Diabo News
22 feb. 2007
Aruba, Dubai and South-America
Winter wrap-up
After a long and extremely busy season, I was not ready for a grey and wet winter behind my desk in The Hague. Instead, I thought of combining work and travelling in South-America. The 2006 Tornado Worlds in Buenos Aires/Argentina and the Optimist Worlds in Montevideo/Uruguay were a perfect motive to book a ticket to the southern hemisphere. But prior to this adventure, I was contracted for the fourth year in row by the organization of the Aruba Heineken Catamaran Regatta. I was responsible for the daily press releases and did some photography as well. It was a great week with a tough competition and an expected winner: double Olympic medallist Mitch Booth and his new crew Pim Nieuwenhuis.
Dubai drama
Back at Schiphol Airport, I flew directly to Dubai to report on a special event. Team Van Oord from the Netherlands wanted to brake the record around The World in Dubai, which they did by sixteen minutes on Sunday November 19. Peter de Ridder, Hendrik Jan de Ridder, Roeland Franssens and Mark van Gelderen needed 1 hour and 42 minutes to circumnavigate the artificial archipelago with islands in the shape of our continents, constructed by Van Oord four kilometre off the coast of Dubai. The 'Volvox Extreme around the World Challenge' commenced with 12 knots of wind. The sky was clear and the sea not too choppy. Peter de Ridder, Managing Director of Van Oord and experienced skipper on his yacht Checkmate, took the helm of the VX 40 to round his own project The World. The configuration measures seven by nine kilometre and features a twenty-five kilometre breakwater. The total circumnavigation is about twenty nautical miles. A local F18 sailing team set the first record on 1 hour and 58 minutes. That was the time to beat, but the wind dropped during the attempt. De Ridder: "In the end we only had eight to nine knots left, but fortunately we were fast enough to break the record."
Ideal conditions
Dubai is well-known for its moderate sailing conditions, but on that Monday the weather forecast was an exception to the rule. The wind would pick up to twenty knots in the afternoon with unusual rain showers. Team Van Oord prepared itself for a rough trip around The World. At 01:18:20 hours pm local time, the four Dutch sailors crossed the starting line at the southeast corner of the archipelago. It was already cloudy and soon the swell built up. The catamaran was flying a hull. After the northern point of The World, the breeze increased and Team Van Oord gained speed. They did twelve to sixteen knots going upwind. They hoisted the kite, but at 02:40 hours pm it went wrong in the very last gibe with a few minutes to go. De Ridder: "I steered too fast, so after the main came over, we immediately went upwind and I could not alter our course anymore. I probably was too eager to break the record." The forty foot catamaran capsized slowly with only Mark van Gelderen on the windward hull. After the mast hit the water, it went down quickly and got stuck in the sea-bed. A squall came over and made it all look unreal. The first attempt to rescue the catamaran failed. The shore crew on the motorboat tried to upright the VX 40, but the pressure on the carbon mast was too much. It broke at about 03:15 hours pm and the crew was rescued by their own people and equipment. I captured the capsize and this sequence was published in Dinghy Sailing Magazine (UK).
Viva Argentina
After almost two weeks at home, my plane to Buenos Aires took off on Monday December 4th. It was a tight planning, because the Tornado Worlds would start the day after. As I wrote in my last update, I worked for Zwitserleven Sailing Team Booth/Nieuwenhuis and for printed media. Zeilen, the biggest monthly Dutch sailing magazine, published my extensive article with photographs in their February issue. Dinghy Sailing Magazine (UK) used my images and so did Varen from Belgium. My first job was done, so I had three weeks to explore Argentina!
I took the bus to Mendoza, the city where our national soccer team made it to the final of the Soccer Worlds 1978. I met men who still carried their entrance pass proudly in their pocket. It is amazing how deeply involved the Argentineans are. Mendoza is also the city of wine and the entrance to the Andes. I did a beautiful and challenging three-day trekking on Aconcagua, the highest mountain of the Americas. From Mendoza I went to San Juan, the most depressive city I have ever experienced. In the last century, San Juan was almost completely destroyed by an earthquake. As a result, there are hardly any original buildings left and the new ones are tasteless. Fortunately I met a Dutch couple, with whom I went to Valle de la Luna, which is an interesting archaeological national park with traces of dinosaurs.
My next destination was Cordoba, which is one of the most historical cities in Argentina and I loved it. Although I prefer the province with its little villages and beautiful landscapes. I visited San Marcus Sierras and found this a secret paradise with horses in the sandy streets, colourful houses, rivers where you can jump off the rocks and warm inhabitants. From Cordoba I went back to Buenos Aires and took the ferry to Montevideo. Back to work!
Optimist Worlds 2006
I spent ten days with world's best Optimist sailors and their families, which was a wonderful experience. From time to time the conditions were pretty rough for photographers, but I enjoyed working with my local colleagues. The final race was thrilling, as Julian Autenrieth from Germany had to close the gap of two points. Griselda Khng from Singapore was leading, but she did not manage to handle the nerves and she lost her world title to Julian. Nautique, a Dutch glossy nautical magazine, published my article about the Optimist culture and illustrated it with my images. Zeilen published a report with photographs and Dinghy Sailing Magazine used one picture as well.
A friend of mine came to visit me and we travelled together to Bariloche in Patagonia. Another gorgeous place to be. It is often called Switzerland of South-America and I do understand why, but of course there are differences. Again, the locals were friendly and warm, something we busy Dutchies can learn from. The mountains and lakes are beautiful and the gaucho culture adds something special to the whole experience.
I will definitely go back to Argentina, but after a profound Spanish course!
Dubai drama
Back at Schiphol Airport, I flew directly to Dubai to report on a special event. Team Van Oord from the Netherlands wanted to brake the record around The World in Dubai, which they did by sixteen minutes on Sunday November 19. Peter de Ridder, Hendrik Jan de Ridder, Roeland Franssens and Mark van Gelderen needed 1 hour and 42 minutes to circumnavigate the artificial archipelago with islands in the shape of our continents, constructed by Van Oord four kilometre off the coast of Dubai. The 'Volvox Extreme around the World Challenge' commenced with 12 knots of wind. The sky was clear and the sea not too choppy. Peter de Ridder, Managing Director of Van Oord and experienced skipper on his yacht Checkmate, took the helm of the VX 40 to round his own project The World. The configuration measures seven by nine kilometre and features a twenty-five kilometre breakwater. The total circumnavigation is about twenty nautical miles. A local F18 sailing team set the first record on 1 hour and 58 minutes. That was the time to beat, but the wind dropped during the attempt. De Ridder: "In the end we only had eight to nine knots left, but fortunately we were fast enough to break the record."
Ideal conditions
Dubai is well-known for its moderate sailing conditions, but on that Monday the weather forecast was an exception to the rule. The wind would pick up to twenty knots in the afternoon with unusual rain showers. Team Van Oord prepared itself for a rough trip around The World. At 01:18:20 hours pm local time, the four Dutch sailors crossed the starting line at the southeast corner of the archipelago. It was already cloudy and soon the swell built up. The catamaran was flying a hull. After the northern point of The World, the breeze increased and Team Van Oord gained speed. They did twelve to sixteen knots going upwind. They hoisted the kite, but at 02:40 hours pm it went wrong in the very last gibe with a few minutes to go. De Ridder: "I steered too fast, so after the main came over, we immediately went upwind and I could not alter our course anymore. I probably was too eager to break the record." The forty foot catamaran capsized slowly with only Mark van Gelderen on the windward hull. After the mast hit the water, it went down quickly and got stuck in the sea-bed. A squall came over and made it all look unreal. The first attempt to rescue the catamaran failed. The shore crew on the motorboat tried to upright the VX 40, but the pressure on the carbon mast was too much. It broke at about 03:15 hours pm and the crew was rescued by their own people and equipment. I captured the capsize and this sequence was published in Dinghy Sailing Magazine (UK).
Viva Argentina
After almost two weeks at home, my plane to Buenos Aires took off on Monday December 4th. It was a tight planning, because the Tornado Worlds would start the day after. As I wrote in my last update, I worked for Zwitserleven Sailing Team Booth/Nieuwenhuis and for printed media. Zeilen, the biggest monthly Dutch sailing magazine, published my extensive article with photographs in their February issue. Dinghy Sailing Magazine (UK) used my images and so did Varen from Belgium. My first job was done, so I had three weeks to explore Argentina!
I took the bus to Mendoza, the city where our national soccer team made it to the final of the Soccer Worlds 1978. I met men who still carried their entrance pass proudly in their pocket. It is amazing how deeply involved the Argentineans are. Mendoza is also the city of wine and the entrance to the Andes. I did a beautiful and challenging three-day trekking on Aconcagua, the highest mountain of the Americas. From Mendoza I went to San Juan, the most depressive city I have ever experienced. In the last century, San Juan was almost completely destroyed by an earthquake. As a result, there are hardly any original buildings left and the new ones are tasteless. Fortunately I met a Dutch couple, with whom I went to Valle de la Luna, which is an interesting archaeological national park with traces of dinosaurs.
My next destination was Cordoba, which is one of the most historical cities in Argentina and I loved it. Although I prefer the province with its little villages and beautiful landscapes. I visited San Marcus Sierras and found this a secret paradise with horses in the sandy streets, colourful houses, rivers where you can jump off the rocks and warm inhabitants. From Cordoba I went back to Buenos Aires and took the ferry to Montevideo. Back to work!
Optimist Worlds 2006
I spent ten days with world's best Optimist sailors and their families, which was a wonderful experience. From time to time the conditions were pretty rough for photographers, but I enjoyed working with my local colleagues. The final race was thrilling, as Julian Autenrieth from Germany had to close the gap of two points. Griselda Khng from Singapore was leading, but she did not manage to handle the nerves and she lost her world title to Julian. Nautique, a Dutch glossy nautical magazine, published my article about the Optimist culture and illustrated it with my images. Zeilen published a report with photographs and Dinghy Sailing Magazine used one picture as well.
A friend of mine came to visit me and we travelled together to Bariloche in Patagonia. Another gorgeous place to be. It is often called Switzerland of South-America and I do understand why, but of course there are differences. Again, the locals were friendly and warm, something we busy Dutchies can learn from. The mountains and lakes are beautiful and the gaucho culture adds something special to the whole experience.
I will definitely go back to Argentina, but after a profound Spanish course!
22 February 2007
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