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Written by Kris Bilston
Over late January, Matt Homan and I had opportunity to compete at the Formula 18 World Championships held at the Jervoise Bay Sailing Club, Perth. racing both the lead-up national event and the World Championships itself. The club and the Western Australian sailing community put on a brilliant regatta, with top sailors from around the world converging the bay for a great event.
In the pre-worlds national regatta, we finished in 5th place, certainly not the greatest result for us, but with only a 4 race event, it was clear we had to treat it as a warm up, although the nats definitely set us up confident for what was to come over the next week.
The conditions in Jervoise Bay were quite interesting — hot and windy (mostly) with temperatures frequently pushing into the mid-30 °C range under a strong Australian sun, and steady sea breezes building through the afternoons. Much of the racing was done in the morning breeze, a shifty easterly that provided super tricky racing. Though we did get a good amount of racing done in the textbook south west Seabreeze. The relentless heat and breeze made it clear that looking after ourselves on and off the water — staying hydrated, managing sunscreen and rest was key to a successful worlds campaign.
Despite the tough conditions and world-class opposition — including Olympic champions and professional sailing specialists — we were humbled and thrilled to finish 2nd overall at the World Championship. To stand on the podium in such a competitive fleet was a complete honour. It was a moment of pride, not just in our sailing, but in the growth, preparation, and partnership that got us there.
We want to express our heartfelt thanks to RQYS (Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron) for their support, along with the support of our families and friends, was a huge part of our journey and something we won’t ever take for granted.
Huge congratulations go to Brett Burvill and Max Puttman, local sailors who claimed the title — it was a deserving result and a joy to witness their success on home waters.
Overall, the event was a powerful reminder of why we love sailing — racing hard, learning every day, and enjoying the ride.
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