| ROELOFARENDSVEEN, THE NETHERLANDS-(10-4-2004) The Easter weekend of 2004 (9 - 12 April) has the Yacht club Braassemermeer and the OCN (Optimist Club Nederland) organising the 19th International Easter Optimist Regatta.
As in former years, this time about 264 young sailors from 12 countries are competing fiercely to win this prestigious event. The International Easter Optimist Regatta began in 1986 with 75 competitors from mostly the Nordic countries. It gave them a chance to compete in the spring while their homeports were still iced up. The first years saw a rapid growth in contenders and a maximum of 250 sailors was quickly installed. Most countries now have selection rounds to see who is good enough to compete. Like last two years, even competitors from the United States of America are here to race!
Our first day:
Saturday started with drizzle and light winds from Westerly directions. The first two fleets got away nicely but just before the first start of the third fleet the wind shifted to the North, so this start was postponed. As the other groups finished their rounds and went to the shore for lunch, the last group had to stay on the water. Luckily the shift left us with a steady wind (10-12 knots) so even the last group had a decent race. After the wind shift the drizzle stopped and we even had some sunny spells. All in all, three nice races were completed in which the Swedes and the Dutch were most dominant. On Sunday we will have the two scheduled races, the first one to start at 10:00hrs. Please check out the event website www.braassemermeer.nl for preliminary results.
Yacht club Braassemermeer (Roelofarendsveen) is a Yacht club with a keen interest in training and racing both nationally and internationally. The 86-year-old club has about 900 members (some of them even winners of the Volvo Ocean Race and the America’s Cup) and excellent facilities like a splendid clubhouse with a grand view over the lake and a modern harbour equipped with all means necessary. More information about the Yacht club and the event can be found at www.braassemermeer.nl
Brunotti Sportswear, Print Productions Scheveningen, De Skihut, Svenson Marine, van Wettum Boats, Olimpic Sails, Optiparts and MSL Telecommunicatie sponsor the 19th International Easter Optimist Regatta.
Top 5 after three races:
No Zeilno Naam Punten 1 2 3
1 SWE 3969 Victor Bergström 7,0 1 1 5
2 NED 2497 Pelt Gijs 8,0 2 3 3
3 SWE 4028 Oskar Taurell 9,0 5 2 2
4 NED 2533 Aacken Peter van 12,0 2 2 8
5 SWE 3598 Karin Alkstedt 17,0 3 11 3
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