A view from the Committee Boat

The Doyle Sails UK & Irish National 18 Class Championships were held at the RCYC last weekend and what an incredible exciting event it was for all, especially those on the upper deck of the committee boat, Sparetime (Peter Crowley RO), which offered a bird’s eye view of all the action. Thanks Peter!
19 National 18 Ultra boats raced in variable shifting winds (8-24 kts gusting to 28kts max). A windward leeward course, 1500m approx., was set to the south-east of Roches Point (except for Sunday) and each race comprised 2 rounds with a target time of 40-45 minutes. Our visitors were Shotgunn (425) from the Isle of Man Yacht Club and Ace (424) from Chew Valley Sailing Club/Tamesis Sailing Club. Shotgunn was the defending Champion from the 2025 UK & Irish Championships held in Brightlingsea, UK.

Day 1 – Races 1-3

Day 1 is all important to the RO team, led by Peter Crowley, to settle everyone into the championships. The weather forecast indicated a 180o wind shift could come in between R1 & R2, so challenges were expected. However, the wind gods smiled on us all and the wind stayed NW/NNW and allowed R1-R3 to be sailed promptly in glorious sunshine with the shifty winds varying between 8-15kts. Racing was tight and achieving the inside line at mark roundings was critical to holding onto your position. Much positional jousting, both leading into and at the leeward mark, was seen from the CB. After 40-45 minutes of racing over 80% of the fleet finished within 2 minutes of the lead boat.
At the end of racing Day 1, Pink Panther (406 – David Kennefick, Richie Harrington & Harvy Matthews – RCYC) led on 4 points, 2nd was Shotgunn (425 – Michael Wilson, Peter Greenhalgh & Phil Hardesty from the Isle of Man) on 9 points and 3rd was Nacho Nacho Man (427 – Charles Dwyer, Owen Hennesy & John Coakley – RCYC) on 11 points. Only 7 points separated boats 2-5, so everything was still in play for the fleet.

Day 2 – Races 4-6

Day 2 saw the fleet back out to the Trabolgan Area with the wind coming out of the west and somewhat fresher than Day 1. The wind varied constantly all day between 240 – 280o and, as is typical, once the RO & mark layers moved the marks the wind went back to where the marks had been! Racing continued to be very close. The last leg, from the leeward mark to the finish, passed the bow of the CB and was great to watch. Depending on the swing in the wind and the closeness of the following or preceding boats carrying on the kite could win or lose you places. The speed of the ultra N18s on this leg was very impressive. If you blinked, you might miss a boat finishing. In R5, after 40+ minutes of sailing, 16 boats crossed the finishing line in under 80 seconds. We also had 3 different boats taking line honours. R4 was won by Peaky Blinders (428 Nick Walsh, Rob Brownlow & Eddie rice). R5 was won by 3 Crowns (416 – Johnny Durcan, Charlie Maloney and Adam Hyland). Race 6 was won by Nacho Nacho Man – 427.
With the first of the discards kicking in after R4, Dave Kennefick on Pink Panther held onto his lead on 12 points with Peaky Blinders climbing to 2nd on 15 points. So now, at the halfway mark, only 6 points separated the first 6 boats, so the championships was still wide open. Pink Panther won the Cock o’ th’ North (total of R1- R6, no discard).

Day 3 – Race 7- Survival Day

Given the forecast, on Day 3 the racing area was moved to the Curlane Bank. The CB anchored in the SE corner of the Curlane Bank for a +/-290o wind. It was fresh – 15 to 18kts with gusts in the low 20s. The forecast indicated the wind was expected to drop as the day progressed.

Race 7, comprising 3 rounds of a 1000m W/l course, was remarkable in how Shotgunn (425) handled the conditions. They, apparently, set up the boat for lower and faster sailing which proved to be a winning move for them.
It was amazing to see them sail lower and significantly faster with the sails working 100% while even the heavier crewed local boats were spilling wind on the upwind leg. To the CB it looked as if the distance to leeward dropped by Shotgunn would be too much to make up on the tack to the mark, but it was not so. Shotgunn was the defending champion after all!
Throughout the race the wind gained strength with gusts of 28kts recorded. There were several capsizes and breakages, so the RO, Peter, postponed all scheduled races not yet sailed and sent the fleet ashore. The CB remained on station for a further 2 hours, but the wind did not abate so there was no further racing on Day 3.
Peaky Blinders now led the Championship table with Pink Panther in 2nd and Shotgunn in 3rd. Only 5 points separated the top 4 places so Day 4 was looking to be the key day in determining the 2026 champion, particularly as a 2nd discard would kick in after R9. Such close competitive racing could not be recalled within the Class’ living memory!

Day 4 – Races 8-11 and some of the best sailing and racing ever for the fleet
Last day, Day 4, the fleet were informed that the RO intended to race 4 races if conditions and time allowed. The fleet was back out beyond Roches Point with the wind in the SW and blowing at 10-15kts as the CB anchored. With an hour yet to FG there was plenty of time to observe the wind. It held steady’ish’ and a slightly shorter 1250m W/L course was set to facilitate a potential 4th race. No sooner was R8 off when the wind decided to shift 15-20o southward, so the change mark was successfully deployed for round 2. We had a new boat leading on this race – Aquadisiacs (431 – Colin Chapman, Ewan O’Keeffe & Dave Lane). The wind was slowly building all through the races, with the waves and swell building as well. This made the racing more interesting and challenging for the fleet but 431 managed the conditions superbly to have 3 bullets from R8-R10.

Our champions on Aquadisiac

The 4th race, R11, was in question for a while as there were several capsized boats fully engaging the safety team. The 4th race could only be sailed once all boat were righted and sailing. The fleet were given a breather to allow time for this and within 10 minutes R11 was underway in sunshine, waves and 15-18kts of wind. 431 was again out ahead at the WM on round 1 and had established an incredible 44 second lead by the WM on round 2 – with 4 possible bullets she had the championship in the bag comfortably. But about 1/3 down the course, we saw a wobble – Oh No! – and another wobble and Aquadisiacs was in the aqua! Peaky Blinders (428) won R11. Aquadisiacs recovered to finish 7th in R11and won the championships by 1 point from Peaky Blinders. In 3rd place was Nacho Nacho Man another 3
points behind! After 11 races, in very challenging conditions, only 6 points separated the first 5 boats. Aquadisiacs also won the Medway Bowl (Races 6-11, no discard).

Ashore
As always with the N18s the craic ashore was great but you had to be there if you wished to know who was crowned the dullest & cleverest people in the Class!

To Round Up

All in all, a fantastic championships and a fantastic credit to the fleet, the RO team, the RCYC, the Class organisers and the sponsors. Bob Bateman, a great friend of the Class has a marvellous record of the adrenalin on the water that can be viewed at:
https://www.robertbatemanphotography.com/
The 2027 UK and Irish N18 Class Championships will be held at the South Caernarvonshire Yacht Club in Abersoch, Wales.