all the assistance on the water.'

Leo Ambtman and Maarten Kroon finished third overall with their Tornado. Ambtman: 'It was a tough regatta. It started with rough conditions, which was a bit too much for us, so we didn't sail the first race. It is unfortunate that we couldn't do the last one in the big breeze. We could have beaten John, in case he would capsize. The Tornado is still a beautiful boat to sail here.'

According to event organizer Edwin Lodder (NED) the twentieth edition of the Aruba Heineken Catamaran Regatta is going to be a true jubilee: 'In 2010, we will try to bring as many former and new competitors together in another great sailing week on Aruba. Hopefully the exposure to the ten countries that were represented this year, will bring new sailors to the Caribbean.'

Dart 18 Worlds 2009 - Final top five after 9 races and one discard:
FRA - Emmanuel Dodé & Fred Moreau, 9 points
GBR - David Lloyd & Joanna Jones-Pierce, 20 points
GER - Matthias Huber & Dominik Volke, 30 points
NED - Ruud Goudriaan & Bart Damen, 37 points
NED - Nicolette van Gorp & Ruud van Gisbergen, 45 points
Final top three Aruba Heineken Catamaran Regatta after nine races and one discard:
NED - F18 - Xander & Mark Pols, 7 points
NED - F18 - John Moret & Paul Smissaert, 18 points
NED - Tornado - Leo Ambtman & Maarten Kroon, 23,5 points

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WWW.ARUBAREGATTA.COM & WWW.DARTWORLDS2009.COM

In addition to the title sponsors Aruba Tourism Authority and Heineken Aruba NV, this year's Aruba Heineken Catamaran Regatta and Dart18 World Championships are also supported by Martinair, GILS Worldwide, Setar, Holiday Inn, Does & Cadushi, Tropical Bottling Company, Coca Cola, AWA, Aruba Aloë, VR Shipping, Aruba Watersports Center, Palm Tours, Pelican Watersports, Seaworld Explorer, Moomba, Zwitserleven, TNG, Patria and AMI Kappers.