Oldest videos of Dart 18 catamarans sailing
by Magnus Smith 31 Oct 14:32 GMT
The first Dart catamaran, at the National Maritime Museum © Dougal Henshall
We delve into the past, and round-up the oldest videos which show the popular racing catamaran, the Dart 18. It is crazy to see there were 300 boats at the first World Championships.
Unlike any other class we have researched, the Dart 18 has somehow attracted three British TV presenters to be filmed getting full instruction! Read on to spot them, but you'll have to guess the year in case as so many of these videos were undated. Chronological order has been guessed at...
John Noakes being introduced to sailing the Dart 18 sets a pattern you'll see again later with the other celebrities who get taught how to trapeze and tack. The boat was designed in 1975, and 'Go With Noakes' ran from 1976 to 1980 so we assume this broadcast is from the later end of that range.
The UK National Championship 1985 was held in Paignton, Devon.
A New Dawn is the original promo for the class. The director employed a 'silent movie' approach with no dialogue. A sailor-less catamaran approaches a beach of astonished onlookers all by itself. Who will tame this beast? (It's not even the weirdest video in this set.)
Can any class aficionado tell us whether Dart 18 Championship in Worthing is a World or UK National event?
Using clothes and hairstyle as clues, we guess this Dart 18 promotional video is from the late 80s.
The inaugural World Championship 1991 in Abersoch, Wales saw a fleet of 300 boats!
A video from Lake Garda in the early 90s could well be a Worlds or Europeans?
Another Dart 18 promotional video requires guesswork to date - perhaps the early 90s? Perhaps you know this exact model of Saab car advertised?
How to put all the components together is an instructional video... but unlike one you have ever seen before. An old man dies in his deckchair and is transported to cat heaven to discover how to rig a Dart 18. At least that's how I see it!
Here's another TV presenter now, with Phillip Schofield introduced to sailing the catamaran in Cornwall.
Not to be outdone, Toya Willcox sails the Dart 18 catamaran too!
The newest video we found - before footage ceased to be analogue - was European Championship 1998 from Lagos, Portugal.
Is that all there is?
Do you know of any other cat racing videos from the era before digital video cameras? We would love to share these with sailors worldwide. You can submit video links to us for immediate review.
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