(The Hague, Netherlands)- On the morning before the start of the 2013
Vuurschepenrace, part of the Delta Lloyd North Sea Regatta, it was quite
certain the weather forecasts for this year's race were not likely to
create a record breaker. The north-northeasterly winds were expected to
be light to medium in the early evening. During the night, the breeze
expected to drop and slowly change direction to the Southwest. In the
early morning, the fleet may come to a halt at a wind speed of 2 knots
off the English coast, which then gradually increases to about 13 to 15
knots. So desperate were some sailors that they asked if they could be
allowed to anchor in the English Channel shipping lane!After a day of rest in Harwich, England, the IRC and ORC classes will sail back across the English Channel in the 180 nm race from Harwich to the Smith's Knoll Buoy off the North Norfolk Coast then across the eastern parts of the North Sea to Scheveningen.
The
double-handed class shows a clear change from other years, with eleven
teams now competing against some of the best Dutch offshore sailing
teams. Leading the charge is past the winner, the J/111 XCENTRIC
RIPPER, sailed by the dynamic duo of John van de Starre and Robin
Verhoef. Accompanying them in the dashes criss-crossing "la manche" are
the J/122 JUNIQUE sailed by Chris Revelman and Pascal Bakker, the J/109
YETI sailed by Paul & Mike van der Pol and the J/105 PANTHER sailed
by a girl team consisting of Yvonne Beusker and Edith Voskamp! For more Vuurschepen/ North Sea Race sailing information
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