Team Boskalis aiming for podium finishes at Round Texel Race

by Diana Bogaards on 12 Jun 2013 Today, the Boskalis fleet that is temporary modified, of three Nacra Infusions (F18), a Nacra F16 and one Nacra carbon 20, is aiming for podium finishes at the 2013 Round Texel Race.They line up for the Texel Dutch Open and on Saturday for world's biggest catrace, the Round Texel Race. Mischa de Munck sails this week's races with Taylor Booth (AUS). The eldest son of Mitch Booth and De Munck were a team in 2011 at the F18 Worlds in Hungary. They finished twelfth out of 101 catamarans. This year they will team up for the F18 Worlds, where they hope to finish in the top three. The Texel Dutch Open, which lasts from Wednesday June 12th to Friday June 14th, is mostly a reunification for the two of them. They want to use these days to get the feeling for the boat and their cooperation again. Their aim for the prestigious Round Texel Race on Saturday June 15th is higher. The Munck: 'Who knows, if the start goes well, we might win.' Last North Sea Regatta in Scheveningen De Munck finished third overall in a field of 37 cats with team mate Andrew Walsh (GBR). Taylor Booth replaces Walsh for the coming period, as the British multihull sailor has other obligations. Last weekend, Mitch and Jordi Booth remained unbeaten in the Spanish F18 Championship. Father and son Booth will not be racing at Texel, since Mitch Booth skippers the Turkish Extreme 40 multihull at the Fourth Act in Istanbul, if that is on. Andrew Walsh also is part of the Turkish team. In 2011 Mitch and Taylor Booth took line honours in the Round Texel Race. The young Dutch Boskalis team Jolbert van Dijk and Niels Kleijweg sees the Dutch Championship Catamaran Sailing, which is called the Texel Dutch Open, as a useful training. 'Particularly with regard to the points that came up during the North Sea Regatta and previous regattas, such as strong winds, technique and starts', says the duo. 'For the Round Texel Race we basically just want to perform well.' Jorden Veenman and Frank de Waard form the third F18 Boskalis team. In May they won the Dutch Nacra Infusion title. Froukje Feenstra (NED) sails this season on the Nacra 16 with changing crews. In the North Sea Regatta she and Charlotte Heijstek were second in their class of eight sixteen feet cats. They sail together again at the Texel Dutch Open. Feenstra: 'The North Sea Regatta was our first event as a team. Now we have trained a few times and our new target for the Texel Dutch Open is therefore to finish best F16.' Sanne van Hek will crew for Feenstra at the Round Texel Race. Feenstra: 'We sailed the Open Dutch Championships Nacra this year and are looking forward to the Round Texel Race. For both of us it is not the first time that we participate, so in addition to enjoying this great event, we know we just have to sail very fast. That's exactly what we're going to do. Our goal is to be the fastest women's team to race around theisland.' Team Boskalis has another important weapon and that is the Nacra carbon 20 with Dutchmen Xander Pols and Stefan Dubbeldam. Pols already participates in the Round Texel Race since 1986. On his Palmares there are seven top three finishes, of which three times line honours. The last in 2012 when he first crossed the finish line with his current crew Stefan Dubbeldam. In 2007, Dubbeldam initiated Team Boskalis with his then helmsman and gained valuable experience at the highest level by competing in the F18 class for several years. While finishing first in the largest catamaran race in the world is already quite a goal on its own, it would clerly be the icing on the cake if they also manage to claim the overall victory after handicap calculation in 2013's Round Texel Race. The first races of the Texel Dutch Open alongside the Texel North Sea shore at Paal 17 begin on Wednesday June 12th 2013. Team Boskalis can be followed through the website.