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What it's like to sail the Round Texel
I arrived on the beach Wednesday morning at around eleven, once there I noticed that quite a few people had already setup their boats to compete in the Texel Dutch Open (6 round-the-cans races) which would start at twelve. A beautiful day with sunshine, no surf, and light winds. After setting up the boat I went for a sail to see if I hadn't forgotten anything, apart from a few minor details everything was ready for action. After sailing I met up my fellow club members which had already setup their tents on a nice camping close to the beach.On Thursday we went for a sail (The "Horstocht") to the south of the island for free fish and drinks, it gives you a good opportunity to scout the south of the island for the race on Saturday. Its a tricky place with shoals, sandbanks, currents and tides. As always people try to go as far outside the channel markers as possible which makes for the usual capsizes and groundings. Since there were no more than 8-10kts of wind there where no serious problems.
Friday was a cold day (12C/53F), to cold for me anyway! This gave me a good opportunity to take pictures and follow the racing. First stop was the Pit Lane's Hobie Europe stand with the very cool looking Hobie Fox Extreme, this all-carbon beast was built to take line honors and maybe more. Interesting was the "Made by Hobie Europe" sticker on the hulls, obviously they now have facilities to build carbon hulls. Also the rudder system was not standard Hobie style, ironically they didn't use carbon boards and rudders but standard GRPs. Opposite the Hobie Europe stand where the F18-Capricorns, a relative newcomer that seems to perform very well within the F18 field.
Saturday morning, race day. I set the alarm at 6am, had some breakfast, headed to the beach where everyone was preparing their boats for the start at 10am.
Round Texel 2005 Wrapup and Results.
Wind, waves and shallow water... the 28th Zwitserleven Round Texel Race for beachcatamarans was a tough one. The surf became a huge playground for waves with boats as their toys. It was a challenge to get to the starting line, due to the onshore wind. Many participants crashed and were washed ashore. Even top sailors. Others decided to withdraw from the race and did not try to face the elements. Only 247 teams crossed the finishline, but 120 were disqualified. Wouter Samama and Jeroen van Leeuwen, sailing on a Tornado Spi, smashed the race and world record with almost twenty minutes. Mischa Heemskerk and Sander de Boer finished about four minutes later with their Hobie Tiger, which was enough for the victory on handicap.At 8:00 hours on Saturday morning 11 June, race director Jaap Tirion wished all sailors a safe and good race. The north-north-west wind was force 5 to 6 and the waves were high. Participants prepared themselves for a tough challenge. Spectators got ready for an unprecedented spectacle. It was like an exciting show. Xander Pols and Sven de Laaf were the first drop-outs among the favourites. Their M20 with brand new carbon sails capsized in the surf, after which the mast broke immediately. Gerard Loos, Rikkert Graat and Daan Koene followed. Mitch Booth and Herbert Dercksen had bad luck as well. Although they were able to start again, the frames inside their carbon Hobie Concept hulls were cracked, which forced them to give up. Sailors were assisting each other to save masts of capsized catamarans. For others it was too late and they needed help to rescue their equipment. Wouter Samama and Jeroen van Leeuwen were also in troubles. Samama: "I thought it would not be too difficult, but I fell off the boat and we broke the tiller and we damaged the bow. Fortunately, we could repair the damage on the water."
Round Texel 2005 Results, Tornado Sets Record, Hobie Tiger Wins.
On Saturday June 11th 2005, Wouter Samama and Jeroen van Leeuwen (NED) broke all records during the 28th Zwitserleven Rounde Texel Race. They sailed their Tornado within 2 hours, 11 minutes and 11 seconds around the island. That was about 19 minutes faster than Van Teylingen/Manuel in the 1997 race and Bouscholte/Van Wieren at their attempt in 2003. According to the provisional results, Mischa Heemskerk and Sander de Boer won on handicap with their Hobie Tiger.Many drop-outs
Participants had a tough day, due to the heavy conditions. During the briefing at 8:00 AM hours, the north-northwest-wind wind was already force five. The direction in combination with the high surf claimed many victims. Boats capsized by the handful, which resulted into lots of damage to the equipment. Among them were favorites for the victory, like Xander Pols and Sven de Laaf with their M20. Last year’s winners, Team Zwitserleven Booth/Dercksen, turned over as well and cracked the inside frames of their brand new carbon hulls. The damage was too serieus and therefore they could not start the race. Booth: "Of course we are disappointed, but what happened belongs to these kind of events. It was close to the limit." Half of the 547 subscribed teams withdrew prematurely. Finally, 247 catamarans finished. Paralympic sailor Thierry Schmitter completed the race as well.
"The party broke out"Samama and Van Leeuwen did not go through the surf undamaged, but they were able to repair their broken tiller before the start. They started high on the line. Samama: "We could go over everybody and reached the light house in first position." The team hit the ground before the VC-mark and damaged their rudder. "We tied it. Our leg towards Oudeschild was extremely fast, after which we saw nobody anymore. I looked at my watch at the southern point of the island. We still had 45 minutes left to break the record and we only needed 20. As we entered the beach, the party broke out. Super cool!"
Five minutes later, Mischa Heemskerk and Sander de Boer crossed the finishline as second team. De Boer: "Remco Kenbeek and Paul Brouwer were just behind us, until they capsized close before the VC-mark. At that point, there were two Tornado’s in front of us, but Eduard Zanen took in his spinnaker earlier. We passed them, after which we tried to stay as close as possible to Wouter and Jeroen." The Nissan Hobie Pro Team won on handicap. Eduard Zanen and Willem Houwing from Texel finished third.
Team Kearns/Burns Wins Texel Dutch Open 2005
On Friday June 10th, the British youth team Simon Kearns and Ben Burns won the Texel Dutch Open 2005. Due to a collision before the second start, the Dutch title seemed to be gone, but the boys received redress (compensation in points for prejudice to sailors). The same happened to Repeat Team Willem Geijsen and Rico van Capelle (NED) with their Capricorn. They stormed into the second position, followed by TNG Team Rikkert Graat and Daan Koene. In contrast with the last two days, there was a strong wind from the north. Rain showers crossed over, the current increased and the waves built up. Many competitors of the Zwitserleven Round Texel Race tested their equipment for the big race.
Rikkert Graat and Daan Koene scored today’s first bullet. Koene: "We won because we were the smartest. The whole fleet choose for the sea-side and we went to the coast, where we took advantage of two wind shifts." Mischa Heemskerk and Sander de Boer won the second race.
Trouble for the winners
"We have a big hole", says Kearns in front of the protest room. "We were waiting on the starting line as a Tornado hit us." Jan and Arnoud Schrama (NED) tried to pass the British Hobie Tiger from behind, but they crashed into the hull. The British sailors protested the Dutch Tornado and received redress. Kearns and Burns had to get used to the heavier conditions during the first race, which resulted into an eigth position. Although it is their first appearance on the Texel North Sea, the youth sailors won the Texel Dutch Open surprisingly.
Rikkert Graat and Daan Koene scored today’s first bullet. Koene: "We won because we were the smartest. The whole fleet choose for the sea-side and we went to the coast, where we took advantage of two wind shifts." Mischa Heemskerk and Sander de Boer won the second race.
Trouble for the winners
"We have a big hole", says Kearns in front of the protest room. "We were waiting on the starting line as a Tornado hit us." Jan and Arnoud Schrama (NED) tried to pass the British Hobie Tiger from behind, but they crashed into the hull. The British sailors protested the Dutch Tornado and received redress. Kearns and Burns had to get used to the heavier conditions during the first race, which resulted into an eigth position. Although it is their first appearance on the Texel North Sea, the youth sailors won the Texel Dutch Open surprisingly.
Team Pols/De Laaf Dominates the Second Day of Texel Dutch Open 2005
M20-team Pols/De Laaf dominated the second day of the Texel Dutch Open with two victories. The British youth sailors Kearns/Burns finished third twice and maintained their overall lead. Jorgen Kerstens and Paul Smissaert (NED) are still in second position with their M20, followed by Repeat Team Willem Geijssen and Rico van Capelle on a new Capricorn (F18). The north-west wind increased during the morning until force three with a blue sky. The strong current caused many black flags. Xander Pols: "This weather is amazing and Peter made us a very special sail." The M20 of Xander Pols and Sven de Laaf is equipped with a Maxx Multi Axial Fabric sailcloth of Contender. Sail-maker Peter Vink of Performance Sails: "It is composed of sixty percent carbon and forty percent kevlar and the surface is seamless. As a result, the forces can be better focussed on the fibres, which causes a more stable sail." According to De Laaf, the tension on the mainsheet and the position of the boot require the greatest care: "But then we go like crazy." Jean-Louis and Jacqueline Flier could follow them closely in the first race. Jean-Louis Flier of Repeat Sales Promotions, sponsor of the Round Texel: "We had a good start at the pin-end. We were off in first position. Xander caught up on us, but we could stay close to the other M20." A second place was the result. "And first F18", adds Flier.
Chaotic second start
The start of the second race passed off chaotically. After two general recalls, the black flag flied on the starting vessel. Daan Koene: "Many teams were again too early over the line, which caused another general recall. Not everybody managed to be back on time, due to a strong current. We had a port start, which came out well." Rikkert Graat en Daan Koene finished with their Capricorn behind Pols/De Laaf.
Calrm Start for the Beginning of the Texel Dutch Open
On Wednesday June 8th 2005, the Texel Dutch Open started calmly. The north-north-west wind was weak, while the sun was shining. This afternoon, 53 teams started in the official Dutch Championship Catamaran Sailing 2005. The British F18 youth team of Simon Kearns and Ben Burns leads the fleet after two races. Jorgen Kerstens and Paul Smissaert are in second position with their M20, followed by Jan and Stuart Visser on a iF20. At the end of the afternoon, the cats were surfing the rolling waves in the light conditions on their way back to the beach.Youth team Kearn/Burns in the lead
Kearns (20) and Burns (19) called today’s conditions ‘tricky and unpredictable’. Luck was one part of it, but you also had to keep your eyes open, says Kearns. The boys started with a bullet and are leading the fleet after day one. It is their first year on a Hobie Tiger in the Formula 18 class. They participate at the British catamaran training program for youth and started on the Hobie 16. They won silver at the 2004 Youth Europeans Hobie 16 with spinnaker in Belgium. Last weekend, the young sailors finished second in the Island of Wight Race. Kearns: We were leading for five hours and they got us in the last 1,5 mile. They have no specific goal for their first Zwitserleven Round Texel Race on Saturday June 11th, but they do have an ambition: It would be great to finish among the big names. And we are looking forward to the start, since we have heard a few stories about that.
WOW! 557 Pre-Registered for the 2005 Zwitserleven Round Texel Race
A week and a half before the Zwitserleven Round Texel Race 2005, the organization received 557 pre-entries. Sailors representing nine countries will try their luck on June 11th in world’s biggest catrace. Among them also last year’s overall winner, Team Zwitserleven Booth/Dercksen (NED), and Bouscholte/Van Wieren (NED) who won the line honours. Visitors do not have to miss anything, due to live images on a big screen on the beach. TNG Official Timekeeper will inform them on the interim scores.
Favorites: Most olympic teams will not be present on Texel, since the Tornado Worlds 2005 start on Monday June 13th in France. However, Mitch Booth and Herbert Dercksen will participate and they go for the line honours on a Hobie Fox Extreme Concept Boat. Booth about their special project: "We are using high-tech technology from the olympic sport for a beach cat. With this boat, we should be able to stay ahead of a Tornado." They have to race against Hans Bouscholte and Ruurd van Wieren on an eagle 20 carbon, but also against Wouter Samama and Jeroen van Leeuwen, a new Dutch Tornado team. Richard Allen and Simon Farren from Great-Britain are feared competitors on a Tornado as well.
There are several other favourites, sailing on different F18 catamarans, for the victory on handicap. The German Sach brothers and Kenbeek/Brouwer (NED) on a new Capricorn and the French Boulogne brothers, second overall in 2004 and F18 World Champions 2003, on a Cirrus. The Nissan Hobie Pro Team participates with two Hobie Tiger crews: Mourniac/Citeau (FRA) and Heemskerk/De Boer (NED). Paralympic sailor Thierry Schmitter (NED) will start in the Dart 18 class. He won a bronze medal in the 2.4mR at the Paralymic Games in Athens. Schmitter received a spinal cord lesion during a climbing accident in 1998 and sails the Dart 18 since the beginning of this season. Round Texel Co-ordinator Edwin Lodder: "Despite the lack of many olympic sailors, the fleet is of a high level again. It promises to be a strong competition and hopefully with an exciting final."
4th Annual Hobie 101, Sail Sandpoint Facility, Seattle, Washington
The 4th (annual) running of Hobie 101 occurred Saturday, May 14th at the Sail Sandpoint facility in Seattle. Despite the best efforts of the event organizers to limit attendance to maintain some semblance of order, a surge of late and on-site registration resulted in a class that exceeded last year’s class of 35 people. This year’s class included 38 people in 19 boats, including 12 Hobie 16s, one Hobie 18, 4 Hobie Waves, and two Sol Cats.
We specifically told people they had to pre-register because we wanted to limit the class to a manageable size. But people showed up with friends, relatives, the family dog! It was amazing! We can’t seem to keep them away! exclaimed Peter Nelson, one of the event organizers and teachers of the class. Each year it keeps getting bigger and bigger! We figured two years ago the numbers would peak and start falling. Instead, they just keep growing and growing. People can’t seem to get enough of this class! he added.
This year was the first year event sponsors were formally recognized and introduced to the participants. They included: Hobie Fleet 95; Sail Sandpoint; Hobie Cat Co. and the local dealer, Hobie Cats Northwest; and Harken. Each participant received the Hobie University booklet, a Hobie calendar and waterproof credit card holder from the Hobie Cat. Co. and Hobie Cats NW, and several Harken promotional items. The items were devoured by the attendees, and nothing was left at the end of the day!
The class started out in a jam-packed, standing-room-only classroom at Sail Sandpoint’s sailing facility. After a couple of hours to chalk talk, it moved out to the floating dock. There, Nelson and his regular 16 crew, Laura Sullivan, discussed clothing, safety, and rigging, and demonstrated many boat handling skills. After a delicious box lunch in the parking lot where attendees had the opportunity to informally ask questions and meet and make new friends, those who brought boats set about to rig them. Fleet members from the local Hobie fleet walked around the parking lot and assisted participants with the rigging of their boats.
F18 North Americans to include live webcast all week on www.F18NAOnline.com
Rockledge Engineering Inc Multimedia Services and the organizers of the 2005 Formula 18 North Americans are pleased to announce the addition of live webcasting to the event’s growing list of exciting news. The F18 North Americans will take place at Buckroe Beach, Hampton, Virginia from August 8th through the 12th, 2005.
Real-time updates including video, audio,, photos, results, text updates, and interviews will be hosted on the multimedia website www.F18NAOnline.com. Don’t miss the exiting Formula 18 sailing preview already posted to the site.
The Formula 18 North American Championships will be the qualifying event to select the US Multihull representative to the 2006 ISAF World Games taking place on Lake Neusiedl, Austria.
“We are truly excited to have live coverage of the event”, said Tracie Van Houten, event chairman for the F18NA.’s. “This is exciting news for those who are interested in following the F18 North Americans and the ISAF Qualifiers. We hope that the exposure generated from the high-tech coverage will provide considerable exposure to Formula 18 Catamaran Racing in North America.”
Real-time updates including video, audio,, photos, results, text updates, and interviews will be hosted on the multimedia website www.F18NAOnline.com. Don’t miss the exiting Formula 18 sailing preview already posted to the site.
The Formula 18 North American Championships will be the qualifying event to select the US Multihull representative to the 2006 ISAF World Games taking place on Lake Neusiedl, Austria.
“We are truly excited to have live coverage of the event”, said Tracie Van Houten, event chairman for the F18NA.’s. “This is exciting news for those who are interested in following the F18 North Americans and the ISAF Qualifiers. We hope that the exposure generated from the high-tech coverage will provide considerable exposure to Formula 18 Catamaran Racing in North America.”
Fear and Loathing in Santa Barbara, Final Act - 2005 Hobie Tiger Worlds
Sorry this is so late Damon, but I seemed to have lost a few days last week. Eric and I met some guys named Buzz (I don’t think that was his real name…) and GARY, why his name is all capitals I don’t know. Anyway, from what little I remember we ended up on some island and I woke up one morning next to a bottle of Jack Daniels – the rest is a little fuzzy. But let’s talk about the Tiger worlds.
When it comes together in Santa Barbara it comes together. Racers woke on Thursday morning to blue skies and a moderate breeze from the west. The collective thought in the makeshift parking lot campground was “Let’s go racing!” The committee boat headed out and set up a course about 1.5 nautical miles long. We again had all boats on the line at once and the competitors were getting more aggressive as the competition was coming to an end this very day.
So far the field had been pretty random with no real competitor standing out as the team to beat. Larry Harteck had shown his mettle as well as Greg Thomas, but others such as Nigel Pitt seemed a bit out of sorts for the week and still trying to get a handle on the local conditions. On Thursday one team would stand out, and their performance would lead them to a victory for the series and the title of world champion of the Hobie Tiger.
The swell was negligible and the wind waves at a minimum giving the racers a flat open course to play with. It was beginning to look like NASCAR at the stern of the committee boat as some of the less experienced teams got into trouble with dirty air and bad positioning for the start, which led to some “Bumpin’ and Rubbin’” along with some very colorful language. Suffice to say Damon, Eric and I can now say a variety of insults in Italian, Spanish, French, and German! Most of the big boys seemed to head for the middle of the line or the pin, leaving the rest to duke it out for the left over real estate. Enrique Figueroa somehow managed to make the committee boat end his own though, weaving in and out and predicting when and where a hole would open up to make to start line at the horn and in the lead. His chartreuse sail would be the one to look for the rest of the day.
Race one saw 17 year old Taylor Booth take the old guys to task as he led the pack off the line on a port tack towards the beach, but it was Enrique who was the first to “A” mark and by the time he passed through the downwind gate he was a full 20 seconds ahead of the second place boat. The sailing was flat and fast and everyone had their chutes out for some blistering downwind runs that were averaging about 6 minutes to cover the 1.5 nm course.
Race two saw Enrique Figueroa out in front once again and leading the entire race. Greg Thomas and Jacques Bernier were in the hunt as well and Mischa Heemskerk from the Netherlands was looking very fast as well. The top contenders were beginning to emerge and there were very few points separating the top three boats.
Race three brought some exciting finish line action as there was a port / starboard confrontation between Mischa Heemskerk and Greg Thomas. Team Thomas (USA) came into the finish line vying for second place on a starboard tack with team Heemskerk (Netherlands) on port. Thomas started calling for rights and Heemskerk failed to give way causing Thomas to change his course to avoid the inevitable collision – Thomas and Bernier end up capsizing their boat on the finish line. As Thomas and Bernier struggled to right their boat Heemskerk does his penalty 360 and finishes the race all the while not losing any places. Meanwhile Thomas and Bernier lose 9 places and see a possible second place in the series slip away.
A protest was filed and at first glance it looked as though Thomas and Bernier would be SOL as there was no boat damage caused, and the penalty turn done, creating no cause for redress. The question will always remain – was this in intentional act of dirty sailing? Was Mischa Heemskerk merely using the rules and hoping for the right outcome? We will never know, but ultimately it didn’t work out in their advantage as they were ruled as DSQ in race three which dropped them to 6th overall, but Thomas was still scored a 9th, which dropped him from a possible 2nd place overall to 5th. I can’t imagine that Thomas and Bernier were all too happy with the outcome.
Race four was run with out incident and Figueroa walked away with another bullet. He ended the day with three bullets and a third, and a Hobie Tiger world championship trophy. All in all a good four days of racing, and I do believe that the best sailor out there won. Some places down the line are in question in this reporters mind due to some questionable tactics on the course, but this is a different playground than what I am used to, and not everyone plays the game like I do when there are jobs and sponsorships on the line.
The awards ceremony was a pretty swanky affair, held at Café Nu on State Street. They had produced a video of the week’s events combining still and live action for our entertainment. I hope that they offer copies for sale as I would certainly buy one, besides; it shows your trusty reporter on the signal boat in a few scenes! I have to say Damon, that the girls on State Street at 11 pm on a Thursday night are quite a site! Eric was quite impressed – but you know what they say, “You can take the boy off the ranch, but you can’t take the ranch off the boy.” Or something like that.
Again, Damon, sorry for this being so late. When we got the private charter plane ticket for our trip home we had to sell them for some refreshments on the island with our new friends. You would not believe how much they want for a Buffalo’s Milk these days, and well, when you buy the whole place a round it tends get a little expensive. Hey, what’s the deal with cutting off the credit card? Do you know how embarrassing it is to have a $475.00 dinner bill rejected by the card company? Eric and I spent two hours washing dishes before we could sneak out the back.
And now I leave you with a surreal moment from the signal boat that pretty much sums up our experience for the week. In the cockpit stands Paul Ulibarri, PRO for the event. If any of you know Mr. Ulibarri you will remember him as very conservative and very serious when it comes to putting on a good event for the competitors. Now meet Daniel, first mate on the signal boat, and best described as the quintessential California soul surfer. Now picture Daniel coming up from the bowls of the 45 foot cruising cat dressing in an adult sized panda suit, complete with head (I’m not kidding about this…) and the following conversation ensues –
Daniel – “Good morning Paul!”
Strained silence.
Paul – “Daniel, I am not feeling the Panda suit!”, and Daniel turns around to head back to the berths below.
The last we saw Oggie and Daniel, the cat was speeding along the shore of Santa Barbara at what had to be close to 3200 RPM, diesels screaming under the strain with music blaring through the speakers and the disco ball flashing in the main salon. Oh, and Oggie and Daniel enacting the battle between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader on the forward tramp with light up light sabers. As Daniel dropped his light saber into the bay the last thing you could hear as they motored out of site and into the sunset was Daniel saying “Luke, I’m your father…”
Until next time Damon,
Dave Atwater and Eric Finley – Good Night!
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