The World Championships 2008 are over but the fun isn't!

At the moment we are working on getting all the pictures online. Because there are lots of them, it takes a while to get things done. But very soon you will find all pictures taken by Claire Matches and other photographers here.

And on top of that we will publish parts of the movie that was shot during the event.

So keep on checking the website. More fun stuff will be available soon!

Due to a small technical problem the posting of the final results was postponed. Our apologies for that.

But hey have been posted now! Click on the link in the menu on the left.

This was our Super Thursday party at the Worlds! Go and feel the party again!

French win the Dart 18 World Championships 2008
After a sunny day without wind, on Friday the French Emmanuel Dodé and Billy Besson became the new Dart 18 World Champions.

Lack of Wind
The race committee sent everybody out on the water but in the end there wasn’t enough wind to sail a valid race. Therefore at 3 p.m. on the water the organization declared the two ecstatic Frenchmen the winners.

Stormy start
The contrast with the start of the World Championships could not be bigger. With wind gusts as high as 28 knots the first two days were tough. Many didn´t finish in one or more races. The French however immediately showed they were in their element with a lot of wind by putting down a series of 1-1-2-8-1 on Monday and Tuesday. After two days they were just one point ahead of the World Champions of 2007, Daniel Norman and Melanie Rogers.

Super Thursday
After the races were abandoned due to a storm on Wednesday, Thursday was another fantastic sailing day. In advance Thursday was already named "Super Thursday" by Harry van Veen – Chairman Dart Worlds Foundation – because of the extensive social programme for the sailors. And what a day it was! In perfect sailing conditions – sunny and wind force 4 to 5 - three races were finished. Through a series of 1-2-2 Emmanuel Dodé and Billy Besson strengthened their leading position.

The top 3
Because sailing wasn’t possible on Friday the first place was no longer in danger and so the French are the new Dart 18 World Champions. The next two places were occupied by two British teams: Daniel Norman / Melanie Rogers won silver and David Lloyd / Cathrin Farthing got the bronze.

Final results:
1. Emmanuel Dodé/ Billy Besson – 10 points
2. Daniel Norman/ Melanie Rogers – 17 points
3. David Lloyd/ Cathrin Farthing – 26 points
4. Hervé Lemaux/ Joanna Jones Pierce – 27 points
5. Paul Wakelin/ Ellie Draper – 28 points

Once again a fantastic day during the Dart 18 World Championships
After all of the races were cancelled on Wednesday because of the storm, Thursday was once again a fantastic sailing day during the Dart 18 World Championships in Workum.

Undefeatable?
After several hours delay due to the harsh winds, around 2 p.m. the first race started with about 22 knots of wind under a radiant sun. By winning this race the French team of Emmanuel Dodé / Billy Besson showed again in strong winds they are almost unbeatable.

Decreasing winds
The 2nd race started for the first time during the World Championships with less than 20 knots. After coming in second in the first race of the day Herve Lemaux and Joanna Jones Pierce won their first race of the Championship. After a somewhat hesitant start to  the Championship they have crept for the first time into the top 5, allowing them to put the Portuguese team of Nuno Rocha Gil and Joao Morais out of the top placings.

In the 3rd race of the day the wind continued to decline to about 14 knots. The team of Paul Wakelin / Ellie Draper won this race reinforcing their 5th position in the rankings.

The fight for the bronze medal
With just 1 day to go the battle for bronze is still on. Three teams are within 2 points of each other for third place. The first 2 places seem reserved for the teams Emmanuel Dodé / Billy Besson and Daniel Norman / Melanie Rogers.

Results after day 4:
1. Emmanuel Dodé/ Billy Besson – 10 points
2. Daniel Norman/ Melanie Rogers – 17 points
3. David Lloyd/ Cathrin Farthing – 26 points
4. Herve Lemaux/ Joanna Jones Pierce – 27 points
5.Paul Wakelin/ Ellie Draper – 28 points
Best Dutch team:
8. Harry van Veen/ Niels Oostenburg – 71 points

Challenging conditions at Dart 18 World Championships
While our Olympic sailors in Quindao must make do with 6 knots, at the Dart 18 World Championships wind gusts reached around 28 knots.

Gale 7
Before the sailors went on the water in Workum it was known to everyone that it would be blowing again. During the afternoon force 7 was to be expected. And so the race committee quickly tried to start the 2 matches scheduled for today. Dave Roberts, reigning French champion and now 7th overall, looks back: “especially the 2nd race it was blowing very hard, at around 28 knots. For many it was mainly survival. We have sailed conservatively ourselves, but there was plenty of action around us with boats that capsized”.  

Only half of the boats finished in the 2nd race. Nicolette van Gorp (also President of the International Dart Association) confirms the picture: “there was too much wind for us and we had the boat inadequately controlled. We capsized twice and after that it was enough and we stopped.”

Tough competition at the top
At the top things changed little. After a slightly lesser result in the 1st race of today the frontrunners Emmanuel Dode and Billy Besson won the last race again. They are now just 1 point ahead of Daniel Norman and Melanie Rogers who had a good day with a 1st and 2nd places.

Results  after day 2:
1.Emmanuel Dode/ Billy Besson – 5 points
2.Daniel Norman/ Melanie Rogers – 6 points
3.David Lloyd/ Cathrin Farthing – 11 points
4.Nuno Rocha/ Joao Gil Morais – 17 points
5.Paul Wakelin/ Ellie Draper – 18 points
Beste Dutch team:
9.Harry van Veen/ Niels Oostenburg – 33 points