The European Tour reaches its flagship event

PRESS RELEASE – F18 EUROPEAN TOUR 2026 – All pictures by Renato Tebaldi

Dervio, Lake Como (Italy), 8 July 2026

After successful opening events in Barcelona and La Rochelle, the F18 European Tour 2026 reaches its flagship event this week with the Formula 18 European Championship, hosted in Dervio on the legendary sailing waters of Lake Como.

The third act of the Tour has attracted 109 teams representing 17 nations across four continents, once again confirming the international growth of both the Formula 18 class and the European Tour. While the European Championship title is naturally the main objective this week, every point will also count towards the overall Tour standings before the season concludes in Hellevoetsluis, the Netherlands, this September.

Lake Como, one of the world’s greatest sailing venues

Following Monday’s postponement due to a complete lack of wind, the championship finally came to life on Tuesday as the qualification series officially got underway.

Surrounded by Alpine peaks rising above 2,000 metres, Lake Como is widely recognised as one of the world’s premier sailing venues. The lake is renowned for its remarkably reliable thermal wind cycle. Early each morning, sailors are greeted by the Tivano, a northerly breeze flowing down from the Alpine valleys, before it gradually gives way to the legendary Breva, the southerly thermal breeze generated by the warming of the Lombardy plain and the surrounding mountain slopes.

Although this edition of the European Championship has so far experienced lighter winds than those that have built Dervio’s reputation over the years, the venue remains exceptional. Fresh water, no tide, no current, no weed and an almost perfectly flat racecourse create ideal conditions for Formula 18 catamarans to perform at their highest level.

Behind this apparent simplicity, however, lies one of the most demanding tactical racecourses on the international calendar, where pressure differences, terrain-induced accelerations and local wind effects constantly challenge even the most experienced crews.

Four races complete the opening day

Four qualification races were completed on Tuesday in 10 to 12 knots of breeze, providing spectacular racing throughout the afternoon.

At the end of the opening day, the Belgian-Swedish pairing of Henri Demesmaeker and Rasmus Rosengren leads the provisional overall standings after delivering an exceptionally consistent series (2-4-1-2).

Just one point behind, Italian brothers Matteo and Andrea Viganò delighted the home crowd by making the most of their intimate knowledge of Lake Como, claiming two race victories through outstanding tactical decisions.

Argentinians Augustin Krevisky and Juan Martin Benitez currently complete the provisional podium following another remarkably consistent performance.

Blue Fleet to sail an extra race

The opening day was also marked by a starting procedure issue during the first race of the Blue Fleet. Following a protest hearing, that race was declared void.

As a result, the Blue Fleet currently has one fewer valid race than the Yellow Fleet and will sail an additional race on Wednesday to restore sporting fairness before qualification concludes.

Everything still to play for

Wednesday marks the second and final day of the qualifying series. Forecasts indicate a stronger north-easterly gradient wind, likely to alter Lake Como’s usual thermal pattern and potentially reshuffle the standings before the fleets are split into the Gold and Silver Fleets.With one event still to come in Hellevoetsluis (Netherlands) at the end of September, this European Championship represents a pivotal moment in the F18 European Tour 2026. Under the Tour rules, each team retains its three best results from the four events, making every point scored this week particularly valuable in the race for the overall Tour title.One thing is already certain: on Lake Como, every race tells a new story. With one of the strongest fleets of the season competing on one of the world’s most demanding sailing venues, the battle for both the European Championship and the F18 European Tour remains wide open.

Provisional Overall Standings after Day 1

🥇 1. 🇧🇪 Henri Demesmaeker / Rasmus Rosengren (BEL 3) – 9 pts
🥈 2. 🇮🇹 Matteo Viganò / Andrea Viganò (ITA 303) – 10 pts
🥉 3. 🇦🇷 Augustin Krevisky / Juan Martin Benitez (ARG 4) – 12 pts
4. 🇮🇹 Maurizio Stella / Giacomo Galbiati (ITA 2) – 15 pts
5. 🇫🇷 Emmanuel Boulogne / Matthieu Marfaing (FRA 901) – 20 pts
6. 🇸🇪 Jacob Lundqvist / Edvin Åberg (SWE 111) – 25 pts
7. 🇦🇷 Smith Cruz Gonzalez / Mariano Heuser (ARG 11) – 25 pts
8. 🇫🇷 Victorien Erussard / Frédéric Moreau (FRA 5) – 25 pts
9. 🇩🇪 Manuel Wunderle / Fabian Wunderle (GER 33) – 32 pts
10. 🇫🇷 Emeric Dary / David Fanouillère (FRA 7) – 33 pts

Full provisional results after Day 2