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!

ROST II, ready for a new sailing year

The first months of the new year have only just passed, and the new ROST is ready to sail in the van Uden KER 46. After more than 25 new sailors signed up for a chance to win the ROST II, ​​the November to get the KER back in top shape. To get to know the new batch of sailors better, a kick-off was organized on December 7, after the butter letter. During this kick-off, match-race competitions were sailed in the two MaxFun 25 boats of our own association. The Elsa competed against the Sixties in several small competitions. The day was arranged in such a way that everyone would sail with as many different sailors as possible, so the teams changed all the time. Anyone who has ever sailed a match-race sailing competition knows that these are very competitive one-on-one competitions, with the sailors constantly challenging each other and sharp buoy curves and starts are disastrous. These situations require good boat handling, which can be tricky when a team is sailing together for the first time. Because there was a good wind of between 15 and 20 knots that day, this resulted in exciting situations and there was a hard battle for the win.

After the kick-off, attention was again focused on the winter maintenance of the KER 46. The winches were disassembled and cleaned and greased again, the mast stripped and resprayed, the bottom of the boat was sanded and put back in the antifouwling . With the help of Niek, the carbon specialist, it has been ensured that the carbon in and on the boat is in good condition. The engine has actually been serviced for 1000 hours and on a Friday part of the team spent a whole day in Belgium in a North Sails shed to get all the sails race-ready again. Fortunately, many hands make heavy work light, which meant that the KER could go back into the water in the week of February 7th. On February 15, the first training session was already planned with a view to the first game of the season, the Van Uden Reco on April 18 and 19. On to a good sailing year, the KER is ready, and so is the new ROST II.