So the first Dutch Nationals ever. You know the saying: "Tall oaks grow
from little acorns"? Well we did start small, unfortunately only 3
Formula 16 boats (all Blades) on the starting line. Apparently some
people on holiday, others with injuries and other more recent F16
owners did not feel ready yet to compete in a race. What a pity! But
still we made the best out of it. Here's the story.
The event began on Saturday with a sunny day and a perfect wind for
sailing (around 14 knots).In total there where 8 races scheduled and we
did 4 on Saturday. Each race had 2 or 3 laps, upwind mark, spreader
mark, downwind gate and then finish. Geert & Raymond did a great
job with 2 bullets and 2 times second and 6 points in total leading the
"fleet" over Gill/Kathleen and Hans with 9 points. Hans had some kite
issues in all the races. Important learning: you have to practice sail
with the kite through the year otherwise it will not work out.
By 4 o'clock we were off the water and could enjoy the great sunshine on the beach.
Provisional results Saturday:
Geert/Raymond 6 points (1,2,1,2)
Gill/Kathleen 9 points (2,3,3,1)
Hans 9 points ( 3,1,2,3 )
In the evening there was some modification/work on the boats to sail even better on Sunday.
Sunday was another excellent day with an easy 8 knots wind to start
with and increasing to around 16 knots with a blue sky and sun. By
12h00 we were on the water waiting for the first starting signal. On
Sunday we did 3 races and couldn't do the 4th because it would be night
work. On the first race we had Hans take a bullet with better modified
kite handling. Gill/Kathleen took the second bullet of the day and the
result was that after 6 races everybody had the same amount of points,
so the last race would be the one to win. For this last race we had to
sail 4 laps before crossing the final finish line. In the mean time the
wind had increased to around 16 knots. Gill/Kathleen took this last
bullet with Geert/Raymond 2nd. Hans had a no finish because
unfortunately Hans' spin got stuck under the hull while dousing,
putting him out of the race.
Final results for this excellent 2 day event:
Gill/Kathleen 10 points (2,3,3,1,2,1,1)
Geert/Raymond 11 points ( 1,2,1,2,3,3,2)
Hans 12 points (3,1,2,3,1,2,dnf)
So Gill and Kathleen are the new and first Dutch Champions. Congratulations
We ended the day with a nice price giving ceremony on the beautiful
roof terrace of the Zandvoort Club. The sun was out and we enjoyed the
end of a superb weekend!
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