Fall has start... the colourful leaves are falling from the trees. Time to look back on a busy summer season. After the spectacular Archipelago Raid in Sweden, I went to the north of the Netherlands for the ABN AMRO IODA Optimist Europeans 2006 at the end of July. 231 young sailors, representing 41 countries, competed five days on the IJsselmeer near Workum. The conditions were tropical, except for the wind. The race committee had difficulties to put in eleven races, due to the light breeze, but they succeeded. On the final day, Elia Borreguero (ESP) and Theofanis Kavvas (GRE) defended their lead and won convincingly the European title in the girls’ and boys’ Optimist discipline.

I was involved as press officer and worked on location. The Dutch Youth News television broadcasted an item about the Optimist Europeans and so did the local television in Friesland. Especially local newspapers paid attention to the event.

Hobie Tiger & Dragoon Worlds 2006
The Hobie Cat Tiger & Dragoon Worlds 2006 were sailed at the same time in Spain. I hired Jacqueline Laumans to take care of the daily press releases on location and she did a wonderful job. The French Mourniac and Citeau won the Tiger class and the Australian talents Waterhouse and Lurati the Dragoon title. Unfortunately, the Spanish organization turned out to be unreliable and several people are still waiting for their money. It is a pity that the City of Cangas abuses our enthusiasm for the sport and the job to organize a successful event. It is such a cheap way to do it.

Delta Lloyd 24-Hours Sailing Race
After a break of a few weeks, I was back on location. This time in Medemblik for the 42nd Delta Lloyd 24-Hours Sailing Race on the IJsselmeer, Markermeer, Wadden Sea and North Sea. All 530 participating yachts started from sixteen locations along the course and had to cover as many nautical miles as possible. The race area was divided into laps, that could only be sailed twice, so it was a tactical game. Competitors need navigational and meteorological knowledge, endurance and good sailing skills. It was nerve breaking this year, since the wind died completely during the day and many teams drifted for hours. Only 254 crews finished in time. I worked as press officer and wrote the press releases and updates from 17 favourite participants during the race. The assistance of Joan van Dormael and Femke van Nieuwenhuizen from Quest Sailing Media was indispensable. My focus was on the local media this time and that worked out well.

 

18 October 2006