NED 345 leads Dutch Open..

NED 345 wins race 2 of the Dutch Open Championship in Medemblik, Holland.

32 Dragons are registered for the 2015 Open Dutch Championship which began in style today in an easterly breeze of around 10 to 12 kts in the usual short “choppy” waves on the famous Ijsselmeer.  Two of these boats NED 345 & GBR 803 had a fantastic battle all day at the front end of the fleet in both races. In the photo above, NED 345 helmed by Reinier Wissenraet, crewed by Marc Reijnhoudt & Gijs Evers win race 2 just ahead of GBR 803 helmed by Quentin Strauss, crewed by Nigel Young & Pedro Andrade. This exciting finish was captured just as Reinier put his bow up to guarantee the win!

In the first race of the day, both Quentin & Reinier had to settle for 2nd and 3rd place respectively, as it was NED 300 helmed by Michiel Van Dis, crewed by his brother Wouter & Jeroen Burks who took the victory after making a great start and showing good speed throughout the three up winds and two down wind leg courses. So it is NED 345 who leads overall after two races counting a 3rd & 1st then on equal points is GBR 803 with two 2nd places. 3rd overall is NED 311 helmed by Bram de Wilde, crewed by Rudi Hofman & George Etty, who had a very consistent day recording a 5th and 3rd….

Today was a day where you had to keep the speed in the boat through the short waves typical of the fresh waters in the Ijsselmeer, constant changes of runner tension along with regular sail trimming was essential. With a similar forecast expected over the next few days it will be interesting to see if these top three boats will be able to maintain their advantage in this highly competitive fleet. The courses were well set and frequently adjusted as the wind changed through 20 to 30 degrees at times, our PRO did a very good job and caught a few of us by surprise at the quick turn around between races. Well done, this was excellent sailing in this wonderful part of Holland…

Higher, Faster, Longer……….       Stavros.  (GBR 789).…