Costarmoricaine 2025

“Hello, Emmanuel, I’ve got good news and bad news...” The barely- awake voice of the Multihulls World editor, on assignment in the south of France making and his way between the fresh water of the inland waterways and the salt water of the sea, responds with a laconic and concerned question: “Brieuc, what have you done now?” While in transit in Malta between two boat deliveries, I got my passport stolen... I managed to get home, but it meant I was stuck at home in northwestern France, for at least ten days. However, the F18 catamaran world championship was being held a stone’s throw away, making a great opportunity to cover it!
Since 1993, this prestigious yet low-key regatta has been held every year along the Côtes d’Armor coastline on the northern shores of Brittany. The course forms a loop starting from the drying harbor of Erquy, passing via Ile de Bréhat, Perros-Guirec and Plérin, before returning to Erquy. The last stage, with a buoy to round off Fort La Latte, is as spectacular as it is challenging. The course passes through some magical locations, but beware: even though the race takes place every year in late July and early August, conditions can be tough, especially when the region’s strong tidal currents complicate matters. I took part in this event four times between 2010 and 2013, and I have got some extraordinary memories of it: a clever mix of high-level competition, maritime adventures, and sharing some unforgettable good times during the evening stopovers.

Formula 18: Thirty Years of Passion and Evolution

The Formula 18 class, better known simply as the F18, was created in 1993 by Olivier Bovyn and Pierre-Charles Barraud. In charge of catamaran sailing at the French Sailing Federation, their goal was simple and visionary: to create an international class that would bring together the best sports catamarans in a single category, without falling into the trap of rigid or prohibitively expensive classes.
At the time, the lightweight multihull market was fragmented between several brands (Hobie Cat, Tornado, Dart, to name but three), each defending their own turf. The F18 quickly found its place by offering a compromise: a sports catamaran powerful enough to appeal to high-level racers, but financially and technically accessible to a wide audience of enthusiasts.
Unlike one-design boats, the F18 is based on an open class: a few essential rules define the basics, but leave designers real freedom to innovate.

All capable of winning...

This careful balance between freedom and constraint has led to the emergence of a varied but ultimately homogeneous fleet. The Hobie, Nacra, Cirrus, Mattia, Phantom, Exploder, and Goodall shipyards have each offered their own models, all capable of winning. The result is a class that is competitive, fair, and sustainable. In many ways, the Formula 18 shares a similar vision with one of the iconic monohull boats, the Class40. This was created in 2004 to meet the growing demand from sailors ...