Belgium wins, France bounces back – 28 teams · 11 races · La Rochelle, 14–17 May 2026
From F18 European Tour Press Release
Act 2 of the F18 European Tour 2026, which also served as the French National Championship and National Cup, concluded on Sunday in La Rochelle with the overall victory of Belgian crew Demesmaeker / Tas (BEL 1). Eleven races were completed over three effective racing days, after Thursday’s cancellation due to excessive wind conditions, in extremely varied conditions: light and shifty on Friday, medium breeze on Saturday for the coastal raid, and a strong 15–20 knot breeze on the final day.
A Victory Built on Consistency
Demesmaeker / Tas built their success on exemplary consistency from start to finish. Aboard their Akurra Goodall Design, the Belgians stayed solid in the moments where points are made, capitalised on every opportunity and never yielded to pressure. A well-deserved victory, built race by race.
Disappointment for the Argentinians Cruz Gonzalez-Smith / Mariano Heuser
The Argentinean crew (ARG 11) were the revelation of Act 2. Authors of five race wins aboard their F18 Cirrus R3, they appeared set to fight for overall victory until the end. But in race 9, too aggressive at the start, they were disqualified for a premature start (UFD). This penalty forced them to count their twentieth place from the first day of racing. A hard blow that drops them to third overall, despite winning the final race.
A Strong Comeback from Erussard / Moreau
Second place overall goes to French crew Erussard / Moreau (FRA 5). After a difficult start to the event, sixth on Friday and fourth on Saturday, they raised their level in the final stretch with four consecutive races all finished in the top three. A consistency that earns them second place overall and, in passing, the French National Cup for the third time, after 2012 and 2025. This title is reserved for French crews, regardless of the international composition of the fleet.
Top 10 Final Results — Act 2 La Rochelle (28 classified)
🥇 1. 🇧🇪 Patrick Demesmaeker / Gilles Tas (BEL 1) — 25 pts
🥈 2. 🇫🇷 Victorien Erussard / Frédéric Moreau (FRA 5) — 41 pts
🥉 3. 🇦🇷 Smith Cruz Gonzalez / Mariano Heuser (ARG 11) — 43 pts
4. 🇫🇷 Cédric Bader / Yves Peters (FRA 1) — 51 pts
5. 🇫🇷 Emeric Dary / David Fanouillere (FRA 7) — 55 pts
6. 🇫🇮 Victor Silen / Anssi Muikku (FIN 67) — 56 pts
7. 🇫🇷 Emmanuel Boulogne / Jean Boulogne (FRA 901) — 60.8 pts
8. 🇦🇷 Christian Vilate / Octavio Dorbessan (ARG 111) — 66 pts
9. 🇳🇱 Wik Becker / Rob Becker (NED 2) — 85 pts
10. 🇫🇷 Yoann Trecul / Pierre Cahierc (FRA 2135) — 90 pts
👉 Full results — all 28 crews: www.f18europeantour.com/ranking
F18 European Tour 2026 — Overall Standing After 2 Acts
After Barcelona and La Rochelle, the Tour standings are taking a very interesting shape. Demesmaeker / Tas take the lead with authority thanks to their La Rochelle victory, ahead of Bader / Peters — runners-up in Barcelona, who had led the standings after Friday’s racing. France dominates the top of the overall standings with four crews in the top six.
The major new entry is the Argentinean crew Cruz Gonzalez / Heuser, who land directly in tenth place after just one act sailed, showing a potential that could shake up the standings at the next events. Barcelona winner Hans and Marius Van Dam (NED 77), absent in La Rochelle, retain ninth place on their Act 1 points alone. As a reminder, the F18 European Tour scoring system retains the three best results from four acts, allowing each crew to skip one event.
| Pos | Crew | Nat | Act 1 | Act 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Demesmaeker / Tas | 🇧🇪 | 110.48 | 120.00 | 230.48 |
| 2 | Bader / Peters | 🇫🇷 | 115.24 | 108.89 | 224.13 |
| 3 | Erussard / Moreau | 🇫🇷 | 96.19 | 116.30 | 212.49 |
| 4 | Dary / Fanouillere | 🇫🇷 | 105.71 | 105.19 | 210.90 |
| 5 | Boulogne / Boulogne | 🇫🇷 | 100.95 | 97.78 | 198.73 |
| 6 | Silen / Muikku | 🇫🇮 | 86.67 | 101.48 | 188.15 |
| 7 | Karlsson / Nordblom | 🇸🇪 | 67.62 | 83.00 | 150.62 |
| 8 | Van Acker / Pattym | 🇧🇪 | 72.38 | 64.44 | 136.82 |
| 9 | Van Dam / Van Dam | 🇳🇱 | 120.00 | — | 120.00 |
| 10 | Cruz Gonzalez / Heuser | 🇦🇷 | — | 112.59 | 112.59 |
👉 Full overall standings: www.f18europeantour.com/ranking
Next Stop — Act 3: European Championship, Lake Como / Dervio
The Tour continues from 3 to 10 July 2026 on the legendary waters of Lake Como, in Dervio, Italy, for Act 3 of the F18 European Tour 2026 — which is also the Formula 18 European Championship. This is the central and most anticipated event of the season.
Organised by the Consorzio Circoli Velici Lariani — a network of six sailing clubs founded in 1988, with over 1,800 members and more than 35 years of experience organising international championships — the event takes place in one of the most iconic sailing venues in Europe. Lake Como’s reliable thermal wind system, with the Tivano in the morning and the Breva in the afternoon building steadily to 13–15 knots, creates ideal conditions for high-performance catamarans in a stunning alpine setting.
With maximum points at stake and the strongest crews of the season expected to line up, Act 3 will be decisive for the Tour’s overall standings. After two acts that have established a provisional hierarchy, the European Championship could shake everything up — or cement the gap at the top.
- ✅ Act 1 · Barcelona, Spain — 24–26 April 2026
- ✅ Act 2 · La Rochelle, France — 14–17 May 2026
- 🔜 Act 3 · Lake Como / Dervio, Italy — European Championship — 3–10 July 2026
- Act 4 · Hellevoetsluis, Netherlands — 25–27 September 2026
The final Tour ranking will be based on each crew’s three best results from the four acts.
Discover more from International Formula 18 Class Association
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.