PredictWind A-Class Cat World Championships 2025 at Milford Cruising Club - Day 5
by Gordon Upton 16 Nov 09:01 NZDT
8-16 November 2025
Saturday dawned with the PredictWind forecast promising something exciting happening weatherwise, on Day 5 of the Predictwind A-Class Catamaran World Championships, being sailed at Milford Beach, NZ.
Megan, one of the PROs, just called them up to be told that a big front was coming across to the North and it could involve some quite extreme weather. So, in the manner of a good PRO, she made her decision and duly called all the sailors together and told them that there would be a postponement of a few hours until this thing had cleared, as some nice sailing weather was following on in its wake. The Red & White stripy flag was raised, and everyone went to the pie stall or took the opportunity to rest further after the previous days epic battle.
Indeed it was rather fun. Big rains and blasty winds happened, but forewarned was forearmed, and all the boats made it through safely. The flag was dropped and the fleet set about populating the beach, to the excitement of the many visitors who had started turning up to watch this strange looking event. Questions were asked, answers given and impressed expressions were seen. The locals rather seemed to like these strange space aged looking sailing craft arriving on their beach, usually so serene and quiet. But the site of a forest of 9m masts and their large high aspect rigs did look rather impressive.
The fleets sailed out to their race areas, with the Classics off to the Northern course and the Open fleet designated to sail on Course B, the Southern one, and with the TracTrac system fitted. You can watch a replay, as well as live race data at www.aclassworlds.com/tracking. The replays offer very inciteful viewing, showing each boat's tracker recording the VMG, Speed and headings, and provides invaluable info for writing race reports for the course you are not witness to.
The open fleet have a battle going on at the top. The lead had changed following the epic racing of the previous day when the 2022 Champion Ravi Parent, USA 76 was pipped by Kuba Surowiec POL 14, who is the reigning World Champ. This is high level stuff, and every point gained to lost is crucial. Kuba now has a slim 2 point lead.
Race 7 got under way in 8-10 kts, and the top pair, together with Darren Bundock AUS 88, all wanted the pin end. However, Kuba had very slightly miscalculated, and realising, threw in a gybe, right before the pin as the gun went, so inadvertently doing a Port flyer, he crossing behind the fleet threading the needle to go right. Ravi and Bundy carried on foiling upwind in the smoother conditions. Crossing paths just shy of the top mark, Ravi's group, now joined by Lamberto Cescari ITA 13, but pulling away from Bundy. Kuba had tacked across a little early, so needed to tack back to reach his lay line and the others coming in from the right. Ravi rounded first, Lambi second, and lit up to go 24kts by the spreader, leaving Kuba back in 6th.
At the bottom the fleet split, Ravi right, Lambi left, now joined by Stevie Brewin AUS 4, and Kuba follows Ravi up the beat on the right. Back at the top, a tight 3 way battle is happening, Ravi takes Lambi on the inside of the mark, Stevie rounds next, but then Kuba tags in 4th as they all shoot off downhill again. Back at the bottom, Lambi was chasing Ravi, but the US sailor had pulled ahead a little more and rounded to go right this time. Stevie and Kuba then arrived and both chose to split to the left.
Then a shift happens out on the right, Ravi tacks on it and comes over to protect the centre, but Lambi lives with it for a while. On the right, the lift gives Stevie and Kuba crucial meters and VMG. Stevie now rounds first, with Kuba following behind, Lambi's longer tack gives him the advantage over Ravi as he only had to do one tack, Ravi needed to tack twice now to round the mark, dropping to 4th. Just watch this on the tracker, it really is great watching experts tactically fighting as every day is a school day, as they say.
Downwind, it is Stevie, the leader who gybes first for the mark, then Kuba. The other pair had sailed slightly lower, and Lambi then gybes, followed by Ravi. All should be lined up, but Stevie can't sail as low as Kuba or Lambi for some reason, as they both head towards the finish, but wind being wind, any slight shift for these guys flying downhill at 23+ knots, means an angle change. The result is that Kuba and the chasing Lambi must put in a last gybe to reach the line. At the blue flags, it's Kuba, Lambi, Stevie then Ravi. A crucial 4 point gap opens for the top two.
Reset pressed, new race. Ravi choses the pin end, Kuba is midline this time. But it is Lambi who leads. The fleet split, with Ravi going right, Kuba staying left mut in the middle of the course. Pulling ahead, Ravi tacks to cover the fleet, but at the top it is the multiple former class Champ, Stevie in pole, the Lambi and Ravi, chased by Kuba. 26 kts are the scores on the doors on this leg as the wind is building a little more. The bottom mark on this first lap is Stevie's, the ITA Champ Lambi chases, having his best day so far in these Championships. Stevie goes left, Lambi right, now followed by Kuba who has a good downwind let and overtaken Ravi. Both also go right, with Ravi to windward all foiling uphill at 20+ kts.
Another shift and the leaders on the right all tack, but on the left Stevie gets another lift to the mark on his port tack, and as Lambi rounds in second, Stevie is already blasting downhill at 24kts. He round the mark to go back up to the left. Lambi and Kuba are on the way, but then, at some 27 kts, Lambi's port rudder stock explodes. The pin rips out sideways from most of the casing with some force and wrenching the tiller joint from the cross bar. Game and championship over for the hapless Italian champ. Such is racing.
Kuba, now in second, goes left, as does Ravi. Half way up, at the lay line, Kuba tack onto port, but Ravi continues. Kuba then, realising his championship rival will be to windward near the mark, tack to cover, trading valuable distance for tactical positioning. At the top, the covering move had worked, and he rounded in second from Ravi, as Stevie just increased his lead after not being enmeshed in tactical battles. At the finish, the positions remained unchanged, Stevie, Kuba and Ravi. These guys are fighting hard, and it's great to watch.
Final battle of the day in the Open fleet. Ravi near the pin, Kuba at the Start Boat end. But as the fleet split right, Kuba needs to be in touch with Ravi at this stage so is shadowing to the left. Ravi tack for the mark, but Kuba remains on the starboard tack before tacking. Both have upwind foiling pace, and it is Ravi who rounds just behind the local hero and former World #2 Dave Shaw, NZL 270. Bundy third and Kuba brings up the rear of this quartet of champions. Downwind, Ravi's pace outstrips Kiwi Dave to reach the bottom mark in first and goes back up the left. Dave goes right, but Bundy and Kuba, who seems to have a bit of a mare, throwing in two extra gybes, also goes left.
At their lay line, Ravi tacks, but then tacks back to cover Kuba. They then all tack Starboard again for the mark, with Ravi now covering. Dave and Bundy, not as interested in covering anyone, ease ahead, but Ravi is crucially still ahead of Kuba. At the bottom for the last lap, it's still Dave, then Ravi who chooses right, but realising Kuba is going for the left gate mark, tacks to cover as Kuba rounds. This is proper tactical stuff worthy of the old America's cup races! Ravi tack onto Starboard for his lay line, but the tacks back as Kuba arrives on his and crucially, reaches the mark first. Final downwind leg, 24, 26, 28 kts they both go, racing for the World title. This pair have form, at the Houston championships in 2022, they were neck and neck again, and it was the last downwind of the last lap, in the last race that Ravi went one way, Kuba the other and at the bottom Ravi was 4 places up, to gain his crown.
Downwind tactics in these things is just pure boatspeed at this level. At the finish, Ravi crossed to get the bullet, Kuba second with Bundy third. So endeth the daye. The gap remains at 4 points after discards. The final 3 races tomorrow will decide the Open victor. All sailing the Exploder Ad3 platforms BTW.
Meanwhile over on the Classic course A, things were somewhat more relaxed and genteel, as befits the fleet, a much classier affair indeed. The runaway fleet leader was another Polish lad, Jacek Noetzel POL 1. The 'father of Polish A-Cats', Jacek has driven the rise of the fleet at his UKS Navigo club at the lovely resort town of Sopot, on the Baltic coast. I urge you to visit, it's rather lovely. The UKS club is a partial school establishment, providing sailing tuitions and racing for local youngsters as party of their school activities. In the UK, we could only dream of such an establishment, where free council sponsored water and sports activities at pretty much unheard of, but in Sopot, Jacek has helped drive it for many years.
This fleet has been dominated by three or four sailors this year. Jacek, the former multiple class World Champ Andrew Landenberger AUS 308, The class newbie, only in the fleet for 2 years and in his first big regatta, Jamie Jochhiem AUS 956 and the veteran America's cup sailor and designer Mike Drummond NZL 287.
Two races to be held, the first started in 7-9 Kts, so enough to trapeze upwind in these elegant machines. Both races got way cleanly, and being closer physically, the racing becomes more enjoyable and features fewer near death experiences that the Open, and is the natural choice of the more maturing sailor looking to get the cardio up a little but rather more fun and better for you than shouting at the countries stupidest millionaires on a football pitch.
Both races were sailed well and judging by the faces, were enjoyed rather more that the previous day. Forget that near death comment earlier for yesterday. Although the Classic at that end of the race spectrum is a far nicer boat to sail that the Open. They don't seem to be wanting to launch skyward at every opportunity for a start. Today was bang in the sailor's happy zone. Rising to 13 kts, downwind trapezing could become a thing for many too.
But today was the Jacek day and the day where he clinched the Classic Word Champion crown after many years sailing in events. It hasn't been an easy ride for him. His resilience and recovery from life's unhappier events are deeply respected and felt by the whole fleet and his smiling engaging character is a lovely fixture within the class. It is deserved. Mind you, his slippery boat, a Foiling Ad3 hull, with new designed Exploder boards and slim rudders made it a total weapon on the course. The sign of a great development-class designed boat indeed. However, my defining image, is that of Mike performing a lovely crowd pleasing gentle, almost dying swan ballet capsize right in front of the Committee boat, to gently drift over the line with him standing on the lower hull waving to them. It made it all worthwhile for them. We love you Mike!
So, we reach the final day tomorrow, a crown still up for grabs but this Milford Cruising Club, and the local supporting clubs and all their happy, willing and above all friendly volunteers have made this an extremely enjoyable Championships.
Bring on the last act.
Full results at www.aclassworlds.com/results