Carlo Vroon wins the first Dutch Open at Medemblik
During three days, with teams from Germany, Brittan and Estonia the first Dutch Open was sailed in very light and sunny conditions at Medemblik; the venue of the Europeans in 2013. The event attracted 17 boats with several new teams from Holland.
Day one started with a gentle 6-8 knots southerly winds. Just enough for a clean start. The shifty wind all over the course made it very differcult for the sailors. After three races on the first day Peak (Ned 765) was the overall leader, followed by Mr Henri (NED 645) and the new team Limitless (NED 758) with 29’er sailor Mark Haven on the helm.
Day two started a bit grey with no wind but soon the sun and a steady southerly around 8-11 knots arrived and stayed for the day. The wind was shifty and made it possible to gain on both sides of the course. Gelikt ( NED 789) with Carlo Vroon on the helm managed the conditions very well, and scored the best result of the day with a fifth, first and third place.
After the first race on day three, still four teams had the change to become the fist Dutch Champion. After the second race, only Peak and Gelikt battled for gold. The last race was very exciting where Peak beats Gelikt with less than a metre. Both teams had an equal score, but Gelikt had more wins on the scoboard and became the first Dutch Champion 2011. Peak got silver and Waterland (NED 715) with Wietze Zetzema on the helm, bronze.