Team Boskalis first and fifteenth at Dutch F18 Nationals 2007

Dubbeldam and Tentij join forces at Nacra Europeans 2007

On Sunday August 19 2007, Team Boskalis riders Stefan Dubbeldam and Bastiaan Tentij finished respectively on the fifteenth and first position at the Dutch F18 Nationals 2007. Both technical students sailed with their 'masters' in accordance with the Nacra Master Class. Over the weekend, a fleet of in total forty crews competed in seven races on the IJsselmeer off Medemblik. The conditions varied from wind force four on Saturday to force three on Sunday. Mischa Heemskerk and Bastiaan Tentij took five out of seven bullets with their Nacra Infusion, which resulted in winning the national title in the F18 class. Dubbeldam and Tentij will line up together for the start of the Nacra Europeans 2007. That event is to be sailed in Hellevoetsluis (NED) from August 24 until 26.

"The last race was very exciting", said Tentij afterwards. "Reindert-Jan van der Meulen and Carina Knol had thirteen points, whereas we had seven. If they won, we had to finish top seven." Heemskerk and Tentij decided to matchrace their rivals. Tentij: "They were far away from the starting line, so we tried to lock them up. We wanted them to be late, which would result in a DNS (did not start). We could carry a DNS, but they couldn't. Unfortunately Reindert-Jan foresaw our plan." Van der Meulen and Knol pulled the sheet and smoked double trapeze in the reach to the start. Tentij: "We had not positioned ourselves well enough, so we got their bad air. That is why we were a bit slower and we rounded the first upwind mark in sixteenth position. Reindert-Jan was leading, so that was an exciting moment. We had to work ourselves through the fleet, but we succeeded." Heemskerk and Tentij finished second, directly after Van der Meulen/Knol. It happened to be that they were early over the starting line, so Van der Meulen and Knol scored and OCS and won silver. Tentij: "It surprises me that I still learn every day. My sheeting improves. At the nationals, I was able to maintain a good boat speed for a longer period. I also see more details on the course, such as how and where the gusts go."

Stefan Dubbeldam had a more difficult time. He and his skipper Gunnar Larsen lacked the right form. Dubbeldam: "It did not work out well this weekend. We had problems with the wind shifts and simply did not sail well." This duo finished fifteenth overall with a series of 13-6-20-(OCS)-13-14-6.

Archipelago Raid 2007 - 'Suberb Experience'
On Friday August 3, Mischa Heemskerk and Bastiaan Tentij won silver at the thrilling Archipelago Raid 2007. Prior to the start, Bastiaan Tentij did not really look forward to competing in this Swedish monster race. But two weeks after the finish, he calls his participation a 'superb experience'. Tentij: "I am absolutely happy that I have done this race. You learn a lot if you are racing so many hours. It is also strange to sit onboard in those circumstances. You are exhausted, so you only focus on the main points. We had two days of twenty knots of wind and we sailed with a high boat speed through the rocks. That was scary sometimes." 

Dubbeldam and Tentij team up for Nacra Europeans
On Friday August 24, the Nacra Europeans 2007 will start on the Haringvliet off Hellevoetsluis. Cat Club Hellecat will host the event. Stefan Dubbeldam and Bastiaan Tentij embrace the opportunity to join forces. Tentij: "I look forward to sailing with Stefan again. Let's see what we have learned. I think it is good to compete without our masters. For example, Mischa corrects me often, but during the Nacra Europeans I have to do it on my own." According to Tentij, it is not easy to set a goal: "We don't know our competitors yet and we don't know where we are as a team."

Top five Dutch Nationals F18 2007 after seven races and one discard:

1. NED - Heemskerk/Tentij, Nacra Infusion, 8 points
2. NED - Van der Meulen/Knol, Capricorn, 19 points
3. NED - Macpherson/Van der Kamp, Nacra Infusion, 38 points
4. NED - Geijssen/Van Capelle, Capricorn, 39 points
5. NED - De Koning/Van Leeuwen, Nacra Infusion, 39 points

About Boskalis
Royal Boskalis Westminster nv is an international group with a leading position in the world market for dredging services. Its core activities are the construction and maintenance of ports and waterways, land reclamation, coastal defence and riverbank protection. The company holds important home market positions in and outside Europe and targets all market segments in the dredging industry. Boskalis also has strategic partnerships in maritime infrastructure (Archidoron) and in maritime and terminal services (Lamnalco). Boskalis has a versatile fleet of over 300 units and operates in over fifty countries accros five continents. Including its share in partnerships, Boskalis has over 8,000 employees.

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For more information about Team Boskalis Dubbeldam/Tentij, please contact:

Royal Boskalis Westminster nv
Roel Berends, Group Director Corporate Relations
Tel.: +31 (0)78-6969822
Mobile: +31 (0)6 2001 0232
E-mail: r.t.berends@boskalis.nl
Website: www.boskalis.com

Team Boskalis Dubbeldam/Tentij
Diana Bogaards, press contact
Mobile: +31 (0)6-51383762
E-mail: Diana@diabo.nl Now online: www.teamboskalis.com.