Papendrecht / Netherlands, May 10 2007 -- Since the year of 2007, Dredging contractor Royal Boskalis Westminster nv sponsors the ambitious catamaran sailors Stefan Dubbeldam (19) and Sebastiaan Tentij (19) from the Netherlands. These technical students, who won last year’s Dutch Championship Hobie 16 with spinnaker, aim at participation in the Tornado class at the Olympics of 2012. To reach the level of world’s best cat sailors as fast as possible, the team attends a special Nacra Master Class given by professionals Mischa Heemskerk and Gunnar Larsen. Dubbeldam is sailing with Larsen to learn the tricks of the trade, and Tentij with Heemskerk. In these formations the crews participate in the international Formula 18 circuit. In the beginning of May, Heemskerk and Tentij won their first large regatta, Eurocat 2007, in Carnac (FR). Larsen and Dubbeldam obtained a tenth position.

On June 1-3, 2007 Racers from all over compete in two days of open ocean triangle races with as many as seven open classes. This year we anticipate perfect weather, perfect conditions, and lots of boats.

This world-class regatta, sponsored by Fleet 45 Space Coast Catamaran Association has endured more than 34 years of exciting open-ocean racing at its best. Centrally located on Florida’s Space Coast, the JPOR is one of the few open ocean triangle regattas for catamaran racing in the southeast US. We anticipate more than 50 boats competing in over six different classes with trophies up to five deep.

It is with great pride that we also acknowledge our sponsors for this world-class event. Without our sponsors the JPOR would not be the successful event it has been in previous years.

This year’s Friday Night Party will be at Ryans At Port Canaveral. For many years we have joined in a celebration at this location. With thanks to Ryans at Port Canaveral, our tradition continues. Hot wings and alcohol are the theme for the night. See you at 7:30 to ????

On Thursday April 5 2007, Team Zwitserleven Booth/Nieuwenhuis (NED) finished ninth at the Tornado Europeans 2007 and eleventh in the overall results for the Mats Nyberg Trophy. This was the final outcome, as the Dutchmen just missed the medal race. Sixty teams representing twenty-one countries participated in this year’s European Championship raced in the Bay of Palma. The fleet was the highest standard assembled with many World and Olympic champions taking part. The event was conducted during the annual Princess Sofia Trophy, part of the grade one Olympic Class circuit.

Team Zwitserleven started the ten race series well and by the half way mark it was placed fifth overall. Races seven and eight cost the team badly as they slipped back to sixteenth before recovering to finish ninth overall. This result is awarded with a B-status of NOC*NSF (national Olympic Committee). Skipper Mitch Booth commented: “The conditions were brutal with storms every day over the course that caused the wind to do circles. We are generally happy to have made the top ten in this event, but still have a lot of work in preparation for the World Championships in Portugal this July.” Crewman Pim Nieuwenhuis added: “We have made real progress with our sail development program and now feel confident that we can go and race the best of the best. The new sail designs we are using have improved our light wind performance dramatically.”

US SAILING, national governing for the sport, and Performance Catamaran, one of the top multihull boat builders in the U.S., have signed a two-year agreement to provide Nacra SL16s at the U.S. Youth Multihull Championship in 2007 and 2008. The selection of the SL16 is in line with the International Sailing Federation (ISAF), which has named the SL16 the multihull boat for its Youth World Championship. The 2007 U.S. Youth Multihull Championship will be held March 29 - April 1 and hosted by Alamitos Bay Yacht Club in Long Beach, Calif.

Under the new partnership, Performance Catamaran will provide ten new SL16s at the 2007 and 2008 U.S. Youth Multihull Championship for use by the competitors at the events. Registration for the 2007 U.S. Youth Multihull Championship will open by February 1, 2007. The U.S. Youth Multihull Championship, established in 2001, is an open event (no pre-qualification required) for young men and women who do not turn 19 in the year of competition. Winners of the event are presented with the Arthur J. Stevens Trophy. For more information on the Championship, please visit www.ussailing.org/championships/youth/multihull.  

The 30th Zwitserleven Round Texel Race in the Netherlands shows several innovations. First, the recreational sailors will have their own classification, the so called silver fleet. That means they don’t need a measurement form and they pay a lower entry fee, which makes participation in world’s biggest cat race more economical. The party tent is the second change, as the new licensee and caterer will restore the original social atmosphere. As of March 6th, all participants can register for the Zwitserleven Round Texel Race 2007, that will start on June 23rd.

Despite the two classes, the whole fleet starts together, so the sensation of hundreds of colourful catamarans on one line remains the same. The top three performances in the silver fleet will be awarded with encouragement prizes. During the Round Texel Week, the recreational sailors can also enjoy the traditional Horsttocht and social beach culture. Their entry fee is 100 euro, whereas the competitive racers pay 110 euro. In addition, the Golden Fleet competitors still have to meet the requirements for participation. Foreigners only need a measurement form, but Dutch equips also need a starting license, eventually a sponsor certificate and a membership at a sailing club that is associated with the Royal Netherlands Sailing Federation. All of this gives them the right to participate in the official Dutch Championship Catamaran Sailing, called the Texel Dutch Open, commencing on June 20th. That competition runs over three days.