De Koog / Texel, June 21 2007 - On the second day of the Texel Dutch Open in the Netherlands, Hugh Styles and Ryan Crawford (UK) consolidated their lead in the Open Class I. They finished third and first on handicap, racing a F18 Nacra Infusion. Mischa Heemskerk and Bastiaan Tentij scored a first and fifth, which left them in second position overall. The Frenchmen Jean-Christophe Mourniac and Frank Citeau climbed on the leader board and are third overall, followed by their Nissan team-mates Jörg and Arne Gosche (GER). Father and son Gosche had a good day with a fourth and a third. Hans Primowees still leads the nine small cats. The participants in the Open Class II have completed only one race this afternoon, since they were not in time at the first upwind mark of the second one. After almost two hours of postponement, the breeze was strong enough to start racing, but later the wind died due to a front that moved across the North Sea.

Race 1 - Duel experimental M20’s

In the first race, the two experimental M20’s of Pols/Veenstra and Dercksen/Mcintosh battled for the line honours. Herbert Dercksen and Aaron Mcintosh had a good start, while Xander Pols and Tjiddo Veen had more problems in the middle of the line. Pols: “We closed the gap to Herbert and we could pass him in the last downwind.” According to Pols, the speed difference had to do with their custom made rig: “Mischa Heemskerk and Peter Vink made a beast of our M20. They worked together on the development of the sails, made of PBO-cloth, which is also used in the America’s Cup. PBO loses strength due to UV-radiation, but the material is stiff and therefore fast. The cut looks like an A-cat mainsail, but flatter. We added a jib as well. The acceleration is awesome. I have never had this feeling on a boat before.” Mischa Heemskerk and Bastiaan Tentij, sailing a F18 Nacra Infusion, won on handicap. They were even leading at the first top mark, but had to give up that position under spinnaker, as the M20 was the faster cat.

2007 'Round the Island Multihull Sailboat Race
Fort Walton Yacht Club
June 15- 17 2007

The 'Round the Island Race is a 100 mile circumnavigation of Santa Rosa Island located in Northwest Florida.  Headquartered at the Fort Walton Yacht Club, the race begins off the point, through the East Pass and continues west to the Pensacola Pass where the northern turn is made for the return trip through the inter-coastal waterway. 

A light but steady breeze and an early morning start made for a fantastic day to be on the water along the Emerald Coast.  Not half and hour into the race, the fleet, heading east through Choctawhatchee Bay, was clipping along at 15 knots as they approached the East Pass and hit puffy wind and a 5 knot incoming tide.  With more than half of the fleet flying spinnakers, the wind shifted and the made the approach to the Destin Bridge exciting as they maneuvered through the pass and into the Gulf of Mexico.

Hugh Styles and Ryan Crawford (UK) scored two bullets on the first day of the Texel Dutch Open 2007 in the Netherlands. The British sailors shined at boat speed with their Nacra Infusion and ‘simple sailing’, as they called it. Mischa Heemskerk and Bastiaan Tentij, also on a Nacra Infusion, finished second twice in a fleet of 46 competitors. The British Spitfire team Chris Sproat and Georgina Burke are in third position overall. Last year’s runner up of the Zwitserleven Round Texel, Hans Primowees on a 27-year old Prindle 15, is leading the nine small cats in the Open Class II. After a few hours of postponement, the conditions were close to perfect with a southwester force 4, waves and clear skies.

A week prior to the start of the 30th Zwitserleven Round Texel Race, the organization has received 482 pre-entries. Among them the overall winners of 2006, Remco Kenbeek and Paul Brouwer with their F18 Capricorn (NED). The Swedish M20 duo Marström/Persson that took last year’s line honours after an exciting battle, will be back as well. The golden fleet is at full strength with over two hundred top teams from the Netherlands, Australia, France, Belgium, Germany and the UK. On Saturday June 23rd 2007 at 12:30 hours pm local time, hundreds of catamarans will start their race against the clock. From Wednesday June 20 until Friday June 22, golden fleet competitors have the opportunity to warm up by participating in the Texel Dutch Open, the official Dutch Championship Catamarans Sailing. 98 Teams have registrated so far.

A strong representation of home country the Netherlands will line up for world’s biggest catrace. Double former winner Mischa Heemskerk and his new crew Bastiaan Tentij are at full speed this season. Earlier this year, the Yamaha and Boskalis sponsored duo won Eurocat in Carnac (FRA) and the North Sea Regatta in Scheveningen (NED). They are part of the first one season Nacra Master Class ever, in which the 19-year old Tentij is supposed to learn as much as possible from his master Heemskerk. Tentij’s actual skipper Stefan Dubbeldam (19) will be coached and trained by Gunnar Larsen, who won the Round Texel Race in 1999. Team Zwitserleven Booth/Nieuwenhuis will be hard to beat in heavier conditions. At the F18 Worlds in Queensland (AUS) in February 2007, the Dutchmen showed their strength by winning silver with only one point deficit to Gold. Booth won the Zwitserleven Round Texel Race 2004 with crew Herbert Dercksen. Almost a year after their split, the two former mates will compete against each other, but this time both as skipper.

Prototype Volvo Extreme 20

Herbert Dercksen takes the helm of the prototype Volvo Extreme 20, with Aaron Mcintosh (NZL) crewing for him. Dercksen about his latest project, enabled by Zwitserleven: “This carbon cat is based on the M20, but has a different sail plan. You can consider it as a possible successor of the Tornado. Is carries a Tornado mast, the jib is smaller and the main a bit bigger. The VX 20 weighs 125 kilograms, which is 45kg less than the Tornado. I have learned a lot over the past years, so it is very exciting to helm by myself now. I look forward to the race.” At the moment, Dercksen is skippering the Extreme 40 in the Swiss Bol d’Or on Lake Geneva.

100 mile distance race, no ground crew needed!

Editors note:Ever thought you'd like to do one of the distance races like the Tybee 500 or the Great Texas, but don't have the ground support or resources for such an adventure? The Fort Walton Yacht Club, 'Round the Island is the perfect event to challenge yourself without breaking the bank or scaring your loved ones. Sail a 100 mile round trip race with the start and finish inside the bay, no surf launch to deal with and only takes a weekend. Read on for the race details.

Note: This years race start is Saturday, June 16, 2007

The Round the Island Race is a 100 mile circumnavigation around Santa Rosa Island located in Northwest Florida.  Headquartered at the Fort Walton Yacht Club, the race begins off the point, through the East Pass and continues west through the Pensacola pass where the northern turn is made for the return trip.

Having one start for all competitors, the initial direction is east in the Choctawhatchee Bay as the boats head for the East Pass from the start.  The wind is usually 4 to 6 knots from the Northeast so the start is a one legged beat.  As the multi-hulls round a turning mark off the shoals of Crab Island, they head for the Destin Bridge and the East Pass.  There they meet the Destin Charter Boat fleet heading out the Pass for a colorful parade of sailors and fishing boats.  Spectators line the Destin Bridge and capture some beautiful sights, as the fleet hoists spinnakers using the NNE breeze to speed them out the Pass.

White sandy beaches and glistening emerald water provides for a spectacular run to the Sea Buoy.  Approximately one-half a mile out the Pass leaving to starboard, the fleet will now head due west for 50 miles of beautiful sailing in the Gulf of Mexico.  The fleet is usually favored to stay along the shore to take advantage of the east to west flowing beach current where most of the competitors will stay within 1 to 2 miles of shore.  As the sun rises higher and starts its usual east to west trajectory the wind follows it.  Thus the NNE breeze in the morning will give way to a Southeast veer that will usually turn southerly before going to the Southwest in the late afternoon.  This makes for a lot of spinnaker work and reaching in the Gulf before reaching the Pensacola Pass.

The fleet will pass three fishing piers in the Gulf at Fort Walton, Navarre, and Pensacola Beach so the landmarks are easily recognizable as well as great perches for the spectators.  Upon reaching the Pass at Pensacola the competitors will usually hug the shoreline at the Fort Pickens State Park as they round inside the Pass for the run home.  The lead boats, usually RC 30’s and 27’s as well as a sprinkling of Super Cat 22’s will enter the Pass from 1p.m to 3p.m. if the normal wind pattern holds true.  The majority of the fleet will be in the Pass from then on into the late afternoon with everyone required to be in the inter-coastal waterway before sundown.