Dutch deliver comeback thriller at Picasso Cup
by M32 World 21 Jul 2025 10:54 PDT
13-14 July 2025
Picasso Cup 2025 © M32World
After a season away from the circuit, Team Leeloo stormed back onto the M32 scene with a stunning last-gasp victory at the Picasso Cup in Kristinehamn.
Skipper Harold Vermeulen and his Dutch crew proved that rust doesn't stick to carbon fibre, sealing the win in a dramatic final race showdown.
In true M32 style, it all came down to the wire. With the scoreboard hanging in the balance, Leeloo edged out a top-tier line-up featuring Team Liros—helmed by Youth America's Cup skipper Oscar Engström—and reigning Picasso champions The Vikings, led by M32 stalwart Håkan Svensson.
The racing delivered edge-of-your-seat action, both for the sailors and the shoreline spectators. With live commentary and a big screen, a feast of drone and onboard footage, fans on land were practically part of the fleet. Gasps rippled through the crowd as the boats launched into bear-aways, moments that carried across the water.
"I hope everyone else had as much fun as we did," said Harold Vermeulen. "We really enjoyed the amazing hospitality, in a very lovely environment". Conditions were fantastic, two days with a north wind nudging over 20 knots under blazing sunshine gave the fleet a full-value regatta on Lake Vänern. "What amazed me was how tight the competition was," said race officer Mattias Dahlström. "We had newcomers to the M32 going toe-to-toe with crews that have been racing these boats for over a decade."
The Picasso Cup is a rarity on the M32 calendar—a fully supplied-boat event that opens the door to international teams without the logistical grind of shipping their own hardware. Show up, step on, and race: a dream formula in the picture-postcard archipelago of Kristinehamn.
Held during the Archipelago Festival, the regatta was part of a week-long celebration of sport, food, music, and all things of summer. Kristinehamn itself is no stranger to maritime tradition. A vital shipping hub for Swedish iron ore a millennium ago. More recently Kristinehamn was the epicenter of the holiday sailing boom in the 60:s and 70:s as this was the first place in Europe where glass fiber boats were produced on a large scale, the most prominent being Albin Marine producing many thousand boats for family cruising and racing.
Lake Vänern, Scandinavia's inland sea, is a hidden gem for crusing and racing sailors, with its vast, island-speckled waters and a direct channel connection between Sweden's east and west coasts. Kristinehamn is equally well-positioned on land, just three hours' drive from the international airports of Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Oslo.
And yes. It's not a fake! The name Picasso Cup come from the Picasso sculpture standing 50ft tall (˜15m) at the entrance to Kristinehamn. It is a true Picasso. The 3D drawings were made by Pablo himself and he approved Norwegian artist Carl Nesjar to complete it with a special natural concrete technic he had developed.
Hosted by Camilla and Håkan Svensson, with support from Aston Harald, restaurant Nock, and a fleet of regional boat sponsors, the event drew praise from every corner. Ideas are already being explored on how to be able to host more teams 2026. Mark your calendars—the M32 Picasso Cup returns the second week of July next year. This regatta is fast becoming a fixture. Miss it at your peril.