First sight of catamarans

FORMULA 18 catamarans will make their racing debut on the River Derwent at this year’s BMW Showdown, potentially providing some of the fastest and spectacular class racing at the regatta.

The Formula 18s, mostly based at Lauderdale Yacht Club, are using Showdown as a lead-up to their Tasmanian and Australian championships next February.

The F18s, along with the SB20 sports boats sailing their national championships, will add a new dimension to Showdown, widely popular with off-the-beach classes.

The Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania has expanded the BMW Showdown to a three-day regatta, starting on Friday, November 1, with day one of the SB20 championships, with International Dragon classic keelboats, F18 catamarans and OTB dinghies and skiffs racing on the Saturday and Sunday, November 2 and 3.

Heading the fleet of F18s at Showdown will be Tasmanian class president and Lauderdale Yacht Club Commodore Darren Flanagan, who successfully secured the rights for his club to host the 2020 Formula 18 Nationals.

“The F18 is a non-foiling, restricted development, formula-design sport catamaran class that originated in France and quickly grew worldwide,” Flanagan explained this week.

“Lauderdale Yacht Club will host the first F18 Nationals to be held in Tasmania in late January. We’re expecting a fleet of about 35, including nine being towed across the Nullarbor from Perth.

“The Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania will run the Tasmanian championship on the Derwent just before the Nationals….which is why we will be competing in the Showdown regatta as a fleet.”

The Notice of Race for the BMW Showdown 2019 is now up on the RYCT website.