Formula 18 Americas Championship has been organized by South Carolina Yacht Club September 19 – 25, 2026
28 registered to participate in the event, and 12 races have been completed.
All pictures by Ringtale
Highlights of the regatta from Steve Stroebel, US F18 Chair
First day
“First Day has been challenging with squalls and thunderstorms. I know there was a lot of controversy regarding the quality of that one race that was completed. I was the ultimate decision maker to continue to run the race after the wind shift. I felt it was a fair race because everyone is sailing with the same conditions. If we had eliminated that race there would have been no second throw out which was part of my decision process to make sure we could have 12 races…”
Day 2 and 3
“Higher wind but we got in four good races each day. I know some of the newer sailors all learned more about heavy wind sailing and saw how fun it is to sail at high speed.”
“One person was separated from their boat by ¼ mile and rescued. I want to provide an encouragement for helms – not only for prevent head injuries but also to make you more visible when separated from your boat. So when you buy a helm strongly consider a bright color.
Final day
“Final results were still up in the air which made the racing intense. What an awesome day to finally have good sunshine. Last weather mark was close to the beach but you had great spectator interest. It was shifty but that is part of boat racing”
Results
The podium
- Charles Froeb (San Francisco YC) / Pablo Völker (YC Argentino)
- John Casey (Lauderdale YC) / Dalton Tebo (Sarasota YC)
- Charles Tomeo (Saint Petersburg Yacht Club) / Matthew Whitehead (Clearwater Youth Sailing Center)
Full results here.
F18 Americas Championship 2026: Team Report & Insights from Pablo Völker (ARG)
Overview & Schedule
The championship took place over four days of racing, running from Tuesday, September 22nd to Friday, September 25th (preceded by a practice race on Monday). Throughout the entire event, the breeze consistently blew from the North/Northeast sector, shifting slightly more to the North-Northwest by the final day.
Day 1: Squalls, Delays, and Big Shifts
The practice race on the eve of the championship was marked by light winds. However, Day 1 of the official racing kicked off with high drama right on the starting sequence, as a series of squalls rolled through the course. Race management had to postpone the start until the storm passed and the breeze re-established itself, resulting in a two-hour delay.
We finally got underway in medium winds. On the first downwind leg, a massive 40-degree shift hit the fleet accompanied by a significant increase in wind pressure. The race finished in a bit of a procession, with the second beat turning into a single-tack fetch, and the final downwind leg too tight to even hoist the spinnaker. However, since the major positional changes had settled by the time the big shift rolled in, it felt like a fair shake overall rather than a lottery.
Day 2: Shaking off the Rust and Figuring Out the Course
Conditions on Day 2 delivered medium breeze, building slightly towards the end of the day.
Teaming up with Charles [Froeb] again after not sailing together for over three months meant we felt a bit rusty during Day 1 and the early part of Day 2. We were definitely missing that razor-sharp boat-on-boat synergy at first.
Other top contenders, Matthew and Liam, had started the regatta very strongly with a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the opening races. However, in the third race of Day 2 (race four overall), a communication error led to a serious collision with another boat. We heard over the radio that it was a heavy crash, and they unfortunately missed two races. By the end of Day 2, it was clear they were out of the running, leaving John Casey and Dalton Tebo out in front with a solid lead.
By the 3rd and 4th races of Day 2, though, we started clicking and got a much better handle on the course logic. Generally, the left side paid off, but there were specific shifts that rewarded those who played them rather than blindly committing to the left corner. By the final race of the day, we finally put it all together: we secured a bullet (1st place) and managed to beat our direct rivals.
Day 3: Heavy Breeze and Strategic Focus
Day 3 (Thursday) brought the strongest winds of the event. After a brief postponement, a large portion of the fleet hit the water, and we managed to sail a much cleaner, more consistent day.
Charles Tomeo and Matthew Whitehead joined the fight on this day, racing on an akurra and showing incredible speed in the heavy breeze, they stole us the 1st race of the day. However, our main objective was clear: we needed to consistently beat John and Dalton, especially since we had dropped the first four head-to-head encounters against them. Our strategy was to stay clean, keep tabs on John and Dalton, and chip away at their points. We executed this plan well on Day 3, securing three bullets and a 2nd.
Final Day: Closing the Deal
Entering the final day, we were ahead on points. We knew there would be a bit less breeze—conditions where John and Dalton matched up more evenly with us—so we went out highly focused and disciplined, playing the correct side of the course.
In the first race of the day, we were leading the fleet, but in the final downwind leg, our focus on covering John and Dalton allowed Tomeo and Whitehead to slip past us to take the win. Dropping that position didn’t hurt us, as our primary goal was strictly covering our main rivals. In the following race, we led from start to finish, which mathematically sealed the championship and gave us some breathing room.
Although we had already secured the title, we decided to race the third and final race of the day (and the last of the championship) purely for the enjoyment, shedding all pressure. John and Dalton led that race until the very end of the final downwind, but they overstood the layline, allowing us to sneak past and take the win.
Final Thoughts
Looking back, while the final standings might make the victory look dominant, it was far from a blowout. Every single race was fiercely contested with constant lead changes; you had to fight for every inch.
A major tactical challenge throughout the event was the windward mark, which was always set very close to the coast. This made the approach and the exit quite tricky, especially dealing with the shifts and gusts right near the mark. The first part of the downwind leg required maximum concentration and precise gybing until you broke through into the more stable pressure closer to the middle of the course. Once Charles and I wrapped our heads around that dynamic, that’s where we were finally able to make the difference.
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