Ocean Race Europe: Letter from Rosalin - learnt as a mother for the skipper role

For Rosalin Kuiper, the year has started with a nice double challenge: Team Malizia and Boris Herrmann's former co-skipper became a mother and has taken over the Imoca as skipper from her French team mate after the Vendée Globe and Nico Lunven's strong sixth place. She and the team have just under five months until the starting signal for the Ocean Race Europe on 10 August off Kiel.

Lessons learnt from Team Malizia for the Ocean Race Europe

Only 29 years old, Rosalin Kuiper is facing perhaps the most intensive year of her career. Like other racing teams, Team Holcim-PRB will soon be announcing its other crew members for the Ocean Race Europe. The "Flying Dutchwoman" has learnt from Boris Herrmann and Team Malizia how to build a "self-functioning team". Like Boris Herrmann, Kuiper is not a fan of hierarchies. She says: "I like flat structures. That's my goal: to bring together people with a good fighting spirit and a good mindset, who are very ambitious and put in a lot of effort."

Rosalin Kuiper continues: "You don't have to be the best sailor in the world. I prefer people who are very inquisitive so that we can operate at the same level. I want to be the skipper who inspires people around her. That's something I took from Boris Herrmann and Team Malizia. That's what he did: He encouraged every single person on the sailing team and also on the Shore team to be the best version of himself or herself."

According to Rosalin Kuiper, the basis of this type of leadership figure is that you really take an interest in the people around you. In an open letter, Rosalin Kuiper, who is still on very friendly terms with Team Malizia, has now written about how she has started the new year, how she is coping with the dual challenge and in which areas she is even benefiting from her dual role as mother and skipper.

From Rosalin Kuiper

Hey,

I have just written a long letter to you to keep you up to date with my experiences. Lately I've been thinking about how I can share more of my journey with you in the coming months. And then I thought to myself, why don't I just send you a letter every now and then? I hope you like the idea and join me on my journey, because there is so much happening and I would love to take you on this adventure with me!

So, here we go!

At the end of last year, I was on two starting lines at the same time: once as the skipper of Team Holcim-PRB, preparing for The Ocean Race Europe 2025, and once as an expectant mum about to meet her daughter Feis. Both races started in January and both taught me more than I could ever have imagined.

All the clichés that people talk about when they become parents? They're all true." Rosalin Kuiper

It feels like I've lived ten years in just a few months. We finished 2024 (editor's note: in January) with my colleague Nicolas Lunven finishing the Vendée Globe in sixth place with Team Holcim-PRB, which was incredibly impressive. I've always focussed more on crewed races, but to see it from the inside, all the preparations, the French passion, the huge importance of this race, was very special.

The basis: communication, trust Keep calm

We learnt a lot about the boat and how we can further improve it for the next challenges. In the meantime, my own big project was underway: preparing for the birth of our baby. I saw pregnancy, birth and recovery as top-class sport and enjoyed every stage of it! Unlike a competition where you win or lose, this journey was about preparation, visualisation and confidence.

I surrounded myself with experts who supported me in the areas where I felt we could use help, such as a pelvic physiotherapist, a personal trainer and a doula who introduced us to the hypnobirthing method. It fills me with pride and joy that I gave birth to our daughter the way we had imagined. It was a beautiful and intimate team effort between my partner Feis and I - right in our cosy home!

This experience made me realise how much ocean sailing had prepared me for this life-changing event. Lessons like communication, trust and staying calm no matter what comes your way proved to be just as important on this voyage as they were at sea.

On course for the Ocean Race with a new perspective

Now it's about finding a new rhythm. Physically, I'm building up my strength step by step: two strength training sessions a week, a cardio session and a yoga or Pilates session to keep my body strong and flexible. It's all about balance, just like on board.

One of the biggest changes for me is that I have learnt to look at things from a bird's eye view. As a sailor, I focus on performance and details. As a skipper, I have to see the bigger picture. And now, as a mum, I've naturally started to do that in life too. There is something so powerful about standing still, pausing for a moment and looking at things from above. I truly believe that this new perspective will allow me to grow in both roles.

By the way, we collected incredible data during the Vendée Globe with our Ocean Pack, one of the best data sets ever collected during the race! This data helps scientists understand how our oceans are changing and how urgently action is needed. That's why we do what we do. If you are curious, you can learn more about it here.

Before the Ocean Race Europe: The first letter of a series

So that was the first of many letters to come. Little glimpses into my life, from the beauty to the challenges, from small successes to big lessons. I hope you enjoy them and feel a little closer to this whole crazy adventure.

Thank you for being here! It means a lot to me.

A warm hug,

Rosalin

Rosalin in an interview! The Dutchwoman conducted the interview with Niall Myant-Best last year. It is still very topical and informative: