The PredictWind A-Class Cat Worlds 2025 wrapped up off Milford with a finish that belonged to Poland. By the time the breeze finally eased this afternoon, Jakub “Kuba” Surowiec and Jacek Noetzel stood side by side on the beach at Milford Cruising Club as newly crowned world champions in the Open and Classic divisions.
Over six days Castor Bay served up just about everything. The fleets saw light-air chess, full-bore survival sailing and plenty in between, and the two Polish sailors handled the whole range better than anyone else.
Polish armada takes charge
The key shift came on Friday when a hard westerly swept across both courses. In the Open fleet Ravi Parent (USA 76) still held the lead after his tidy work in the lighter races earlier in the week. Once the wind climbed into the high teens and the chop stood up, Surowiec took over. He won all three Open races that day, keeping the Exploder / BRYT on its feet while others logged capsizes, breakages and some very long swims.
On the Classic course Noetzel (POL 1) was just as ruthless. Already unbeaten after the early races, he simply kept going, logging three more bullets as the metre-high swell and 25-knot gusts thinned the fleet. By the end of racing on Thursday Boating New Zealand was certain that Noetzel would win the Classic fleet.
Behind him, a tight Australian group formed. Jamie Jochhiem (AUS 956), in his first big A-Cat regatta, and Andrew Landenberger (AUS 308) were the only sailors consistently close enough to punish any mistake. Mike Drummond (NZL 287) sat in fourth, carrying the Kiwi flag in a very sharp field.
Saturday: titles within reach
Saturday brought rain early, then a clean 8–12 knot breeze and a good sea state once the front cleared. It felt like a reset after Friday’s battering.
The Open fleet resumed its duel. Parent and Surowiec traded blows. Parent was a bit off the pace in Race 7, allowing Surowiec to take Race 7 and Race 8 but came back to win Race 9. Those three races kept the points tight at the top and underlined how evenly matched the pair are when both are in step with the conditions.
Behind them, Darren Bundock (AUS 88) overtook Adam Beattie (AUS 14) to finish the day in third place with Beattie now lying fourth. Further back, Dave Shaw (NZL 270) and Lamberto Cesari (ITA 13) both had their moments at the front of the fleet, but neither could string enough top scores together to threaten the podium.
The Classics enjoyed what many described as the most satisfying sailing of the championship. In 7–13 knots the non-foiling boats could stretch properly upwind and power downwind in full-trap mode. Noetzel, sailing a blisteringly quick Exploder AD3 hull with the latest Classic foils, calmly banked two more wins to secure the title with the next day’s races to spare.
Jochhiem and Landenberger traded places, both finishing with a second and third, matching him with top-four finishes, while Kiwi America’s Cup veteran Mike Drummond (NZL 287) did enough to lock in fourth overall.
By Saturday night the picture was clear: Noetzel had the Classic crown in hand, and Surowiec carried a narrow lead into the last day over Parent, with Bundock and Beattie still arguing about who owned the final step of the podium.
Final day: light airs and tight margins
Sunday turned the dial back down. The fleets launched into 6–8 knots with big soft patches scattered across both courses. Foiling was possible but never guaranteed, and every pressure line mattered.
For the locals, there was some consolation. Dave Shaw (NZL 270) found himself in the top three in two of the final races, reminding everyone how quick he can be when the settings are right. Darren Bundock, meanwhile, put pressure on Surowiec and Parent with two wins and a second, doing exactly what he needed to lock up a medal as the breeze faded.
Race by race the permutations narrowed, and by the time the last Open start gun fired, Surowiec knew he could not give Parent more than a single place. Parent attacked hard and took the final race win, but Surowiec stayed close enough to keep the overall margin at just two points.
The series closed on 12 races for each of the classes, with two discards apiece. It is hard to argue that anyone was short of opportunities.
Final standings: Polish double confirmed
In the Open fleet, Surowiec’s mix of heavy-air pace and tidy work in the lighter races delivered a third straight world title, only two points ahead of Parent; a fine margin that kept the pair on edge until the last race. Parent’s second overall underlined his status as the benchmark American A-Cat sailor, while Bundock edged fellow Australian Beattie for third after a week of quietly improving scores that lifted him steadily from mid-fleet to the rostrum.
Dave Shaw finished sixth overall as top New Zealander, frequently leading at marks and showing glimpses of winning pace in all conditions.
In the Classic division, Noetzel’s final card reads like something from another era: ten race wins from ten counting scores. Jochhiem completed a breakout Worlds in a convincing second, with fellow Australian Landenberger third on the back of trademark consistency. Drummond’s fourth place gave the home crowd a strong local result and showed that the veteran designer still knows how to sail a dinghy-sized boat fast.
Milford’s week to remember
For Milford Cruising Club and the New Zealand A-Class Catamaran Association, the regatta has been a big undertaking and a clear success. PredictWind’s tracking and mark systems turned Castor Bay into a live race course for spectators on shore and online, while a deep volunteer team kept launches, mark-boats and beach operations moving through every weather window.
The PredictWind A-Class Cat Worlds 2025 close with two Polish flags at the top of the poles and a long list of sailors already talking about the next time they meet. For now, Milford can claim its place on the A-Cat map, and Surowiec and Noetzel head home with world titles that were earned the hard way, across the full spread of what Auckland’s Gulf can throw at a small, quick catamaran.
