Spring Cup Report

The Spring Cup was recently held in Medemblik, I've translated the Dutch report below.

Nice to see a few UK entrants and Kevan back winning a race !

Spring Cup 2025 – Medemblik Report

By Arnd (Day 1 & 3) and Roelof (Day 2)

Day 1 – Friday

Only six days after the Sprint Championship, it was time for the Spring Cup. The turnout in the Solo class was a bit modest: 21 participants. Fortunately, there were plenty of OK Dinghies and Contenders present, resulting in about 100 boats on the water. The low entry numbers for Solos seemed partly due to the weather forecast: 3 to 5 Bft from the northeast on Friday and Saturday, which promised some lovely waves rolling in from the Afsluitdijk. Sunday was expected to be calmer.

Six English sailors made the trip over, including Patrick Burns, Kevan Gibb, and former champion Steve Ede (Veere, 2019). They looked a bit surprised at the limited turnout, especially given that there were good events happening back home too.

The start times were relaxed, and once out on the water, it was noticeable that the wind and waves came at an angle to each other. The wind varied greatly in strength, making it tricky to find a rhythm. On top of that, there were significant wind shifts, which made things even more interesting.

The start line was long, which was great for all those OK Dinghies. Our starts went smoothly.

Race 1

The wind wasn’t heavy, and the reaching and downwind legs were a joy. Classic, beautiful sailing on the IJsselmeer. The fleet sailed cleanly, and capsizing was rare all weekend.

Koen van Esch opened strongly with a 1st place, Jelmer came 2nd, Kevan 3rd, and Ted (winner of the Sprint) took a solid 4th.

Tactics ranged from "tack on every shift" to "follow the fastest Contender" to "stay on starboard and keep the boat moving."

Race 2

The pin end was again the place to be. Jelmer had a great start there, kept the boat perfectly upright, sailed low but ended up high—an impressive performance.

Ted was also in the mix, and the two finished 1st and 2nd. Koen had to settle for a 5th (which later turned out to be his discard). Roelof sailed a strong race and finished 3rd.

Notably, the English sailors weren’t much in the front. A few years ago, we were still doing our best to keep up with them. It seems we've made progress!

Race 3

The legs started feeling heavy—except for Jelmer, who added another win to his tally. Koen followed closely with a 2nd place. Ted posted his discard result (13th).

By now, many sailors had a “weaker race” in their scores—one where they simply couldn’t make it back to the front.

Afterwards, I (Arnd) tried to meet up with the rest along with Jaap, but it seemed like everyone had already turned in for the night. Tired but clearly satisfied.

Day 2 – Saturday

There was clearly more wind today than on Friday. Some of the ARZV sailors wondered if they’d manage all three races, but in the end, everyone stuck it out. Credit to Vincent, Severien, and Huud!

Conditions were completely different. Beating upwind was rough and choppy. What worked yesterday—sailing low—was no longer effective. It was a tough grind into the waves.

• Race 4 was won by Jelmer.

• Race 5 went to Koen, who had a strong day with a series of 2, 1, and 2.

• Race 6 was taken by Jelmer again.

All in all, an impressive showing from the front-runners, and great to see that everyone from Alkmaar stuck it out.

Afterwards, there was a cheerful happy hour, followed by a group visit to the local Chinese restaurant.

Day 3 – Sunday

The weather was even better, and the wind had dropped off significantly. Since many sailors had to leave early, the program was reduced to two races.

Jelmer was in a strong position overall, but Koen was still within striking distance. By now, the English sailors were no longer in contention for the podium. This was clearly a Dutch showdown.

Race 7

Kevan Gibb surprisingly took 1st place. Jelmer and Koen recorded their worst scores of the weekend (4th and 9th, respectively—the latter being a discard). Ted bounced back, and Andries made a great comeback with a 3rd place. I (Arnd) improved from poor to decent by going far left—something others noticed and began to follow. It got quite sociable over there on the left.

Race 8

The wind picked up slightly. Ted managed an impressive win, with Steve coming 2nd. Jelmer had enough of a lead in the standings but still squeezed out a 3rd to secure the overall win.

Final standings:

• 1st: Jelmer

• 2nd: Koen

• 3rd: Ted

• The top English sailors finished in 6th and 7th places.

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Conclusion

A very successful and intense weekend, with sore muscles as proof. Unfortunately, Patrick couldn’t sail all races due to an injury to his left arm. There were a few aches and pains here and there, but almost everyone completed the full program—a commendable achievement!