Next season in sight!

It's been a year since we started the selection of ROST II. While last year (the pre-Corona era) seems centuries ago, this year has flown by again. The year has presented many challenges in sport and daily life. But as they say: 'you have to row with what you have', and we certainly did.

At the start of the ROST II route, a lot of work was done on the Van Uden Ker46 during the winter months. When the boat went into the water in February, the selection was not yet finalized, so the first training sessions were changed a lot to arrive at a basic team. Then everyone got the chance to try different positions in the boat. When the lockdown was announced on March 12 due to the first wave of Corona infections, a long time followed without sailing training. During this period, the thread was quickly picked up virtually by means of sports sessions and informative zoom lectures with ROST I. In June we were able to get back on the water and the selection process was completed. As soon as the selection was finalized and the ROST II team was in place, the long-term goal could be worked on: to perform as well as possible at the Rolex Fastnet race in 2021. Last summer, as much training as possible was done to make up for the missed training sessions in March, April and may catch up. At the end of August it was finally time and we gained our first offshore experiences as a team. In the end it was possible to test the progress during the Kielerwoche and the Bruinebank race. Although we look back with satisfaction on the results of these events, it has become clear that there is still a long way to go before the desired result can be achieved during the Fastnet.

The sailing season of 2020 has now ended (early). The boat was recently brought from Scheveningen to Hellevoetsluis, where it was taken out of the water by Yagra Jachtservice. The necessary winter maintenance will again be carried out here. Compared to last year, it is unfortunately not possible this year to do odd jobs with the team, so the job days are divided into groups of three. Again, the time we are not on the water is well used. Our boat captain Pieter, for example, has done his own heating system for the boat during his sail-less Sundays. The website and social media accounts are updated and zoom sessions are held to align with the team and set personal goals. We took the time to let the sails dry in an unusual place and sort them out. Since the catering industry is closed, the halls of the Delftsche Studenten Societeit 'Phoenix' and the student discotheque 'Lorre' in the heart of Delft could be used for this. The new Corona measures of October offer other opportunities in that regard.

Now that the second peak of Corona infections in the Netherlands is behind us, we can start looking at the coming year. With a view to the second season of ROST II, ​​preparations are in full swing so that as much as possible can be learned and we will appear with the best possible team at the start of the Fastnet in August. Offshore survival courses are planned, new data analysis software such as KND tested, the 2021 budget is drawn up and possible training events are sorted out. We cannot of course predict what the situation will look like in February, so it remains exciting which events can ultimately be sailed. For now we focus on the future and we try to prepare as best as possible within the restrictions of the virus. We are looking forward to getting back on the water and now we are pulling out all the stops to start next year at full steam!