FULL REPORT OF THE 2018 REGATTA
01.09.2018 | Looking back on a great championship
This years fifth edition of the Eastersee Regatta and the 2018 Open Dutch Championship was the toughest we had seen in years. With wind ranging from 15 to 25 knots on Saturday, the fleet had a hard but magnificent time on the water. Thirty-seven OK dinghy sailors came tot he small town of Oosterzee to compete in the 2018 championship. Most of them from Germany but the Dutch fleet is growing and with a Dutch race win the level of competition the Dutch are showing is still improving.
Saturday
At the skipper meeting thirty-seven sailors from Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Germany were welcomed by Wietze Huitema of the organising committee. Race officer Age van der Bles told the sailors what to expect. The prospect of wind, sun and a some small rainshowers promised a good sailing day. At eleven o'clock the fleet went on the water birthing their boats from the beach. At 11.30 the first start was expected and when we got the first start underway with most of the fleet crossing the line too early. So a general recall. Luckily for those who didn't make it on time to the starting line. The second time around everyone was clear and the championship was underway. Jan-Dietmar Dellas was the first to reach the top mark, but he couldn't keep his lead. Andreas Pich took the first race with Wolfgang Höfener second and Jan-Dietmar taking third. During race one the wind build up and for some sailors this was a little too much and they went for shore.
Because the finish and starting line where in the same place, the next race could start in short notice on the great lake Tjeukemeer. The race committee altered the lanes adjusting it to the wind while the starting ship hold a firm position in the centre of the lake. The second race was one by Stefan Rassau, who managed to miss the finish line in race one, which gave him a DNF and 44 points. Wolfgang took his second second and 2016 Dutch champion Dirk Dame took the third spot. By the end of race 2 we had 22 knots on the water, so really challenging conditions. And again some sailors went to shore because of challenging conditions and some because they didn't feel well. As was the case for Peter van der Schaaf who retired the championship due to illness.
Just before the third race, Stephan Veldman from the Netherlands had issues with his boom lever, and soon in race 3 he went to the small island on the lake to fix it. The shifty third race was won by Wolfgang who took the lead in the championship. Second was Stefan and Dirk came in third.
When race 4 started the wind was building up again and at the first mark, Thorsten Schmidt lead the fleet. At the second mark he took a swim while gybing his OK dinghy. Jochen Lollert, in second place, didn't take any chances and made a chicken gybe that cost him the lead, because he was overtaken by his rival in third who managed to get the gybe in. Andreas, president of the German OK association, managed to get his second win. Wolfgang took a second place, which kept him in the lead halfway the championship. Jochen Lollert took a third place. By the time the fleet, of now only 22 boats left, had passed the finish, the wind had increased to 26 knots. Everybody went ashore to get the pressure of both legs and arms.
On the shore it wasn't like we left it in the morning. The large tent of the organisation had taken flight at the time the fleet was finishing race two. And with a crash on top of the parked car Harm and Ingrid the tent was torn all apart. The shore team had cleaned up everything and the inventory was taken to the café where the regatta office was reinstalled. Some good improvisation that showed the flexibility of everyone involved !
The evening BBQ at the café and the beers that go with the food was welcomed by the tired sailors, of whom some had taken a nap already to recover from all the effort they had done on the water. Rod Andrew took his guitar and played his songs and the evening was sociable and cozy. Everyone turned to bed a little earlier than they normally do on the Saturday regatta evening, but on the other hand most sailors got what they came for.
Sunday
Sunday morning started with a breakfast in the café. Ingrid and her team had prepared a nice breakfast with all kinds of bread and fresh boiled eggs. In a quiet mode everyone took their share and prepared their boat. In the morning there was just a little wind and the race committee went on the lake to get the lanes in. By the time the races started we had 8 to 9 knots of wind and slowly increasing. Stephan Veldman had a bright start together with the top two of the general ranking Wolfgang and Andreas. The three sailors stayed close together during the entire race, but Stephan managed to get the win in just in the last upwind beating. A Dutchman winning a race in the Dutch nationals, sounds like victory.
Race 6 of the championship was won by Andreas. Wolfgang only managed to get in in eight place, his worst score of the series. But it made the fight for the title very close, with both sailors just one point apart with two races to go. Second in race 6 was Jorg Rademacher, winner of the regatta in 2017. And Dirk took third, and managed a good overall score with six finishes in the top five.
Race 7 showed a different image with three sailors on top that hadn't been this close in front during the weekend. Daniel Gröschl sailed to third place, while Axel Fischer took second and Ralf Mackmann took the win. By this time the wind had increased to 12 – 13 knots and the sun came out now and then. Great conditions for day two after the tough sailing the day before. Wolfgang sailed to six, while Andreas sailed to ten. With discarding the worst races, there was everything to sail for with only one point in between in favour of Andreas.
The final race of the day. Who would take the title. Both Wolfgang and Andreas weren't in front of the pack in the beginning of the race. Wolfgang was somewhere in the middle of the fleet with Andreas more a little more forward. Just like in race 7, Axel, Daniel and Ralf battled for the race win. In the end Axel took the final race of the championship. Six different race winners out of eight races. Daniel got his best result of the weekend with a second place and Ralf took third. Andreas took a fourth spot, and Wolfgang sailed to shore early, perhaps because he knew the title was out of reach. Nevertheless what a tight battle between both sailors during this weekend.
We have a new Dutch Champion and a new Eastersee Regatta winner in Andreas Pich. A great runner up in Wolfgang Höfener and in third, the man who never missed a Eastersee Regatta, won the Dutch championship in 2016 and is always constant, Dirk Dame. What a podium.
And for the Dutch, Stephan Veldman was the best Dutchman with a sixth place overall, being the best non German sailor in the overall ranking. Sybren sailed to 15, Hessel Hoekstra just behind him on 16. Mark Wildenberg, Solo dinghy sailor and for the first time in an OK, sailed to 19. He had a great time in the boat. We hope to see him more often in the OK dinghy class. Thanks to Rob Ligtenberg for inviting him and thanks to Harm the Vries for letting Mark charter his boat. Johan Geenen sailed to 19, Rob Ligtenberg to 22, just before Sjouke Bus on 23. Bart ter Haar sailed to 25, Dick van der Zee to 30. Dutch OK association president Robert Jan Bancken sailed to 32 and Peter van der Schaaf, who unfortunately couldn't sail the entire event due to illness, was found on place 34.
After the prize ceremony at the café all the sailors took their boats, trailors and cars and went home. The bus with Nils Thiele, Jörg Rademacher, Gunnar Goronzi and their fully packed trailer was seen in Lemmer looking for 'kibbeling'. We hope you found it guys and that the ride home was safe and pleasant. The fifth edition of this regatta had sailors that were there every year, and sailors that were new to the event. With all the compliments we had, I think it's safe to say that we all had a great weekend and a great regatta. We saw very nice and tight sailing and the fantastic social side of this class showed itself once again. We can only hope the stories of this regatta will encourage everyone to come back next year and inspire others to be there as well.
Wietze Huitema
THE REGATTA IN IMAGES
01.09.2018 | The photos and videos of the weekend
During the weekend a lot of photos were taken. Also members of the race committe Zevenwolden made videos. You will find them using the following links.
ANDREAS PICH WINS DUTCH NATIONALS
26.08.2018 | Andres Pich (GER) is the Dutch OK class champion 2018
All the wind we didn't have in the 2017 edition, was added to the 2018 edition on saturday. The championship started in a nice 13 knots, but the wind build up to 25 in the late afternoon. Four races were sailed in tough conditions and all the sailors had to work hard, with a little rain now and then. The sunday started a lot friendlier with the sun and little breeze. Fortunately the wind build up to a nice 13 knots and again four races could be sailed. The fight for the title was hard, with Andreas Pich (GER) and Wolfgang Höfener (GER) just one point apart after race 6 and still after race 7. In the end the German OK association president took the title for Wolfgang and 2016 Dutch OK class champion Dirk Dame (GER).
The Dutch sailors had a hard time competing with our 'eastern neighbours' but Stephan Veldman managed to win race 5 ! He concluded with a sixth place in the overall ranking. We can look back on a really nice championship and in Andreas we have a wonderful winner that we can add to the history of the Eastersee Regatta. During the next few days we will add a more extensive report and a link to all the pictures that were taken. Below you will find the final results.
Final results
| # | Sailnumber | Name | T | N | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | R7 | R8 |
| 1 | GER 7 | Andreas Pich | 29 | 19 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 | (10) | 4 |
| 2 | GER 3 | Wolfgang Höfener | 68 | 24 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 6 | (44) DNF |
| 3 | GER 75 | Dirk Dame | 36 | 28 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 5 | (8) |
| 4 | GER 12 | Stefan Rassau | 76 | 32 | (44) DNF | 1 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 9 |
| 5 | GER 809 | Axel Fischer | 55 | 40 | 9 | (15) | 4 | 9 | 4 | 11 | 2 | 1 |
| 6 | NED 673 | Stephan Veldman | 87 | 43 | 5 | 6 | (44) DNF | 8 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 11 |
| 7 | GER 773 | Ralf Mackmann | 61 | 45 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 12 | 7 | (16) | 1 | 3 |
| 8 | GER 775 | Jörg Rademacher | 68 | 53 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 14 | 2 | (15) | 7 |
| 9 | GER 9 | Thorsten Schmidt | 73 | 59 | 7 | 11 | 5 | 10 | 8 | (14) | 8 | 10 |
| 10 | GER 777 | Jörg Sylvester | 76 | 62 | 11 | (14) | 14 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 6 |
| 11 | GER 595 | Daniel Gröschl | 81 | 65 | 12 | (16) | 13 | 14 | 11 | 10 | 3 | 2 |
| 12 | GER 821 | Jochen Lollert | 89 | 70 | 8 | 5 | 11 | 3 | 13 | (19) | 16 | 14 |
| 13 | BEL 214 | Paul Verrijdt | 138 | 94 | 13 | 12 | 21 | (44) DNF | 12 | 9 | 11 | 16 |
| 14 | GER 607 | Gerd Breitbart | 116 | 98 | (18) | 17 | 12 | 15 | 18 | 7 | 17 | 12 |
| 15 | NED 669 | Sybren Hornstra | 120 | 100 | 16 | (20) | 18 | 16 | 20 | 13 | 12 | 5 |
| 16 | NED 667 | Hessel Hoekstra | 136 | 112 | (24) | 18 | 10 | 11 | 19 | 15 | 20 | 19 |
| 17 | GER 775x | Gunnar Goronzi | 134 | 114 | 19 | 13 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 13 | (20) |
| 18 | GER 66 | Christian Kirchner | 168 | 124 | 17 | 26 | 16 | (44) DNS | 15 | 23 | 14 | 13 |
| 19 | NED 672 | Mark Wildenberg | 154 | 130 | 22 | (24) | 19 | 19 | 10 | 21 | 21 | 18 |
| 20 | NED 678 | Johan Geenen | 159 | 131 | 26 | 22 | 15 | 20 | (28) | 12 | 19 | 17 |
| 21 | GER 680 | Jan-Dietmar Dellas | 177 | 133 | 3 | 7 | 9 | 13 | 32 | 25 | (44) DNS | 44 DNS |
| 22 | NED 473 | Rob Ligtenberg | 187 | 157 | 23 | 25 | 22 | 18 | 22 | (30) | 24 | 23 |
| 23 | NED 566 | Sjouke Bus | 204 | 160 | 25 | 19 | 23 | (44) DNF | 24 | 26 | 22 | 21 |
| 24 | GER 10 | Christian Heinze | 219 | 175 | 21 | (44) DNS | 44 DNS | 44 DNS | 16 | 17 | 18 | 15 |
| 25 | NED 674 | Bart ter Haar | 215 | 180 | 27 | 23 | 24 | 22 | (35) | 35 | 27 | 22 |
| 26 | BEL 207 | Francois Podevyn | 218 | 185 | 30 | 27 | 27 | 21 | (33) | 29 | 26 | 25 |
| 27 | BEL 228 | Joris van Baarle | 238 | 194 | 28 | 29 | 25 | (44) DNS | 29 | 34 | 25 | 24 |
| 28 | GER 81 | Marina Dellas | 253 | 209 | 20 | 21 | (44) DNF | 44 DNS | 27 | 24 | 29 | 44 DNF |
| 29 | GER 814 | Wilhelm Kath | 254 | 210 | 14 | (44) DNS | 44 DNS | 44 DNS | 21 | 20 | 23 | 44 DNS |
| 30 | NED 665 | Dick van der Zee | 259 | 215 | 31 | 28 | 26 | (44) DNS | 34 | 31 | 34 | 31 |
| 31 | FRA 723 | Philippe Cowez | 265 | 221 | 32 | 31 | (44) DNF | 44 DNS | 23 | 33 | 28 | 30 |
| 32 | NED 99 | Robert Jan Bancken | 281 | 237 | (44) DNF | 44 DNS | 44 DNS | 44 DNS | 26 | 22 | 30 | 27 |
| 33 | BEL 1 | Rod Andrew | 285 | 241 | (44) DNF | 44 DNS | 44 DNS | 44 DNS | 25 | 27 | 31 | 26 |
| 34 | NED 677 | Peter van der Schaaf | 289 | 245 | 15 | 10 | (44) DNF | 44 DNS | 44 DNS | 44 DNS | 44 DNS | 44 DNS |
| 35 | BEL 29 | Jo Andrew Becker | 295 | 251 | (44) DNF | 44 DNS | 44 DNS | 44 DNS | 31 | 28 | 32 | 28 |
| 36 | GER 771 | Susanne Mackmann | 299 | 255 | 29 | 30 | 20 | (44) DNF | 44 DNS | 44 DNS | 44 DNS | 44 DNS |
| 37 | GER 587 | Nils Thiele | 300 | 256 | (44) DNF | 44 DNS | 44 DNS | 44 DNS | 30 | 32 | 33 | 29 |
| 38 | GER 79 | Frank Strelow | 352 | 308 | (44) DNC | 44 DNC | 44 DNC | 44 DNC | 44 DNC | 44 DNC | 44 DNC | 44 DNC |
| 38 | NED 679 | Gert Kedde | 352 | 308 | (44) DNC | 44 DNC | 44 DNC | 44 DNC | 44 DNC | 44 DNC | 44 DNC | 44 DNC |
| 38 | NED 638 | Sipke Hoekstra | 352 | 308 | (44) DNC | 44 DNC | 44 DNC | 44 DNC | 44 DNC | 44 DNC | 44 DNC | 44 DNC |
| 38 | GER 13 | Frederik Roentgen | 352 | 308 | (44) DNC | 44 DNC | 44 DNC | 44 DNC | 44 DNC | 44 DNC | 44 DNC | 44 DNC |
| 38 | POL 7 | Marek Bernat | 352 | 308 | (44) DNC | 44 DNC | 44 DNC | 44 DNC | 44 DNC | 44 DNC | 44 DNC | 44 DNC |
| 38 | NED 668 | Alex Rijnink | 352 | 308 | (44) DNC | 44 DNC | 44 DNC | 44 DNC | 44 DNC | 44 DNC | 44 DNC | 44 DNC |
A FLEET OF FOURTY-THREE WITH ONE NIGHT SLEEP TO GO
24.08.2018 | Joris van Baarle makes 43 entries
One night sleep to go and the fleet has grown to fourty-three. After this weeks entries by François Podevyn and Wolfgang Höfener, Sneekweek 2017 winner in the solo dinghy class Mark Wildenberg (NED) and Daniel Gröschl, yesterday we received the entry of Joris van Baarle. Glad to see he is back to sail with us. The weather forecast look promising on the subject of wind. Saturday some clouds and perhaps a little rain, sunday clouds and sun, with temperatures ranging from 17-19 degrees. Sounds like racing conditions !
AND WE COUNT THIRTY-EIGHT ENTRIES WITH SIX DAYS TO GO
19.08.2018 | Alex Rijnink, the Andrew family and Dick van der Zee will be there
With six days to go we are counting thirty-eight entries. Alex Rijnink is the latest entry. Rod and Jo Andrew Becker from France will sail their wooden oldschool Belgian OK's. Looks like many of the German sailors have also found their way to our regatta. And with Sneekweek winner Peter van der Schaaf on the entry list, there's the man to look out for winning the best Dutchman prize. With a fleet of over allmost fourty OK dinghies, we really have a race on. Let's hope for wind and sun !
THIRTY-ONE ENTRIES WITH TWELVE DAYS PRIOR TO THE REGATTA
13.08.2018 | With Johan Geenen, Jörg Sylvester and Jochen Lollert the number of entries is thirty-one
Today Johan Geenen, Jörg Sylvester and Jochen Lollert put their names on the entry list. That makes thirty-one entries and we are still aiming for 40+ OK sailors. We will send al registered sailors specific information about the regatta on friday the 17th of August so everyone will know where to look for, where to go, who to contact, etc. In case you have problems with the registration on the website (sometimes that happens) please send an email to the event organisation, or give us a call and we will make the registration for you. Other questions are also welcome of course.
TWENTY-SIX ENTRIES AND COUNTING
08.08.2018 | Dellas family from Germany makes twenty-six entries already !!
Dellas family makes twenty-six. Marek Bernat from Poland has let us know that he will be there. With Bart ter Haar, Gunnar Goronzi, Andreas Pich and Frederik Roentgen also entering the regatta, it looks like there will be intense racing between the Dutch and German sailors. Philippe Cowez is the only Belgian entry until now, but we hope for a few more. And of course we are aiming for French, Brittish, Danish and more Polish sailors as well. We are pleased the number of entries is growing. There's even interest from the Ukraine to come over and sail in a charter OK. We are looking for fourty to fifty boats like last edition to get a perfect nationals fleet on the water, but there still is time and most sailors enter in te last few weeks prior to the start. World ranking points and a real national title up for grabs !
Stephan Veldman and the Dutch title
15.07.2018 | fastest Dutchman of the worlds 2018 on the entry list
Today Stephan Veldman, fastest Dutchman in the world championship 2018 in Warnemunde has entered the Dutch nationals / Eastersee Regatta entry list. We are very happy he will be there this year to try and win the prize for the best Dutchman or perhaps even the national title. Won't be easy with all the competition, but for sure Stephan is the man to watch out for. Winning the title is high on his wishlist !
NUMBER OF ENTRIES GROWING
01.07.2018 | more entries are coming in for the 2018 regatta
Entries are coming in for this years regatta and national championship. After first entry Philippe from belgium, six other OK dinghy sailors joined him. Dutch association president Robert Jan Bancken (his first entry for the Eastersee Regatta) will be there. And the German sailors will be there as well. All previous Eastersee Regatta winners will attend. Frank Strelow (regatta winner 2014 and 2015) Dirk Dame (winner and Dutch champion 2016), Joerg Rademacher (regatta winner 2017) togerther with Christina Heinze and Thorsten Schmidt. Great to see them again in the last weekend of August.
PHILIPPE COWEZ IS THE FIRST ENTRY FOR THE DUTCH NATIONALS 2018
29.04.2018 | entries are coming in for the 2018 regatta
In the second half of april, the first entry for the 2018 edition is a fact. Belgian sailor Philippe Cowez, who is sailing with us for a couple of years now, will come to the Dutch Nationals 2018 on the lake Tjeukemeer. We are very pleased with his entry and we hope there will be more to follow.
Dutch Championship, Capital of Culture and the twothousandeighteen edition
03.01.2018 | special five years anniversary edition in the making
Just january and the organisation of the Eastersee Regatta is already preparing for this years international OK-dinghy regatta on the large lake Tjeukemeer in the northern region of the Netherlands called Fryslan. The Dutch OK class association has asked us to organise the 2018 Dutch National Championship. That means the fifth edition of the Eastersee regatta will be the National Championship just like last year and there are again world ranking points to earn. After the succes of previous editions with up to 48 OK-dinghies, we are looking for an even larger fleet from more countries competing for the title in this years fifth edition of the Eastersee Regatta. The racing will again be organised by the 'WSV Zevenwolden'. This local sailing authority is famous for it's skutsjesilen and small boat races and did a marvelous job last years.
This year is more special because in 2018 Fryslan and the capitol of Leeuwarden are European Capital of Culture. Our era is changing. The world has grown and society is more diverse. It takes a great deal of courage, creativity and imagination to deal with those changes. Leeuwarden-Friesland 2018 tackles its Capital of Culture year by sticking its head above the parapet. By bringing about change in the province, country and Europe in order to go from a community to an open community. By seeing the chances that appear and listening to new insights. By being flexible and adjusting without losing yourself. So this year, more than ever, we would like to host the regatta for the open community of OK sailors in Europe.