Final 2 days of i14 Worlds
Published 12:09 on 1 Sep 2026
Race 6 We have an exciting announcement to make! Hoist (the 14 class international band) will be playing the Europeans in Itchenor next July. Also the World Championships could be decided by a shoot out based on the results of race 6. The morning came with lightning and torrential rain. The wind was in, and there was a large swell, although the wave period was rather longer and less steep than the two abandoned days. Wind was 16-19knts as the fleet launched on to the lake. Glen Truswell & Ed Fitzgerald (GBR) needed to beat Andy Shaw & Rob Struckett (GBR) to take the event to a grand finale. Meanwhile, third was a shoot out between Adam Ovington & Stu Keegan (GBR), Lauren Laventure & Jason Lemieux (CAN), Mariah Millen & Justin Barnes (CAN), and Sebastian Prüter & Philipp Kastell (GER). The Americans were desperate to race in the big breeze they see in San Francisco and Hawaii, some even had reefing mainsails. Andy Shaw found himself stuck on Wolf Island after the ferry was called to an emergency when he was on a pre-race family trip. He arrived in a rib with moments to spare. Luckily the fleet launched late to avoid getting exhausted and wet. The fleet launched, the first start was a recall. This gave Mariah and Justin on CAN 621 time to snap their biscuit and return to the race course in a borrowed sister ship. Their request for substitute equipment would be the talk of the evening, and would ultimately be approved. Once they got away. the fleet mostly carried on on starboard towards the left corner. Probably hoping to find a flatter patch to tack under Wolf Island or maybe just afraid of manoeuvring. Plenty capsized on the first tack, and the fleet was very spread at the windward. By the top mark of the second lap Andy & Rob led, Glen & Ed second. Adam & Stu were 3rd, and USA 1206 - John Clark & Cam Macdonald were fourth. Adam & Stu blasted down the run, completely lit up. Top speeds for most boats were 19 kntos one wiring, or 20 for those brave enough to two string downwind. Adam & Stu went in at the gybe mark, fortunately for them Basti & Phillipp had snapped a kite halyard, and Mariah & Justin had never sailed a 14 in those conditions before. There was a threat of more lightning, so the PRO shortened at the bottom. The leaders didnt see the S flag and sailed on up the beat. A significant number of boats took a whiskey flag with all the safety boats chasing the fleet ashore before a storm that didnt come. Most of the fleet were relieved after an epic workout. The result meant that Andy & Rob defended their title with a race to spare, Glen and Ed secure second place after another epic championship battle between these two teams. Both intend to race on the final day. Adam & Stu recovered to take a three point lead over Lauren & Jason for third, but with a high discard after the trap wire incident. Basti & Phillipp and Mariah & Justin hot on their heels looking for a top 5 result. Last race was forecast to be light!
Final race We started two hours early to get the best of the breeze. The wind shifted on the start line, so there was a late AP and a reset. The battle for third was looking like it would be a twitchy affair! The wind cut out after the start, and the fleet drifted to the corners. The wind filled in at the edges and some boats were wiring while others were parked. World Champs Andy & Rob rounded in first. Glen & Ed tried to set on the spreader, and stalled into a tack. This caused a little chaos and Charlie Duschene & Andrew McDonald in IRL 7 took the chance to gybe early and hold a strong race to get a 6th. Not bad for a 2005 boat that had a total restring at the start of the regatta. Glen & Ed did a spin and climbed back to second. The triangle became fairly random, with some boats gybing, and others struggling to make the wing mark. It all depended on the gust you were in. Upwind conditions ranged from twin wiring to crews on foredecks. In the end the usual suspects finished first and second. Adam & Stu had a stellar event and defended 3rd overall. With the champions decided yesterday its time to talk about the most impressive performances in the top ten. Adam and Stua in Zog were on fire, despite snapping tillers like men trying to make spaghetti in a tiny, tiny pan. A big step up climbing from a B4 to a B6. Very popular podium placers. Lauren and outgoing world class chair, Jason, sailed excellently to finish 4th in another Ovington B6. They also were fantastic advocates for the class bringing Olympians Mariah and Justin into the fleet in Jasons second boat. The Olympians finished in 6th, a great result in a Hollom that showed excellent pace. The Canadian fleet did a world class job as hosts and had four of the top ten boats, a record for the nation. Basti and Philip in GER 10 were another fan favourite at the awards. They have done an excellent job updating a 2005 Jason King B5 to modern specs and were rewarded with a well deserved top 5. Thanks to Eric Tulk, the fleet rep and lead organiser from the fleet. Thanks also to David Spragg, the PRO whose team of volunteers did an excellent job in tricky conditions. The weather did not seem to want a seven race series, but we got there. What have we learned?
There are many sailmakers able to make a 14 go fast. The top three used North, Quantum, and Alexander, the most common sail maker in the top ten was Alexander.
Most of the top ten use an off the shelf CST rig, with off the shelf foils from Ovington. Theres never been an easier moment to select good gear. The B6 (6 of the top 10) was the dominant hull design, in the shifts it just seems to tack and accelerate faster between modes. Scrumpet, a Hollom, was at times the fastest boat at the regatta, and there is a strong market developing now she is officially for sale. There are a range of builders, from the off the shelf Ovington that has done so well here, to a full nomex B6 project in the USA, rumours of a second North American builder producing a lower cost hull, the beautifully engineered German Hollom 3, and the Australian Jason King built Hollom.
Overall a great event, and a very exciting time for the class heading into the Europeans at Itchenor SC next year.
Photos and videos of the event, and for anything else you may want you can follow along on https://www.instagram.com/international.14/ or https://www.instagram.com/corkkingston/on instagram
And the event results page: https://cork.org/past-results/results2026/Results/I14-Worlds/Results_I14.html
https://theclubspot.com/regatta/5hO8hxbcrr/
Last updated 12:09 on 1 September 2026
