Team Boskalis shares knowledge and wins F18 Argentine Nationals 2011.

Team Boskalis Larsen/Frank won the F18 Argentine F18 Nationals 2011 in Buenos Aires. The decision came only on the last day, when the Dutch catamaran duo scored two bullets in a row and built up a four point lead. In the spirit of Team Boskalis, the reigning Dutch F18 champions gave a clinic the evening before racing started at the Rio de la Plata, showing that the project's distinctive experience is not limited to the Boskalis team riders. Sharing knowledge is the basic principle of Team Boskalis since the first years. This means that within the squad experienced catamaran sailors share their knowledge with ambitious and talented newcomers. The master/trainee concept made that work. However, with the trip to Argentina this model was first conveyed to another continent. Larsen: 'On Thursday evening, we have been talking about the starting procedure for about a hour, Sam from his role as crew and me as a helmsman. That included topics as preparation, boat handling, strategy, time management and the actual start. It was really fun to do and the South Americans are absolutely coming. Five years ago, we would have won the championship with all bullets and now we were only four points ahead of the runner up.'

Full on championship

The F18 Argentine Nationals 2011 were held at the local cat club along Nautico San Isidro in Buenos Aires. The championship began on Friday, November 25 and ended on Sunday, November 27. In these three days, the 23 teams completed nine races with diverse conditions. In addition to the locals, the fleet included the North American champion Hunter Stunzi, who crewed for Sergio Mehl from Argentina. France also was present with Pierre Le Clainche and Antoine Joubert. 'On the first day, we had to 'warm up' a bit', said Frank Frank. 'We scored a 4-3-2, so it was an upward trend. We missed some speed. The next day there was a little more breeze and we could double trapeze, fantastic.' At the dawn of the final day, it was very close between the podium candidates, with the Dutch sailors in second place. In the first race on Sunday, Larsen and Frank delivered a heated battle with the Argentinean/American duo. 'There were large shifts, so it was exciting. You had to constantly search for wind patches, which we did manage well.' At the finish it was close, only a few seconds in favor of the Dutch. The second bullet was easier to score and the Argentinean F18 title went to Larsen and Frank. Early 2012 Team Boskalis will be back in action at the inaugural Thailand Regatta from February 4 to 10 in Pattaya on the Gulf of Thailand.