Translated from Thomas Windrike report, Svenska Formula Förbundet
Pictures from Hans Holm, Jimmy Skoog, Pippi Windrike, Christian Sönnergaard, & Henrik Riccius.
A tradition filled with community and sailing pleasure
F18 Swedish National Championship 2025 was arranged by Lidingo Jollesglare Sailing Club on the water outside Boson, with the race track laid out on the Askrike Bay.
The club is known for its regular and active training in multihull boats. This year’s championship strengthened the tradition, as it was just 20 years ago this year the very first F18 Swedish Nationals were held in the same bay. Several of this year’s participants were already present at the premiere.
Participants and competition structure
A total of 17 teams had signed up for this year’s championship and were ready on the starting line. During Saturday, six races were held in light and twisting winds, which put both patience and skill to the test.
The challenging conditions required smart route choices and careful trimming of the boats, while the relatively short course contributed to the frequent and intense sailing.
Conditions and sailing management
The sailing management, together with the functionaries, managed to carry out the races in an excellent way despite the whims of the winds.
Sunday offered even lighter winds and elements of cold rain, which led to further trials and only one race could be conducted before the sailing day was flagged off. Despite the weather challenges, the days of good sportsmanship – no protests or major incidents were reported.
Community and class spirit
After Saturday’s sailings, the participants gathered for joint hamburger barbecues, which provided an opportunity for after-snack and exchange of experiences. It is clear that the F18 class is characterized by a generous community where tips, advice and stories are shared between the sailors, regardless of experience level.
We note that the class contains both youthful enthusiasm and long experience. The youngest crew was 32 years old and the oldest was 128 years old.
Results
After seven completed races, Emil Jarudd and Oscar Lundqvist stood as victors – two very experienced and skilled sailors. In second place were the well-qualified Tomas Westergren and Thomas Ekefalk, followed by Fredrik Karlsson and Niclas Nordblom in third place.
Many teams consisted of sailors with significant routine within the F18, which underlines the continuity and attractiveness of the class.
See all results via this link: https://www.sailwave.com/results/SM_formula_18_2025.htm
Congratulations to all medalists and to all who contributed to a successful and memorable National Championship weekend at Lidingo Jollesglare Sailing Club (https://www.ljs.se). Tradition lives on and the F18 class is strong, ready for new challenges and new stories in the Askrike Bay and other waters.
We would like to thank all the organizers, judges and officials for a fantastic weekend! It is a lot of time, energy and planning that is put into practice.
A special thanks to the competition management with Hans Holm and Judge Per Englund in the lead.
A few words from the winning boat, Oscar Lundqvist
“When Emil jumped at the chance to sail Swedish Nationals with me, this felt like a chance I could not miss. Before the competition began, we got together a training session where we decided the roles and the distribution together.
Once the race started, we quickly felt that we had found a good division of responsibilities and our strategy during the weekend was to sail easily and focus on the speed and pressure on the track given the light wind. This turned out to be a winning strategy for us that worked throughout the weekend! It was incredibly instructive to sail with Emil and I take with me several lessons from the weekend.
As an example, I have learned that it can be very effective to sail with cunningham on the cross even in light wind. Thanks to Lidingo Jollesglare Sailing Club and the sailing management for a nice regatta and a special thanks to Thomas and Pippi Windrike who held the competition from start to finish.”
