Conceived, bold, but not yet won: The Dutch America's Cup team DutchSail is fighting for its place in the 36th edition of the prestigious regatta. The team, led by circumnavigator Simeon Tienpont, has now launched a crowdfunding campaign and is hoping to raise additional funds for its ambitious endeavour. The Dutch have never competed in the America's Cup before. This is set to change with protagonists such as the driver and two-time Cup winner Simeon Tienpont and the designated helmswoman, Volvo Ocean Race winner and World Sailor of the Year, Carolijn Brouwer. But if you know that top teams like Sir Ben Ainslie's Ineos Team UK have a budget well over the 100 million euro mark, you also know how rocky the Cup course can be for newcomers. Historically, there has only ever been one German Cup team in 2007.
The DutchSail team has not been deterred by the bumpy road. The initiators believe in the experience, skills and passion of their sailing-loving home country. However, because the registration fee is now due on 1 April, even for the so-called "last-minute teams" from Malta, the USA and the Netherlands, the Dutch are relying on crowdfunding to close existing gaps. The progress of the crowdfunding campaign will show whether they have cleverly put together their "certificate package" and whether the fans in sailing-loving Holland will help in sufficient numbers. The certificates cost 100 euros per month and are purchased for a period of 24 months. In total, each supporter in this system pays 2400 euros. This is a large sum, says Tienpont, but it could mean that the Dutch will soon be competing for the world's oldest sports trophy for the first time. Every donor will have their name on the Dutch Cup yacht and will later have access to the team base.
How Team DutchSail presents its Cup plans in the video
Tienpont considers the crowdfunding campaign to be an important and indispensable driving force for his team, which can use it to gain momentum. "The campaign is ready," says Tienpont, "but the start is difficult." His team is in a position to build a boat, but first the mountain of registration fees has to be climbed. Firstly, there is the fee for late registrants of one million US dollars, which, according to the latest information, can now be paid in two instalments: 250,000 US dollars by 1 April and a further 750,000 US dollars by 1 October 2019. In addition, there is a performance and entry guarantee of a further one million US dollars, which is due on 30 April 2019. The Cup organisers have not yet defined exactly when and how the traditional entry fee of two million US dollars, which the first three Cup challengers had to pay last year with their regular entry, is to be transferred.
Tienpont says that his team is in promising negotiations with the government, the water sports industry, institutes, innovation partners and other investors. Nevertheless, the campaign now needs the fans and a large group of private individuals to help push the project over the initial hurdle. The team would need a thousand certificate buyers to raise 2.4 million euros.
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
