WV Almere Centraal Tops Dutch J/70 Sailing League Act I

(Almere, The Netherlands)- Fifteen teams started the coveted Dutch National J/70 Sailing League against the skyline of Almere.  In total, no less than twenty-seven races were sailed during the first round of the Eredivisie Sailing 2018. At the end, the WV Almere Centraal Team fought off two very tough crews to mark their first win of the season.

Day One- Friday
After a day's sailing one thing became clear, the battle for the title was going to be incredibly exciting with the top three teams all within two points of each other.

It was early in the morning when the participating teams gathered at the Weerwater in Almere. Race Officer Alex Hoeve expected a very exciting season. "The level is getting higher and the differences between them are getting smaller. The Dutch teams have also come along well on an international level. Our challenge as an organization is to get even more teams excited for this great competition!”

After an early morning postponement, the participants started racing at 1300 hrs. The light, shifty winds made it a challenge for both sailors and the committee.

WV Almere takes a strong start
The reigning national champion, WV Almere Centraal started strong on their home waters. To the question of whether the competition has gotten closer, John den Engelsman, the WVAC skipper, confidently answered, "Based on what I have seen today, not yet!” They closed their the first day at the top of the ranking.

JC Scheveningen
One of the challengers this year was Jachtclub Scheveningen. In the very first race of the season, they immediately put everyone on notice of their ambition for the rest of the season, by convincingly sailing to victory. The rest of the day showed that the club from South Holland was a formidable competitor.

SHE SAILS Team
One of the eye-catchers of the field is, just like last year, the YC Amsterdam team- SHE SAILS. This year they are sailing with five ladies in the boat, versus four last year.

"Last year we sailed with five women during the large J/70 class races. However, during the Eredivisie we had a woman shortage in the boat, that affected some of our boat-handling maneuvers. With five ladies here, that issue has now been resolved." The ladies do everything to stand out and promote their program, this year they can be recognized by their gloves with floral prints. “They’re from IKEA, they are so nice and wrong!”

Day 2- Saturday
Large differences in pressure and wind directions marked sailing on Saturday. The variable conditions made the tactics difficult for many of the sailing teams. Mistakes were expensive, but this had no effect on the top three teams.

The regatta leader, skipper Marco de Klerk of WV Almere Centraal, was satisfied with their performance. "We started well and the pace was right. In total, we sailed four flights with a total of 12 races over a period of three and a half hours. There were many interesting duels for the jury to judge. Unfortunately, even a few collisions and some damage."

Despite the shifty, streaky winds, WV Almere Centraal remained consistently at the top with 17 points. They were followed closely by RR&ZV Maas & Roer Team and the Jachtclub Scheveningen Team, both only one point away from each other. WV de Meeuwen, KZ & RV Muiden and WV Brassermermeer shared 4th to 6th places with 24 points each, which shows the high level of competition- no one is giving a millimeter!

Day 3- Sunday
With 4 to 6 knots of wind, the teams all started on-time, first thing in the morning. Shortly after the finish of the first flights, the wind suddenly disappeared and the postponement flag was hoisted immediately.

After half an hour, it was decided to send the boats back to the shore, hoping for the return of the wind. Despite strong attempts to complete a full series of three races, the weather Gods were not favorable to the sailors on Sunday. As a result, the only race on Sunday morning did not count for the rankings.  Therefore, the scores at the end of Saturday’s racing became the final results for the first Act in Almere.

WV Almere Centraal achieves objective
"The weekend sailing in familiar territory has paid off. Our goal was to win this weekend and we succeeded! Admittedly, with a minimum margin, because it was very close racing. Three teams shared fourth place, so we are still getting strong competition this season. In any case, it was a fun and a great round to sail,“ said team captain John den Engelsman.

Team RR&ZV Maas & Roer happily surprised
The tone was set with the final result of round 1, winning their last two races. The minimal difference in points between the top three (just 2 pts) shows the competitive level is quite high. By performing well and consistently, RR&ZV Maas & Roer hoped to earn a star certificate for the prestigious Sailing Champions League later this year.

"This weekend, we unexpectedly had a different team composition and we were forced to sail with an inexperienced combination.  Nevertheless, we sailed well and the new members did a great job! It went smoothly with smooth communication on board. We are very satisfied and look forward to the next round of play, where we hopefully have the home advantage,” commented their team captain.

The next round of the Eredivisie Sailing will take place in Roermond, where RR&ZV Maas & Roer believe it can make the difference.  For more Netherlands J/70 Sailing League information Add to Flipboard Magazine.