Pullen and Rickard win Dart18 World Championship

by Media/Gerald New on 13 Jan 2006 The Dart 18 World Championship held at the East London Yacht Club in Buffalo City, South Africa, was finally concluded with the minimum number of races to qualify as a championship being completed on the final day in very light conditions.

The original schedule was a ten-race series with two discards but the race team finally managed to squeeze in six races with the last race taking place on the final day of racing late on in the afternoon. As so often happens at big events - it wasn't normal for December in South Africa.

Victory went to Matt Pullen and Debbie Rickard of Briton, completing a hat-trick of titles - UK Nationals and the European Championships earlier last year.

The first two races were held in force 2/3 winds, with a big surf that proved a considerable problem with even getting off the beach.

Racing was staged close inshore but with a 4 to 7.5 metre swell several competitors suffered severe damage with at least six boats being holed. Gareth Owen and Angus Armstrong (GBR) won the first two races with Pullen and Rickard in the chasing pack with a fourth and a third with the visitors definitely having the edge over a strong local fleet.

Race 3 was delayed a day due to a weather front blowing in and winds approaching force 9. When the race was eventually sailed in light sunny conditions. Pullen and Rickard took the winner's gun and followed up with a second in Race 4, which was staged back to back to take advantage of the weather and make up for the loss of a day's sailing in the race programme. Pullen and Rickard now had the overall lead.

So far, so good. But then the wind failed completely for the next 48 hours. The wind did not improve much for Race 5, which was sailed in a light force 2 with Pullen and Rickard taking another win.ahead of Bruce and Ken Phillips (SA), with Owen and Armstrong in fifth.

Pullen and Rickard were looking good but a sixth race was needed to complete the championship.

Eventually the fleet left the beach late in the afternoon in a very light breeze and the race team managed to squeeze one more race in to complete a series. Pullen and Rickard took the final gun ahead of nearest rivals Owen and Armstrong, with another British pair, David Lloyd and Polly Bishop taking the third spot overall.

Final overall positions fater 6 races, 1 discard:

Pos - Nat - Helm – Crew - R1 - R2 - R3 - R4 - R5 - R6 - Pts
1 GBR Matt Pullen Deborah Rickard 4 3 1 2 1 1 8pts
2 GBR Gareth Owen Angus Armstrong 1 1 3 11 5 2 12
3 GBR David Lloyd Polly Bishop 6 4 2 3 4 8 19
4 RSA William Edwards Douglas Edwards 3 19 5 4 3 5 20
5 FRA Thierry Wibaux Christine Wibaux 7 2 8 1 6 24 24
6 RSA Ben Mienie Victor Malangani 2 12 4 7 8 3 24
7 RSA Bruce Phillips Kim Phillips 17 7 12 6 2 4 31
8 GBR Marco Manganelli Phillipa Baer 8 5 13 5 20 7 38
9 RSA Lionel Hartley Katheryn Scott 13 10 9 20 9 9 50
10 RSA Noel Holman Lisa Holman 11 6 15 13 10 19 55
11 GBR Alan Kernick Fiona Kernick 5 11 OCS 18 7 18 59
12 RSA Oliver Hobson Evan Hobson 16 8 21 9 DNF 10 64
13 RSA Shaun Gradwell Arthur Eley 18 25 6 17 12 14 67
14 RSA Tim Stirk Ian Stirk 25 14 17 12 DNF 6 74
15 RSA Herman Konighofer Michael Elias 27 9 18 14 18 20 79
16 RSA Chris Clarke Romalio dos Santos 21 31 11 8 16 27 83
17 GBR John Parkes Zara Flynn 10 13 16 31 DNF 23 93
18 RSA Peter Swales Savannah Zacharias 14 17 24 29 11 30 95
19 RSA Kyle De Wet Dylan De Wet OCS 27 19 21 17 12 96
20 GBR Tony Dod Martin Easton 9 24 32 19 15 39 99
21 RSA Jeff Gradwell Jena Gradwell 19 18 7 10 DNF 57 111
22 NED Duco de Waal Alexandra Ballestrem 22 20 14 25 DNF 35 116
23 RSA Rob Holden Elfie Holden 20 26 20 42 DNF 11 119
24 RSA Calvin Nicholl Carl Nicholl 34 38 25 15 14 32 120
25 RSA Maurice Kerrigan Camilla Kerrigan 12 22 35 24 DNF 29 122
26 RSA Mark Kopel AJ Eliot 26 23 22 22 DNF 34 127
27 RSA Brett Stirk Dylan Gradwell DNF 16 10 16 DNF 31 146
28 RSA Gareth Elias Shaun Mason 28 29 30 38 DNF 21 146
29 RSA Mike Medcalf Cherie Moody 38 44 23 23 DNF 26 154
30 RSA Tanja Konighofer Jonathon Dowse 35 43 27 27 DNF 25 157
31 NED Bard Louis Lonneke Stark 36 36 47 26 DNF 15 160
32 RSA Louis Van Der Westhuizen Laetitia Myburgh 39 37 41 36 13 59 166
33 FRA Loius Ramses Delgrange Inge Gogeoboerg 33 33 38 28 DNF 41 173
34 RSA Graham Rees-Gibbs Joy Kerrigan 31 41 31 30 DNF 40 173
35 GBR Waldi Wepener Marc Campbell 51 15 28 33 DNF 53 180
36 GER Swen Hagelstein Stefan Hagelstein 33 40 50 47 DNF 17 187
37 RSA Trevor Van Zyl Wayne Orchard 37 21 29 40 DNF 60 187
38 NED Nicolette Van Gorp Ruud Van Gisbergen DNF DNS 36 44 19 16 188
39 RSA Nicholas Prentice Mike Allen 52 28 26 45 DNF 37 188
40 RSA Dries Pretorius Rikus Pretorius 23 55 43 51 DNF 22 194
41 RSA Martin Osner Matthew Osner 30 30 40 32 DNF DNC 205
42 RSA Richard Barr Wayne Barr 45 46 57 50 DNF 13 211
43 RSA Markus Funk Kyra Funk DNC 45 34 34 DNF 28 214
44 FRA Denis Lalou Ghisliane Lalou 42 42 53 39 DNF 42 218
45 RSA Clinton Wissekerke Monique Wissekerke 24 34 58 48 DNF 55 219
46 RSA Russell Dowse Shani Stewart 49 39 37 52 DNF 44 221
47 RSA Johan Slabbert Chris Page 48 51 46 37 DNF 50 232
48 RSA Mike Robinson Gill Robinson 46 DNF 33 41 DNF 43 236
49 RSA Bruce Davie Graham Offord 55 55 44 49 DNF 33 236
50 GBR Charles Hillier Rosie Swallow 15 OCS 51 35 DNF DNC 247
51 GBR Adrian Parsons Judy Struwig 29 50 DNF 46 DNF 56 254
52 RSA Carrie Lee Nicholl Sash Spaner Marson 53 48 39 55 DNF 62 257
53 RSA Etienne Prinsloo Aldi Prinsloo 43 35 56 62 DNF 63 259
54 RSA David Sims Ligia Sims 44 47 52 43 DNF DNC 259
55 RSA Sean Youldon Josh Spencer 40 52 63 58 DNF 51 264
56 RSA Alan Lister Angie Lister 57 58 48 65 DNF 52 280
57 RSA Martin Struwig Grant Burton DNE 60 61 54 DNF 38 286
58 RSA Lyle Moody David Moody 59 53 42 60 DNF DNS 287
59 RSA Derek Robinson Bradley Robinson 41 33 DNF DNS DNF DNC 293
60 BOT Grant Wallace Shaun Knott 64 62 49 57 DNF 61 293
61 AUT Peter Wessely Daniel Trauner 47 49 62 DNF DNF 64 295
62 RSA Alan Barr Dianne Cooper 55 DNS 60 53 DNF 54 295
63 RSA Mike McWha James McWha 58 61 59 59 DNF 58 295
64 RSA Pieter Wissekerke Michael-Jon 60 DNF 55 61 DNF 48 297
65 RSA Enzo Giordani Alistair Stuart DNF DNS 45 63 DNF 45 299
66 RSA Phillip Brussow Wolfie Neumann 50 59 DNF DNF DNF 46 301
67 RSA Kim Revill Gary Elias 57 56 DNF 66 DNF 49 301
68 RSA Newton Lagerway Tanya Lagerway 62 58 DNF DNF DNF 36 302
69 BOT Gerald Pienke Sam Waterson DNC DNC 54 57 DNF 47 304
70 BOT Christopher Pienke David Mybergh 63 DNS DNF 64 DNF DNC 346
71 RSA Michael Wanliss Ross Harris 61 DNF DNS DNS DNF DNC 353
72 RSA Andries Swart Rikus Swart DNC DNC DNC DNC DNC DNC 365