Don Juan crowned J/80 Open Dutch Champions
by J/Boats 17 Apr 19:03 AEST
4-6 April 2025
2025 J/80 Dutch Championship © j80.nl
After three days of sailing in very different weather conditions from the RZV Naarden, it was the DON JUAN team sailed by the De Zeeuw brothers that were declared the 2025 J/80 Dutch Champions!
The past two years they were close to victory, which made the team extra keen to stay ahead of everyone. There were many exciting battles due to the fierce opposition from the JOYRIDE and FUN Jr. teams.
"We did it! We feel like champions, because we had to fight for it, and at certain moments we tackled it tactically," says Wouter Köllmann, skipper of the DON JUAN team. At the end of the first day, DON JUAN was five points ahead of Bob Jansen's FUN JR team and Torsten Nullmeier's JOYRIDE crew. On day two, FUN JR and JOYRIDE swapped places. The difference between DON JUAN and JOYRIDE was only five points at the start of the last day.
Both DON JUAN and JOYRIDE had a difficult time on Sunday (with fourth place as the highest score in four races). There were also some anxious moments due to a protest between the two. On the other hand, FUN JR had a good day with first place, two second places, and a drop race. Although FUN JR closed in on JOYRIDE to only a two-point difference in the final standings, the podium remained as it was, with the big winner being DON JUAN - with an eight-point lead.
All kinds of weather and wind
The weather played a major role in the tension on the water. The winner Köllmann explained, "We had all kinds of weather. Fortunately, it was sunny every day, but the wind varied enormously."
On Friday, the matches took place on the Gooimeer. The wind concentrated mainly on one side of the playing field with 3-4 Beaufort. On Saturday, the fleet moved to the Markermeer where it could count on wind up to a strong wind force 5 with the necessary waves. On the final day, the wind changed from 2 to a strong wind force 4 within a few minutes, accompanied by enormous wind shifts. Explained Kollmann, "That meant chess on Friday. Saturday was full-throttle racing and Sunday was a bit of a gamble, but that was challenging racing! That also made it a complete event in terms of weather."
For team DON JUAN, the Dutch Championship meant a return to the J/80 after a winter break. The priorities were elsewhere during the past Frostbite Cup season. But, according to Köllmann, it was nice to sail in the J/80 again, together with the De Zeeuw brothers and Wick Hillege.
"The J/80 is just a great boat! As a team, we have a good connection in terms of sailing and the competitions were always exciting." Looking back at history, that can certainly be said. In 2023 and 2024, the DON JUAN team was the favorite for the title of Dutch Champion, after winning the Frostbite Cup. But, they just missed out with a fourth and second place, respectively.
Strong southern neighbors
What also stood out in this edition of the J/80 Championship was the large number of Belgian and French teams. No fewer than seven of the 23 participants came from outside the Netherlands. "That of course has everything to do with the J/80 World Championship that will take place in Nieuwpoort in July," says Bernard Holsboer on behalf of the J/80 class organization Benelux. "We have now seen again how strong our southern neighbors are. Fortunately, we also have a nice J/80 field during the WAC (Wednesday evening competition) that we sail from Naarden. That will mean a lot of training in the coming months!"
View J/80 Dutch Championship results
For more J/80 Dutch Championship sailing information: www.j80.nl