Training Weekend at Hellevoetsluis

written by Ilse Verboom  on  September 5  of  2020 and read by 228

Strong wind for the training during the weekend

Last weekend, a training weekend was planned for the Dutch teams on the Haringvliet near Hellevoetsluis. On Saturday, 5 Dutch teams were present. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to use the crane due to the strong wind (> 6 bft). Theo de Lange and Gabor Helmhout were present to coach the teams and give directions that day. So, they decided to give some theoretical lessons. These were about sailing up- and downwind with a lot of wind. Especially how to trim the spinnaker is these conditions.

A quick call was made to see if there might be another crane nearby that we could use. Fortunately, it was found and so we could still enter the water on Sunday.
At 9:00 am, the 4 teams (1 team decided not to go sailing) were ready and the boats went into the water. The wind was still very strong, but there was enough motivation to go sailing. Gabor was there with his fast motorboat, anchored in the middle of the water. He took some beautiful pictures and gave directions to the passing boats from his own island. Even the spinnakers were hoisted and we can say that this was justifiably tough weather training. It reminded us of sailing in La Baule, except for the fresh water.

Because it was quite tough, we decided to get the boats out of the water around 2:30 pm and go home. Overall, we look back on a very educational weekend with both theory and practical exercises. With many thanks to the organizers of this weekend, Theo and Gabor for their input and the competing teams!

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The author hiking and facing first the cold spray and wind

Downwind

Preparation for the training