The 2016 World Champion

Mischa Heemskerk was crowned ‘A’ Class Catamaran World champion yesterday at Medemblik, Holland.  This is his second title after the 2013 title he won in near hurricane conditioned is Florida.  He takes over the title from Glenn Ashby who won last year in Italy.

In a stunning display of fast foiling, both up and downwind, the Dutchman had a clean sweep in all the races with bullets in each.  He had to fend off challenges from former champion Stevie Brewin and Olympian Darren Bundock, but his powerful sailing style – upto 21 kts on one upwind foiling blast, coupled with a certain amount of luck in being drawn in  earlier races in fleets that sailed in more wind, made him unbeatable on the new  Holland Composites DNA F1.  He may have had a harder time in lighter winds as Bundy is famously fast in the light stuff, as were some of the Germans.

However, this year didn’t see the massive time differences between the top sailors and the rest.  New foiling boat designs, coupled with new sail shapes in the form of the decksweeper, something that Heemskerk had reinvented and pioneered recently, reduced his winning times form to a minute or two on several occasions. 

The next A Class Worlds will be in Sopot, Poland in mid August 2017, and that is the home stadium of the rival boat to the DNA, the Exploder.  We all now look forward to that.

So congratulations to Mischa and many thanks to the sponsors Contender Sailcloth, Holland Composties, Van Beelen Ropes and Magic Marine.  But the biggest thanks mys go to Duchs Accociation boss Jan Groot, who virtually single handedly assembled the whole show!