The B14 circus headed to Tasmania for its
world championships, where GBR’s Nick
Craig and Toby Lewis secured the title at the
fourth attempt, counting seven bullets.
Exceptionally close battles unfolded
throughoutthefleetcompetingatthe
TamarCoveCSTCompositesB14
World Championships, hosted by Port
Dalrymple YC, with Bell Bay delivering
brilliant breezes to test the nerve and
boat handling skills of the skiff teams.
Heading into the fifth and final day, Craig-
Lewis (Team Harken/Sandiline) were being
chased hard by five Aussie boats but were pretty
much unbeatable – ultimately finishing the
regatta 10 points clear of their nearest rivals and
Tassie hopefuls, Robbie Hunt and Ben Price.
Amathematicianwasneededtosortthe
rest, with third and fourth overall decided on
countback between the McCrae YC teams of Ian
and David Cunningham, and Craig Garmston
andNickDarlow.GBR’sMarkBarnes(Team
Gul/North Sails), sailing with scratch Aussie
crew Lauren Kiel, finished seventh overall.
AdelightedNickdescribeditasoneofthe
bestweeksofsailinghe’deverhad:“Weheaded
to Tas as we love the international racing
and friendly socials at B14 Worlds events. It
wasalsoagreatwaytoescapethewinterand
have a family holiday in Sydney on the way.
“Theeventwasevenbetterthanwe
expected, with sunshine and big winds
most days making for fantastic sailing. The
highlights included the two races whichwere abandoned – sailing the B14 in over
30 knots is exhilarating and sheer survival;
no-one was racing each other, we were just
challenging ourselves to complete the course.
“It was great to race against the Aussies. They
aresofastupwindinbreeze.Thatisusuallyour
strengthbuttheywastedusatthe[pre-event]
nationalswhichwasgoodforustolearnand
makeafewchangesfortheworlds.It’sthefirst
timewe’vewonit,atthefourthattempt-the
transition from slow boats to skiffs is big!”
Nick described both the fleet and host club
as really helpful, social and friendly, which
combined with the racing made it well worth
thelongtripDownUnder:“Wehadalotof
fun and enjoyed tours to amazing beaches.
We made a trip to Low Point one evening to
watch 50 penguins waddle up the beach to
feed their young – our kids were entranced!”
Australiawonthe‘ashes’fortheteamwith
the best cumulative score in the top 10, which, as
UK class rep Mark Barnes explains, are in fact a
burntsetofteamGBRcottonpantsinatinyurn
and “a big part of the flip flop 18-month circus”.
He added that alternating the world
championships between Europe and Down
Under was an essential part of the class
dynamic: “The backwards and forwards
is very important, as over the years it has
established some very strong friendships,
anditgivestheclassachancetoseewhat
each hemisphere has been up to.
“Next one is late July 2019 in Carnac
and should be great!” he added.JANE AUSTIN; VR SPORT MEDIA; PHILLIP GOOD PHOTOGRAPHY/B14 CLASS
for the ‘big boys’ on day two, Beebe
had dominated the competition and
the big start lines with a 7, 1, 2.
By the end of day three it was
officially a two horse race, as the
expected duel between Bulka and
Beebe saw just two points separating
them after the discard came into play.
Then on the penultimate day, Bulka
stamped his authority on the fleet
with two back-to-back wins, with
Beebe chasing hard in both races
until the last second to count a 2,2.
A third in the final race to Bulka’s
bullet saw Beebe finish second overall
with 14 points, five behind Bulka,
with seven-time world champion
Andrea Bonezzi (ITA) third overall.
The 90-boat fleet included six world
champions. Among them was GBR’s Simon
Mussell, 12th overall, a point behind fellow
Highcliffe SC member Gary Langdown,
11th overall and first Master. Also top 20
were Rob Smith (Castle Cove) in 16th and
Nick Noble (Bristol Corinthian) 17th.Craig & Lewis claim B14 World
title in Tas at fourth attempt
March 2018 Yachts & Yachting 55