Collect, accept and continue

Now that the sports summer of 2021 has come to an end, there is time for reflection on how it went. This is no different for ROST II. Last article, we looked ahead with the team at the matches that were planned during the summer holidays. The summer holidays are now over and the races have been sailed. It wasn’t always the smooth sailing we hoped for though.

At the beginning of the summer, it turned out that the Corona virus was not yet done with throwing a spanner in the works. Unfortunately, the team was unable to participate in the Round the Island match and Cowes – st. Malo due to the Corona measures that the United Kingdom was using at the time. These events were planned as training for the Fastnet. This made it impossible to sail in advance on the water where the key event of ROST II was to take place. Instead of sailing the van Uden Ker46 to England, the boat stayed in Scheveningen. However, the Rotterdam offshore sailing team would not be called Rotterdam if we sat down, so a new schedule was soon made. An extra offshore training has been planned, and because Frans Hinfelaar was on board, the team was able to learn a lot in the field of trim. The peels (changes of the headsails) could be practiced again, the waiting system was perfected and experiments were conducted with what kind of food to take on board during an offshore. After this, the countdown for the Rolex Fastnet race began.

At the beginning of August, ROST II departed with the van Uden Ker46 for Cherbourg in France, to sail from there to Cowes for the start of the Fastnet. The route of the Fastnet race has changed this year for the first time in a long time; the finish has been moved to Cherbourg in France instead of Plymouth, United Kingdom. On the way to France, the team was in good spirits until all meters on the boat went out. Once in France, figuring out what was the cause of this became the priority, and the first days could therefore not be trained. Fortunately, the point where the short circuit originated was discovered, and training could then be given to dot the i's and cross the t's. ROST II purchased a number of new sails from North Sails this year and these were tested one last time to decide which sails to take on board to England. However, the setbacks were not over yet, because the day before sailing to England, it turned out that a teammate could not come along. Fortunately, the reserve crew of ROST II was ready on the jetties of Cherbourgh and with this last-minute team change, they sailed to England for the start of the race.

On the day of arrival at the Isle of Wright off the English coast, relaxation in the United Kingdom's Corona measures took place. As a result, the evening before the start, there was just time to walk around Cowes. The options of the route were discussed and a last good night's sleep was enjoyed. The next day was the start. In the Solent, the water between the English mainland and Cowes, more than 400 boats were ready for the start. Remarkably, the first part of the race was with the current and the wind. This is remarkable because usually the current is against it when sailing out of the Solent. Due to the wind forecast, the start for the larger classes had been moved forward, which meant that there was a current far out of the Solent. With 30 knots of headwinds, the conditions were tough, and the forecast was that these winds would certainly last for the first 24 hours of the race. ROST II started in the IRC Z class, as the smallest boat in the fleet. The Ker46 was on the starting line along with impressive other boats, such as the Skorpios (ClubSwan 125ft), the Rambler 88 (Canting keel Sloop), I love Poland (a Volvo 70) and Sailing Poland (a Volvo 65). In addition, a separate starting group with IMOCA 60 boats and trimarans started for the IRC Z class. For sailing enthusiasts, these are more than enough beautiful boats to get distracted. As the smallest of the fleet, the starting plan was simple: stay away from the bigger boats and start slowly. At the last minute, however, there was a gap on the starting line. Due to the quick action of the team, the Ker46 could just be maneuvered between them. This resulted in a world start, being the first across the line with only one boat, the Rambler 88, nearby.

Start of the Rolex Fastnet Race with the van Uden ker46 right at the front - picture by Paul Wyeth

After the start, the crossing started. The Fastnet's route runs out of the Solent, under the coast of England to the west, past the Isles of Scilly, around Fastnet Rock below the Irish coast and then back along the Isles of Scilly to Chebourgh, France. In total this is about 700 NM, and with the wind forecast at that time it was expected that ROST II would take just over four days, of which at least the first 24 hours would be crossed upwind. When ROST II arrived at the very tip of England, the forecast was that the wind would turn and abate. Before that point would be reached, a great distance would have to be sailed. Unfortunately, the word 'would' is used here for a reason. Whether ROST II would have sailed the route in this way remains to be seen. Only four hours after the start, with a current position of second place, we were forced out of the race. When leaving the Solent, all boats have to pass the formidable Needles. This piece is characterized by the fact that it functions as a funnel. Wind and waves are squeezed together from the open sea by a small passage, creating strong gusts and large waves. On one side of this funnel are high white cliffs and on the other a shoal, leaving little room to manoeuvre. The chosen route was a good line straight out of the Solent and into open water, only on the way to the open water did the boat encounter high waves. These waves proved disastrous for the shock absorber in the bow of the boat. After an extraordinarily high and steep wave, it became detached from the frame of the boat. The team tried to sail on for a while, but with 24 hours of sailing to go, it was not safe to continue sailing. The difficult decision was made to stop the race and get the boat and crew to safety. With the orange storm sails hoisted, the boat turned and ROST II sailed back to the harbor at Cherbourg.

Pricegiving ceremony at Breskens Sailing Week

Back in Cherbourg it was important to ensure that the Ker46 could be made ready to sail again as soon as possible. The season was not over yet. With a good planning, the Breskens Sailing week and the Kieler woche could still be sailed. Some time was taken to process the matter together, through good conversations with ice-cold refreshments well into the night. The team then returned to action. After two evenings, the wind and swell decreased. The Ker46 could thus be brought safely to Breskens, where Meeusen van Meeusen Composites was already ready to work on the boat. In a week and a half the boat had to be repaired for the Dutch championship in Breskens. We worked hard, and luckily the boat was ready just in time. Thursday, August 26, training took place, so that everyone could get used to their inshore positions, and Friday, August 27, Breskens sailing week started with the coastal competition. The coastal track was only announced half an hour before the start, and was a challenging course with stretches lasting as little as 10 minutes. As a tactician, the team had Lobke Berkhout as a guest, fresh from the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Slowly but surely, ROST II got into a competition rhythm for the first time since the start of the project. This is reflected in the upward trend of the results. On the last day of the event, two first places were sailed, making the final score good for a second place in the overall standings.

After the event in Breskens there was just enough time to pack clean clothes at home and get a good night's sleep before the boat had to be detoured to Germany again. The trip went smoothly and it was even possible to sail around the German Wadden Islands. In Kiel, the team was reinforced by another Olympic sailor, Pim van Vugt. To let him get used to the boat and to explore the competition course, a practice round was sailed the day before the start of the first competition. During this lap it turned out that the team hadn't had enough bad luck yet, when suddenly with a loud bang one of the two runners broke out of the mast in the last downwind. The runners are the stern stays of the mast and are used to bend the top of the mast to allow better trim of the mainsail. Up to five tons of tension can be applied to the runner. In addition to trimming the mainsail better, the runners keep the mast of the boat in position. You cannot sail without a runner. The round trip ended immediately and once back in Kiel harbor the team set to work to find a carbon and rigging specialist, with the hope that the mast could be made in time for the event. The other sailing teams in Kiel were helpful and a wharf was found just behind the locks of the Kieler Canal to help. On the day of the first competitions, the boat was taken to Knierim Yachtbau. The mast has been hoisted out of the boat and all day long they have been busy repairing it as quickly as possible. As a bit of luck in an accident, there was not enough wind that day to sail competitions, so no competitions were missed. Thanks to the efforts of the yard and the team, it was possible to start the next day, with a repaired mast. During the rest of the event there was little wind, so four games were sailed. Overall, ROST II finished in second place, behind the German competitor Halbtrocken and also world champion, a Mills 45.

After this eventful summer, the van Uden Ker46 was brought home safely to the port of Scheveningen. Some sailing days with sponsors are planned for late summer, after which the boat goes to Hellevoetsluis for the winter months. This gives the team the time to give the boat the necessary love and to refurbish it for the coming year. Much has been learned this summer about trimming, navigating, tactics, the team and competition in competitive fields. But above all, we have learned to take setbacks, accept them and keep going. Material bad luck is simply part of the sport, but dealing with it and not giving up is also. Despite the setbacks, ROST II has had a good summer. The two second places show that the team is on the right track, but we are not there yet. Now first do a winter job and process the knowledge gained, then we can drag in the win next season!

Start of the Rolex Fastnet Race - picture by Paul Wyeth

From starting offshore sailers to online training experts

The first Corona measures are now slowly but surely being lifted. The first sailboats are going back on the water, so the countdown until we can train again as ROST II at the Ker46 VanUden. Important training months have been lost for many sailors, from young to older, in any Class. With ROST II we tried to learn as much as possible about the boat, sailing, about and from each other during this period when we couldn't sail. As a starting team, where we just got to know each other at the end of 2019, it was important to at least stay in touch. Several team members came up with creative and fun alternative ideas to keep improving our team:

“At the end of February, after a lot of work on the boat, it was finally time to go sailing. Quite early in the season, but deliberately planned so as to be able to train with the new team. The first matches were already planned in April. Before the Corona measures were in force, we were able to make a few more training days. Some of the team members had never sailed a really big boat before. That is why we changed positions on board a lot during these training sessions. Everyone has tried multiple tasks. We received clear explanations from Gerd-Jan and Jaap, but you also received tips and tricks from the people who had done your task before. That is why it was noticeable every training session that things were getting better and that the team was already getting attuned to each other. Doing odd jobs in the winter also contributed to this because there was a common goal, namely to get the boat perfectly in order to start sailing as quickly as possible. When we couldn't train because of a storm (which was quite common at the beginning of this year), we often decided to go to the boat and do the last few chores. The boat is now dry again, but is completely ready when we can sail again.” - Merle

“When it turned out that we could no longer sail on the boat for the time being, I asked the group to exercise online together twice a week. Since then I have made a program every Monday and Thursday with simple, sailing-specific sports exercises that everyone can do at home. Femke has now taken over the Thursday training with a cardio program. Occasionally we would come up with a physical challenge, such as balancing on your head for a minute or a handstand, which provided good entertainment for the team. These virtual sports sessions led to a large number of new initiatives, as a result of which ROST I and ROST II now come together every Wednesday in a zoom meeting to exchange knowledge and experience through Q&A sessions, competition analyzes and meteo lessons. In one of the first zoom sessions, we sailed a virtual sailing race, with ROST I taking us through what they had to do on their job during the different maneuvers of the race. This way we can still form a picture of how things are going on the Ker46 during a competition. All these initiatives come from a very clear credo: 'Standstill is regression'.”

- Bouwe

“For a while now, we have been scheduling cardio on Thursdays. It is important in this time not only to do strength training, but also to train cardio, especially now that everyone is at home a lot. The cardio exercises are a good alternative to running or cycling. The exercises are to Spanish Zumba music, and the training lasts an hour in total. Now and then Gerd-Jan's children also participate, who really enjoy "dancing". Because of this we will be fit enough when we are allowed to sail again. Let's hope that is allowed again soon, because that boat has to get off dry land!" - Femke

“On a Tuesday in May we were able to borrow a number of SUP boards. This allowed us to go on the water together 1,5 meters away from each other, despite the Corona. This was a fun and safe way to do a sporting activity together. Whether it was really sporty is doubtful, because at the end of the day everyone had a wet suit. For Pieter it was the first time on a SUP board, but luckily he was a very natural talent. Gerd-Jan showed that he is at home in many markets by using his many years of skateboarding experience to do an Ollie over a tree trunk with the SUP! It was a super fun and enjoyable afternoon with the team. Good for team building!” - Lars

“During the intelligent lockdown, it was decided to return the boat, which was actually just in the water after our winter maintenance, from Scheveningen to Hellevoetsluis. In Hellevoetsluis, the boat could be taken out of the water and stored on the side. In this way, the quality of the winter maintenance carried out is maintained longer and better. There were still a few small jobs open, such as sanding and applying antifouling under the stamps. After consultation with the yard, it was decided that we could work on the boat with a maximum of three people at the same time 1.5 meters away. We have gratefully made use of this. Many of the team regarded this as a nice day outside, after a long period of sitting inside. The end result of this is that the boat is now completely ready, and when the rules relax we can sail again. The boat is in top shape and ready to go.” - Pieter

To ensure that our sailing skills remain in order, a day of Laser sailing has been planned. The K.R.&Z.V. has a number of Lasers on the Kralingse Plas for Members, which can be rented for a small fee. We have used this as a team. Because everyone sails in their own Laser, 1.5 meters can be kept neatly. With this nice sailing weather it is of course great pleasure to float over the lake in a boat. But in the end, nothing beats sailing on the Ker46.

- Laurien

So it turns out that despite Corona, there are a lot of creative solutions to stay in touch with each other and water sports. Sailors keep busy with the wind, weather and water or in short with sails, even if the boat is standing still for a while. We hope everyone gets through this difficult time well, and keeps moving. Hopefully we'll see each other again soon on the water!