(Aalsmeer, Netherlands)- The local team of WSV Almere Centraal won the
second act of the Dutch J/70 Sailing League on their home waters of the
Aalsmeer. Finishing second was WSV Giesbeek and SZ & WV Uitdam took
the bronze. With this result the WSV Almere Centraal team have taken
the overall lead in the series, overtaking Jachtclub Scheveningen and
holding on to a five point gap over second place SZ & WV Uitdam.In total, 45 races have been sailed in very different circumstances. There are three more events left in 2017.
The
leader of the WSV Almere team, Alex Hoeve, had the following comment,
“we had a lot of wind. Occasionally even 20-25 knots. And everybody on
our team was fine with that. I saw many exciting matches, and there are
many tactical hazards out there! The performance level of all the teams
has risen significantly!!”What was also noticeable for this event was that Jachtclub Scheveningen was struggling in the bigger breezes over the weekend. They had disappointing results at Aalsmeer, uncharacteristically winning just two races in the fifteen total that they sailed over the two days. They ended up in fifth place, the principal reason why the fell down to third in the overall series standings.
After a second place at the first event in Almere, the WSV Almere Centraal team is getting their act together. Willem-Jan van Dort is the driving force behind this team. Van Dort has a range of trimming and sailing and brings a lot of experience on board.
"We are extremely pleased. The sailing league level has risen a lot compared with last year. The weather has been exciting this year, great breeze this weekend! It is very close racing. Each race can change your position in the overall rankings very fast! That makes it very fun. The mutual respect and atmosphere between the teams is also very cool. So, yes, we are very happy and satisfied with our performance this weekend!“
Wik
Becker was also new for their team and made an impressive debut. “It
was fantastic sailing, of course. The level is very high. I joined a
team that was last year’s national champion, so the pressure was also
very high. But, I think we are a good team. Clear communication, clear
task allocation on board and we evaluate our performance after each
race."Another talented crew member for WSC AC is Yuri Hummel, a world-class Laser sailor that wants to represent the Netherlands in Tokyo at the Olympic Games sailing the Laser. This is his second time around in the sailing league for WSV AC. How did Hummel experience that? He commented on their performance, “This is very cool. The pressure on us, of course, is obvious. WSV AC was champion last year. We have to go well. Last time in Almere, we went well and got second. And, this time, it's a bit better, first is good!”
The fourth WSV AC crew member, Rinse Ubbink, was front man doing the spinnaker work. He looks forward to the next round at The Hague on the North Sea. How do you prepare for Scheveningen? "We are well-prepared for big seas and big winds! We are going to train in advance with the team that will be sailing offshore. We can’t wait!" Follow the Dutch J/70 Sailing League on Facebook For more Dutch J/70 Sailing League information Add to Flipboard Magazine.
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