Zwitserleven
Round Texel challenge for Olympic sailors
Den
Burg, June 13th 2003 - On Saturday June 21st 2003,
the starting gun for the World’s Biggest
Catrace, the Zwitserleven Round Texel, will be
fired between 11:30 and 12:30 hours. About 550
catamarans, representing thirteen countries, will
fight the elements in order to be the fastest
boat that sails around the Noord Island Texel.
Among them two Olympic 470 teams from the Netherlands.
They’ll try their luck in the world of beach
cats. Also competitive sailor Piet van Nieuwenhuyzen,
who won the America’s Cup earlier this year
with his Swiss Alinghi Team, will sail around
Texel. In the days before the actual race, he
will make a serious record attempt with Hans Bouscholte.
Like
in previous years, fifty to sixty catamarans will
be equipped with a a GPS / GSM receiver, which
determines the exact location of the boats on
the course areas. As a result, live tracking &
tracing makes it possible to follow the race all
over the world.
Olympic
sailors on the beach of Texel
The
470 team Marcelien de Koning and Lobke Berkhout,
winners of the Spa Regatta 2003, will try to win
the Women Cup. Last year their competitors of
the 470 ladies, Lisa Westerhof and Margriet Matthijsse,
claimed the 1st price after a heavy race. De Koning:
“In 2002 we visited Texel just to watch
the race, but it tickled to sail along. Now we’ve
decided to join the race, because the event is
great. Just like Lisa and Margriet we’ll
start in the Formula 18. We’ll see.”
Sven and Kalle Coster of the 470 will start at
Texel Also. Father and coach Dick Coster isn’t
very pleased that his sons stop their training
for Athens 2004 for a while, but they’ve
decided to go for it. Sven Coster: “Like
the others we’ll start in the Formula 18
class. We don’t have much time to train
at the moment, but we’ll catch up in the
week before the race.” Also the Yngling
team mates Janneke Hin and Margriet Samama from
the Netherlands will join the race.
The
Favourite
The
Olympic Tornado Team Sven Karsenbarg and Mischa
Heemskerk will defend their title at the 21st
of June. Last year they won in a convincing way.
Their fellow Tornado sailors Mitch Booth and Herbert
Dercksen made a nose dive and Booth got seriously
injured so they had to give up. Now they’re
eager to take revenge. Gunnar Larsen, overall
winner at 1999, will sail with Xander Pols, who
finished second last year. This team will round
Texel on a new M20. During the long distance race
Hoek van Holland-Scheveningen vv on Mai 31st ,
this super lightweight boat booked a glorious
victory. The combat between both teams will undoubtedly
be exciting. Also the World Champion Tornado,
Darren Bundock from Australia, will join the contest.
International
Women Fleet
At
least ten all female teams will compete in the
26th Round Texel race, which is the biggest women
fleet ever. The ladies are representing Ireland,
Germany, France and the Netherlands. With two
Olympic teams and several experienced catamaran
teams, it is definitely going to be an exciting
competition in the women fleet.
The
Round Texel week
The
hundred kilometre long Zwitserleven Round Texel
race will be sailed on Saturday June 21st. As
off Wednesday 18th till Friday 20th of June, participants
can already measure their strength during the
Texel Dutch Open. This event consists of short
races. Many sailors consider the Texel Dutch Open
as an exercise for ‘the Biggest Catrace’
on Saturday. The Royal Dutch Sailing Federation
has officially recognized the event as an Open
Dutch Championship. On Thursday afternoon sailors
can traditionally sail the ‘Horstocht’.
And if the wetter is fine, the team Bouscholte/Van
Nieuwenhuyzen will make a record attempt. The
record now belongs to Ron van Teylingen and Paul
Manuel. They rounded the island in 1997 in 2.30.36
hours.
Besides
Zwitersleven the event will be sponsored by Amstel,
Holkema Group, Komatsu, de Kolonist, MagicMinds
Media, Nissan, TNG Swiss Watches, Teso, VVV Texel
and the Mondriaan Onderwijsgroep.
Round
Texel Official Site
