"The F18 Worlds in Noordwijk was an exciting and very challenging event. We experienced being rescued by the coastguard after an incident where the helm was separated from the capsized boat for 30 minutes and drifted out of sight as well as a wide range of sailing conditions from 30 knot gusts and rough seas to light wind with jellyfish infested waters. Launching and landing the boat on the beach proved to be the most dangerous part of the week due to the powerful waves and riptides accompanied by large sandbanks, which forced everyone to go head on into the waves without any steering at the risk of damaging the boat if we lost speed and got swept sideways by the breaking waves. The level of competition amongst the fleet of 100 boats was also very high with multiple world champions and olympians. One of whom was Bjarne Bouwer, an old varuna member and friend of mine, which made me thrilled to see him win the event with Darren Bundock. Overall, I am pleased with our performance as we can."

Alex Frefel (Crew)