This gallery contains 15 photos.
Went to the Den Helder Dutch Wooden boat Festival -the first edition- and was overwhelmed by woodenboat goodness . I saw a wooden boat workshop available for all, found books I really wanted for a long time, talked to people … Continue reading
This gallery contains 27 photos.
On Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 June 2019 the host of the event Watersportvereniging Wormer (Holland) welcomed us to join in as participants of the annual open club race called the “Beschuitstoren regatta”. “Us” are the usual pair of Belgians … Continue reading
This gallery contains 6 photos.
At the 2019 Nationals five Minisails were present and two local guest Fireballs. The idea to have British nationals 2019 in Ostend was launched last year in Bowmoor during the Nationals 2018. As this exotic move to mainland Europe was … Continue reading
This gallery contains 2 photos.
In May 2017 we participated in the French bi-annual Semaine du Golfe event (article here) And we are going back: We’ll bet at the 2019 edition. As newbies in 2017 we did some learning; Being at and sailing the edition … Continue reading
This gallery contains 43 photos.
At the 2018 CVRDA Bowmoor event nine Minisails were present and nine sailors. (Only for the record there where: 3 wooden Sprites, 1 Wooden Meson, 3 MS Sprint M2 and 2 MS Monaco. On Saturday morning eight were out on … Continue reading
(all pictures courtesy the six MS participants, no, five I forgot the camera at home)
On Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 June 2018 the host of the event Watersportvereniging Wormer (Holland) welcomed the Minisail class to have their Europeans and join in as participants of the annual open club race called the “Beschuitstoren race”.
Saturday: Six Minisails were present. Three Sprint MkII, a Monaco, a wooden cockpit Sprite and a wooden disheddecked Sprite.
For a moment the club was the worldscene of Minisails!
Sailors included the three locals Frans, Jacco and Marco, joined by John B. who came over from the UK, Dean and me from Belgium.
The shifty wind was force 3 to 4 and once on the lake it felt occasionally to be more than that.
Exactly as last year we sailed out for a recreational tour on the lake, read: headed straight to the jetty of the sunny waterside pub “De Hofjes”.
The cruise wasn’t the gentle picnic afternoon sailing we had in mind however; We needed to tack our way in choppy water against a shifting and gusty wind, resulting in the inevitable swim for many. Frans was having trouble getting afloat again and exhausted from the effort to recover the MS he made the right decision to return to the club and swap the Sprint for his comfortable cruising catboat to join us some time later.
Needless to say our sail back was done in a fraction of time we spent on getting there, with the wind now playing along. Our five Minisails were home before we realised it.
Yes, I failed to notice the entrance and needed to do some more tacking back to get home.
The remaining lot sailed off on time (for a change!) towards the Hofjes where enrollment and the start would be.
Once out on the lake Frans had a déja-vue and decided conditions were too violent so headed back to once more fetch his Catboat. Marco, Dean and me fought our way up to the starting area where only Marco and me made it, darn Dean broke his rudder on the way there. Unfortunately this meant that only two Minisails were now left for the first race.
And we did race, Marco did splendidly, me less so due to a traditional failed start, but I still managed to overtake some competitors. Gybing the last mark after 90 hard minutes fighting the elements, I noticed the proximity of the entrance to the club harbour and had a choice: Straight back to the club or tack for a fourth time all the way back to ‘De Hofjes’ to the finish. Most of my tormented bodyparts were begging me to choose the for the first option. So back to the club it was for me, resulting in an obvious D.N.F.
D.T. or “Did Try” is not in the racing vocabulary, so no honorable mention there (nor for Dean or Frans).
A physically wiped out Marco finished the first race and staggered into ‘De Hofjes’ declaring ‘No more!’ while Dean struggled to get his rudder repaired in time for the start of the second race.
After a tasty lunch it was time for everyone to gather for race two. A regenerated Marco decided a capsize drill in the narrow harbour would please the enthusiastic crowd and Dean fought the rising wind to rig his repaired Sprint from the jetty. Marco managed the start, but Dean was too late to compete.
Marco battled on and after finishing both races in a Minisail Monaco (with sliding seat), scooped all the medals to become the well deserved European Minisail Champion 2018.
It needs to be said that he hadn’t sailed a Minisail for the last 40 odd years. He did as a teenager with his family owned planked Monaco, hence his somehow nostalgic enthousiasm for the class. Still his daring, persevererance and sailing talent need to be underlined and it’s great to have him joining the gallery of Minisail Champions.
Not Minisail related but also it deserves the mention that along this endurance race in almost heavy conditions there were a dozen of local teenagers (and younger) that joined and finished the very same course in Optimist and Topaz Uno. Hats off to them.
I would like to thank the Watersportvereniging Wormer, Frans Stoop and his partner Janny for the hospitality, it’s remarkable how this club and every individual clubmember is giving it’s all to make guests feel at home, they really do.
If you have acces to Facebook, Dean wrote a concise report on the CVRDA FB page.
What about some events to look forward to in 2018?
Vintage Sailing in the city
“Les journées bruxelloises de l’eau“.
The Belgian GIRAFF Yacht Club invites to show old varnish on a lake near Brussels 25 March.
Ian Proctor Centenary Rally
The Ian Proctor Centenary Rally at the Bosham Sailing Club 2 -3 June
MS Europeans 2018
Very probably mid June in Wormer Holland or Ostend Belgium.
Here how it was last time
MS Nationals
Rupert suggested (on facebook.com/groups/minisail) to use the CVRDA Bowmoor Rally 2018 (18 Aug 2018 – 19 Aug) as a venue for a get together.
All to be confirmed and massaged.
(all pictures courtesy Janny Devriese)
On Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 June the host of the event Watersportvereniging Wormer welcomed the Minisail class as participants for their annual open club race this year named the “Beschuittoren race”.
Saturday: The five Minisais (three Sprint MII, a Monaco and my Sprite) sailed out for a recreational tour on the lake. It being time for lunch we headed straight to the jetty of the waterside pub “De Hofjes”.
The sailing Saturday afternoon was a joy, not every day the majority of boats on a lake are Minisails. On several occasions all five sliding seats were out and we were planing along just for the sake of planing.
During the lulls it was for the three not locals a good training in how not to get stuck in the mud with centreboard and rudder.
Sunday: After a delicious breakfast offered by Frans and Janny at their home we drove to the club and got the boats rigged. With hardly any wind we wouldn’t make it in time sailing upwind across the lake towards the starting line (and inscriptions), so we got a tow from a helpfull club trainer.
With the race twice postponed the wind finally picked up at 2 pm and the race officer decided for a semi canncelation: The race would be a simple one way trip to the club.
David and Jakko veered off to the north side of the lake unike the majority that went of to the centre and south. The entire fleet (all boats, not only the Minisails) had to cope with windshifts and variations the same way David and Jakko did, however slowly but surely we saw them gaining on us, their option to stay close to the North side payed of.
It was a close call but it was David taking the win with Jakko second, me third, Frans fourth and Dean unlucky getting his hull full of water came in fifth.
We got more attention than deserved during the prizegiving, and would like to thank the Watersportvereniging Wormer and Frans Stoop for the hospitality.
A picture from last year at Wormer to start with… We were not joining the annual club race back then so this weekend it will get more crowded.
The weather for Sunday 18 June 2017 from Windguru. It’s bound to get tactical, 5 to 6 knots is not a lot.
How does the venue compare to where we were before?
The online tool mapfrappe.com gives an idea:
Keyhaven – Wormer
Spuikom Oostende – Wormer
Golfe du Morbihan – Wormer
Roadford – Wormer
An interesting article in the local newspaper:
The Europeans pers
Here is why: Look at the lovely poster of the event:
Now take a look at my Minisail 9000 sail:
Minisail Sprite 9000
I can’t but suspect but the designer of the poster artwork must have seen the sail.
So, dispite not having sailed that boat for more than a year I’ll take 9000 to the Europeans at Wormer Holland in a few days.
Four boats with two excellent local sailors (Frans and Yakko),David A. and daredevil Dean M. are the competition in the Minisail class.
I’ll choose for presence rather than win, probably sailing along carefully and pleasantly kind.
Done that on several occasions and it wasn’t only pleasant but it ended with a good result as well.
Fun isn’t it; five Minisails in an European event.
Three MS Sprint, one Monaco and one wooden Sprite; All with seats. (I’ll remove mine when it’s below 3Bft, but don’t tell anyone).
Report on the event will be next.
Building a wooden Minisail 