Van Beek expects a short challenging Leg

Skipper Jelmer van Beek: ““We are the hungry team. We've waited a long time for this moment. We've been working towards this for a long time and now we can finally start again. And then also with a stage to our hometown The Hague. what more do we want? We are keen on a good result and will do our best to show our best sailing in this challenging stage.”

Van Beek continues: “We start here in Aarhus with a relatively little wind. After the first 24 hours, the wind will most likely increase. But then the next challenge awaits us. There are many navigational challenges on this short leg with shipping lanes, wind farms and traffic exclusion zones. Fortunately, we have an excellent navigator on board in Max.”

Where the route seems very easy on paper, around the northern tip of Denmark and then down to The Hague. In practice it is a bit more complicated. Navigator Max Deckers: “We come across various zones that we are not allowed to sail through due to commercial shipping, and you also have the wind farms and wind farms under construction in the North Sea. We can't just go through that. Then the question is always on which side do you want to pass the wind farm. Because just like when the wind goes around a building and then is different, that is also the case with a wind farm. So we will have to make a lot of choices.”

Inside route not possible

A notorious and much-discussed moment at the finish of the Volvo Ocean Race in 2017-18 is the move of eventual race winner Dongfeng, who went through the Wadden Islands as it were. A route that will not be possible for the participating teams this time. Deckers: “That is not going to happen this leg, we have to keep that part on the port side, our left side, and therefore stay more on the North Sea.”

Heiner makes debut in The Ocean Race

For former Olympian Nicholas Heiner it is his debut in The Ocean Race but also a reunion with old acquaintances. Both skipper Jelmer van Beek, boat captain Rutger Vos and front deckman Jorden van Rooijen have been trained at the Team Heiner Talents. A big boat course for young sailors aged 18-23 run by Roy Heiner, father of Nicholas, a four-time Olympian and himself involved in three Ocean Race campaigns in various roles.

Heiner: “Jelmer, Rutger and Jorden, together with Laura and Max (Van Veen and Decker ed.) have made an insane amount of miles on this VO65 in recent years and gained knowledge. Both individually and as a team they have become really mature sailors. That growth is amazing to see and it is very nice to be here on board with them again. Of course I also talked to my father before we started this and also in the last few days. It is great that we are now at the start with such a group of young Dutch sailors. That is what we do it all for in the end, both with the Team Heiner Talents and also from the Maas with ROST. Transferring knowledge and ensuring that new generations of Dutch sailors are trained. The fact that we now get the chance on this world stage thanks to JAJO, Batenburg Techniek and Royal Huisman is fantastic. This stage to The Hague is a short and fast stage in which we would like to finish at the front. Preferably, of course, first so that we can give the Dutch public a great party.”