Team Boskalis (NED) to defend F18 World Title in Belgium

by Diana Bogaards on 8 Jul 2009
Team Boskalis (NED) defends the F18 World Title in Knokke/Belgium. Current World Champion Coen de Koning lines up with his new crew Thijs Visser.

They will also experience fierce competition from their own team mates Hugh Styles (GBR) and Ferdinand van West (NED). Both crews have scored good results so far. Sascha Larsen and Christa van Helden, as well as Gunnar Larsen and Stefan Dubbeldam are aiming for a top ten finish. The organization of the F18 Worlds 2009 received 179 pre-entries, representing fifteen countries.

In 2008, Dutchmen Coen de Koning and Jeroen van Leeuwen became world's best F18 sailors. However, De Koning says he doesn't feel extra pressure on his shoulders: 'That is something you really decide yourself. At all regatta's we sailed, we focussed on getting better as a team, which led to good results. Apparently it is our way.' In June 2009 De Koning and Visser won the Zwitserleven Sailing Week. Last weekend, they finished second at the Belgian North Sea Championship with 62 competitors. De Koning: 'That was weird, because our approach was to sail a relaxing event. We were late at the first start and had a Black Flag in the second race. With an average sixth position, you don't expect to be on the podium, but everybody else performed inconsistently as well. This week we will have a few serious training days, which finalizes our preparation.' De Koning hopes for variable conditions: 'We are strong in those circumstances, when it is not all about boat speed.'

According to Ferdinand van West, he and his helmsman Hugh Styles should be able to finish top three at this year's F18 Worlds: 'We won Eurocat/Carnac and the course racing on Texel, where after we did not sail together anymore. I just graduated from Marine Technology and Hugh competed in the Extreme 40 circuit. However, now we have a week to prepare ourselves, which is good.' Styles and his former crew finished fifth at the 2008 Worlds and Van West ninth.

Van West also sailed the 49er skiff at the 2009 Princesa Sofia Cup in Palma and at the Delta Lloyd Regatta in Medemblik. He teamed up with helmsman and former Tornado crew Pim Nieuwenhuis (NED), who finished fifth at the 2008 Olympics. Van West: 'These events were our try outs. In Medemblik, we got a 20th position out or fifty boats, so the chances are there. That is why we have decided to research the possibilities of setting up an Olympic campaign. We first need to organize the prelimiting conditions.'

Gunnar Larsen and Stefan Dubbeldam will implement a new strategy in order to aim for a better result then last year's seventh position. Larsen: 'Due to our busy life, we have done a little less sailing this season, but I think it is still possible to achieve our goal. We changed the procedure a bit. Stefan will now call the upwind tactics, which allows me to fully concentrate on the boat speed. I will take over his role on the downwind. We have worked on this for the last three years, so we are ready for the next step.'

Sascha Larsen and Christa van Helden are happy with their boat speed, but they simply collected too many Black Flags this season, which kept them away from winning prizes. Van Helden: 'That is a pity, but in this strong fleet you have to take risks. If you don't dare to do so, you won't get closer to the podium. But we are pleased with our performance so far. Last weekend, we chose wittingly for a more easy event, the Hoek van Holland-Scheveningen-Hoek van Holland Race. We wanted to relax before it is full on again in Belgium. We are aiming for a top ten result at the Worlds, which is a tough goal. But we know we can make it, if we do what we are able to.'

Team Manager Gunnar Larsen says he is satisfied if the four Boskalis Nacra Infusions finish within the top fifteen. In addition to the two Boskalis teams that are favourite for the World title, Larsen expects large competition.

Among others from the Dutchmen Mischa Heemskerk and Bastiaan Tentij (bronze in 2008), Dutch Olympians Mitch Booth and Pim Nieuwenhuis (fifth at the 2008 Olympics), Australian multiple World Champion Glenn Ashby (silver at the 2008 Olympics) and Will Howden (GBR), from Germany the 2006 World Champions Helge and Christian Sach, the Frenchmen Jean-Christophe Mourniac with Alexandre Guyader (bronze at the 2008 Tornado Worlds and silver at the Europeans) and Billy Besson/Arnoud Jarlegan (bronze at the 2008 Tornado Europeans).

www.f18worlds2009.com
www.teamboskalis.com