Dutch Musto sailors
face the cold
Text: Marieke Wouda
Photo’s: Urban Böcker
This weekend in Muiden was the final installment
of the Gul Grand Prix: kindly organized by the Dutch
9er association in conjunction with the Skiff Centre
. The concept of the series is to wedge a metric $h!*load
of races into the shortest period of time, thereby not
allowing any of the sailors the time to realize how
cold they really are. Also, the nature of the short
courses and the close proximity to the shore allow parents
and other supporters to follow the races.
Only two boats went on time
The first start was scheduled at 12 sharp however some
grace was given by the RO. Eventually sick of waiting
for the final 3 Musto’s, starting got underway 15min
late with Paul (NED076) and Erik (NED269) going head-to-head.
Perhaps Ian should include some ‘rigging races’ in his
next coaching session…
Short Heavy Course
The course was a simple windward-leeward with a start/finish/gate
in the middle. The pin end had a large (25m) traditional
Dutch sailing ship standing by with all the spectators
on board – just to add an extra element to the course.
With only 200m between the top and bottom marks, as
well as approximately 20 other boats and a shifty, gusty
offshore breeze, there were plenty of things to think
about other than the cold!
And we’re off!
The first race was won by Paul with a narrow margin
on Erik. Race two saw all Musto’s on the water and last
year’s training appeared to have sunk in with everybody
contesting the line at the start. Well, almost everybody.
Elaine (GBR 421) seemed to be testing just how cold
the water really was…
Race 1,2,3,4…………….
With a nice breeze of 8-10 knots, all the boats started
to come alive. Results were fairly consistent with Paul
taking first place; followed by Erik, Tristan (AUS175)
and Elaine & Sijbrand (NED422). One race saw Tristan
win the start with good pace and a clear lane (Ian should
be proud; and I was!!) and looked set to upset the results
until Paul managed to capitalise on a mistake on the
last windward to take the gun.
Capsizing
Finally the short, intense races began to take their
toll; with the sailors beginning to tire and capsizes
starting to creep in. And me on the supporters boat:
I completely lost count of the races and results. Finally
Paul took a swim and immediately Erik took advantage
of the situation to hold on for the win.
Deciding to quit while he was ahead, Erik promptly headed
for the shore to join Tristan, Sijbrand and Elaine who
had already shown good common-sense. Paul stayed out
for another two races against the 9er’s before also
deciding he’s had enough for the day. Not a bad idea,
since his hands were completely covered in blisters!!
So a great day of sailing in Holland and
I really enjoyed being able to watch from such a close
(and comfortable!) position. Thank you again to the
organizers, sailors and sponsors. And a big thanks to
Urban Böcker for making the nice pictures.
And as I keep telling everybody, keep
training and BEAT PAUL!!
Worlds greatest Dutch Musto fan
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