The “Bakker’s” Win on the Aalsmeer….

Dominic, Jan (helm) & Olivier Bakker win in Aalsmere, presented by Philip de Koning.

With 24 Dragons registered for the first Aalsmeer Grand Prix Regatta, Philip de Koning (Secretary of the Class in Holland) welcomed 5 Belgium, 2 German, 1 Estonian and 16 Dutch Teams to this Easter weekend event.

Despite very windy condition, with gusts up to 33 kts at times 6 races were completed over Saturday & Sunday. Although some boats decided not to race, many “brave hearts” and super keen sailors took to the waters to develop their skills and test the endurance of the boats. 🙂

NED 422 “Elephant” powers upwind in testing conditions on the Aalsmeer, Holland.

Winners overall were NED 422 “Elephant” helmed by Jan Bakker, crewed by his Son’s Dominic and Olivier, who recorded 4 wins and two 2nd’s to take the series by 12 points.  In 2nd place overall was NED 275 “Bluesette” helmed by Ivo Kok, Romco van den Berg and Bart Peters, who finished just ahead of NED 1 helmed by Ronald Pfeiffer, crewed by Oscar & Diederik Pfeiffer….

NED 275 “Bluesette” leads around the spreader mark in very tough conditions in Holland.

Two more “Aalsmeer” weekends are planed for April 10-11 and 16-17 before the focus shifts to Muiden for the follow up series, which proves the Dutch Fleet are very active and healthy as they aim to encourage more younger sailors into the class.

3rd overall NED 1 (a beautiful Doomernik Dragon) helmed by Ronald Pfeiffer, with his Sons.

Hopefully the weather will be a little more pleasant for the next event in a couple of weeks, but never the less, this was a great beginning for the enthusiastic sailors who enjoyed the fresh waters and super sailing area on the Aalsmeer……

Higher, Faster, Longer…………   Stavros.