07/09/2026
4 Nations Championships review
The 4 Nations Championships have concluded and what a superb weekend of challenging conditions it was! As previously mentioned, the Friday had been cancelled due to 42kt gusts, leaving the sailors free to explore the bars and fleshpots of Hellevoetsluis or further prep their boats.
The Saturday saw a reduction of the breeze over the Haringsvliet, the ‘lagoon’ only a d**e away from the North Sea, so they’ll get sea breezes, but lake conditions. Blowing slightly just inside the class upper limits of 22kts. But it still had brutal conditions with 28 kt gusts and a short choppy sea state. 5 races were held, the first of which being exclusively for the ‘come and have a go if you think you’re hard enough’ type of sailors. Maximum downhaul to get sail tops as flat as a billiard table, and plenty of weight back on those deadly top mark bearaways. Make no mistake, these were real full-on conditions indeed, and possibly the highest many have raced in. Only half of the Open fleet dared to sail those first two. Robin Maeder SUI 7 Scheuer G7, Michal Korneszczuk POL111 Exploder Ad3 and Thomas Paasch DEN1 DNAF1x, battled it out at the top of the Open fleet for those first race.
By race two the winds were starting to ease enough to make a few more sailors want to race. Now 20 foilers started. The drama continued as many capsized and the young French sailor, Gérard Ballage-Ajasse FRA669, managed to hook himself to the mooring line of a bottom gate mark. But, in his attempts to free himself, he managed to sail over to the other gate mark, thus closing the gate totally. Now, I’m sure the SI’s didn’t mention this scenario, and I for one, would have been unsure of what to do in the high speed, high wind, bottom rounding situation. Probably just go for the one I was trying for anyway I’d assume?
Before the start of the third race, in the milling about phase, Robin hit a submerged wall and smashed his port rudder stock in the prestart and retired. In his defence, the committee boat was rather close to the shore and that left little room to the starboard side of the line and away from the underwater hazards. But it’s an ill wind they say, and this left Michal and Thomas to battle out, with Michal finishing the day a single point ahead after the five races.
On the Classic course, a boat rather more suited to the conditions than those trippy flying machines of the Open fleet, but fewer than half of that fleet felt they were happy in survival conditions. At the first race off, the fleet was released into the chop and all bouncing merrily along like racehorses. The young German ace Mortiz Weis GER121 Ad3 Classic looked born to the conditions. Plus, he’s put on a bit of timber after the good living and free gym membership of Munchen Uni and made full use of it in a faultless demo of the skimming abilities of the latest Exploder. But the Old Dutch campaigner Sjoerd Hoekstra NED3 DNA F1X Classic, gave a good chase and first time Hellecat GBR visitor Ben Daigneault GBR70 DNAF1Classic convertion, chased in third. The first Woman, in a 4 woman entry list, Astrid Janssons BEL 17, proved to be a stunningly good sailor in the fruity stuff with 5th and 6th finishes but dropped back after missing race 5.
Race two saw only 8 boats start after one retired with a breakage, and the other retired due to psychological disturbances after capsizing on the last gybe before the finish and nearly losing the will to live. On that note, I do think that someone who at least made the start should be rewarded more than someone who’s boat is still sat on the road trainer on the beach surely? But DNFs are scored the same as DNCs though sadly.
As in the Open fleet, a few more Classics ventured out for the remaining 3 races as the conditions moderated. But at the close of play, Moritz was sitting on 5 straight bullets, Sjoerd a safe second and Chris Stock GER100, in third with a consistent string of 4ths while those around him gained points in poorer finishes.
The final day of the 4 Nations dawned bright and clear, and a near 180-degree wind direction. The fury and brutality of yesterday was still fresh in the memory, but the easier and benign conditions of 8-11 kts, with 15kt gusts, coupled with blue skies made it seem idyllic and virtually everyone went out. The Open fleet were started first, and Mischa Heemskerk NED 7 with his bendy DN style rig was firing on all cylinders in these conditions. The DNA team are still optimising the systems and learning the modes of this unique rig that is usual amongst Ice Yachts, but relatively unknown in sailboats. It’s ability to be tuned to produce the right amount of power for any given wind and direction is what keeps Mischa and PJ exploring it. And the bendy mast could mean the end to broken masts in the future. But as with any radical new technology and design, it is still being explored. However, they have improved things since the Euros, showing it has potential. Mischa beat the fleet twice this day.
Behind him was the Thomas and Michal battle, resumed fresh from Saturday. But throwing Misha into their mix put the cat amongst their pigeons, and a 4th and a couple of 3rd finishes for Michal dropped him behind Thomas, who got the last two bullets.
Rainer Bohrer GER 6, was in 3rd, and had it not been for missing the first race, could have made it a closer points race. And Rutger Krijger NED 14 had top 5 finishes but didn’t sail Saturday, so add 96 points there! And Robin was out of the top spots too, though even after repairs to his rudder overnight, he was still to be heard screaming at it between races and eventually decided it needed a better fix that he could give in on a beach, so retired from the last two races. Hence Thomas became the event Open winner, Michal second and Rainer in 3rd and becomes GER National Champion too, Mischa again becomes the NED Nat Champ and Julian Bosch again the GBR Open Champion. The Belgians have no Open sailors here.
The Classic fleet set off 5 mins later and do 2 rather the 3 laps of the Open boats. The left of the course seemed to pay more than the right and there was a little more pressure, and a lift along the Hellecat side shore. Then when crossing to the right, gains were found to have been made. Rounding the top and spreader, most continued on the way down the same as they came up, always a sound tactic overall in these conditions. Only this time, there was the Open fleet coming up, on foils, and head-on. But eyes out of the boat prevented any undue excitement.
This was saved for the second lap as by then they were being lapping and overtaking at about twice the speed of the average downwind sailing Classic. Being passed flat out by a foiler, weaving about to stay on the foils and driven by what looks like a wide-eyed gurning lunatic is the sort of thing that lives with you.
It was great tactical racing in that Classic fleet and had places gained and lost right down to the line. Mortiz proved he is also the ace of the mid-range wind too and gained another two bullets to win the fleet and become GER National Champion. Sjoerd was second and had the two final bullets to become Dutch Nat Champ, and Chris was third, with Owen Cox, on his lovely brand new and previously unsailed Ferrari red Scheuer was fourth to become GRB Champion, and Marc Van Cutsem was fifth and thus BEL Classic Champ.
Astrid was the Women’s Champion, in a Classic fleet where we saw 4 women racing, hopefully an inspiration for the future here?
This event has proved very popular. It is a great way for smaller associations, or those to tend to have lower turnouts at National Championships, to get sailing in large fleets. 50 odd boats, from 6 nations in addition to the 4 original founders took part. It has a wonderful, friendly vibe, but also had some of the worlds top sailors to sail against. Many will return in a couple of years when it comes around again and dictated by the GER sailors needing to alternate their Championships between the North and South of Germany, and who knows, even more could join in.
Hellecat is a lovely laid-back, club-run club, yet well organised and a great efficient cat dedicated club. The evening hospitality was great, with a lovely Italian themed BBQ on the Saturday evening. Many thanks to Wim Plokker and the crew for their help. To the rescue and safety crews, race committee and mark-laying teams.
Tot Ziens!
Photos - Kees Krijger
