From Rosalin Kuiper
We arrived in Nice on a 'high'. Perhaps fuelled by fatigue. It was a very exhausting stage. I knew that we had given everything. We fought so hard, it was fantastic sport! We fought for every mile. I was happy and proud afterwards. It's actually quite satisfying when you've given everything to beat your opponent.
Duel at the highest level
Okay, you didn't quite make it, that's 'c'est la vie'. You have to tick it off and be proud of what you've achieved. That was the reason why I felt 'high' after the final. Team Biotherm is a very strong competitor. They have become something of an obsession for us (laughs): Where is Biotherm? But it's a great situation to be able to fight with two strong boats in similar conditions at such a high level.
The stage had already started very challenging in Cartagena. The weather models all predicted different conditions. So we knew beforehand that we wouldn't really know anything. Of course, we prepared for some scenarios, but we knew that constant changes would be our companions. That we had to be ready for anything. The Mediterranean is so unpredictable! It was very difficult to anticipate.
After stage three, we can say that our strengths are clear: We have a fast boat. And as a team, we quickly built up a good connection with each other and with the boat. We are pretty good in semi-foiling conditions. So in 12, 14 to 16 knots. When we sail upwind, we take off quite easily compared to other competitors. We have gained a lot of time in these kinds of conditions. Our weaknesses are more downwind. Opponents like TRR, "Arkéa Paprec" and Malizia are simply very fast.
"I think the Ocean Race Europe is cool!"
And I believe that we can be even better with the sail changes. We have the feeling that we are still losing some time there. I also think that we were sometimes a bit late with the sail changes, our opponents reacted a bit earlier. Overall, however, I believe that we should continue to concentrate as before. We have to make sure that we stay sharp but also patient and work to the point when it's important.
The second half of the Ocean Race Europe is already underway. I think the race is cool. It's very intense. It's great for the fans, the sponsors and the media. We come into a lot of harbours in a very short time. But that also makes it extremely demanding. I know you can see the lack of sleep and limited preparation time within our team. You can see it in all the teams because we don't have enough time to recover properly.
We have now passed the halfway point. Everyone, including me, is very tired. Tiredness is now a key issue. So it will also be important to maintain the base. The stage harbours are super cool! It would be even cooler if we had more time here so that we could offer the fans and visitors more. But then we might have to include fewer harbours so that the whole race doesn't become too long. That way, the stops can be better organised and the sailors can recover better.
As far as the scoring in the Ocean Race Europe is concerned: I think the bonus points to be won at the scoring gates at the start of the legs are too much of a reward (editor: two points go to the first boat at the scoring gates shortly after the start of the legs, one point to the second boat). You can win too many points. I would award fewer points.
Ocean Race Europe: "We have it in us"
To the tasks that still lie ahead of us: We have it in us. It was so close now. We can win. It's not over yet. We will put the pressure on! I feel good about not sailing the fourth leg. We're five sailors and we made this plan beforehand: we'll each skip a leg. For me and the team, it's the right leg to skip. Alan Roberts comes in fresh. And I can get a good rest for the longest leg to Boka Bay.
It's the right choice for me. I'll be pretty excited when I see the team setting sail today. But I have total confidence in the team!
