The Hague sailing regatta plays out in front of huge Volvo Ocean Race crowd
Sailors Thomas Snoek and Pieter van Leijen qualified for the Red Bull Foiling Generation World Final in front of a huge crowd at The Hague, who were also out to celebrate the Volvo Ocean Race’s conclusion.
The 2018 Red Bull Foiling Generation seeks the worldâs most talented young sailors aged 16 to 20 on Flying Phantom catamarans which can âflyâ on foils up to 35 knots (65kmh). Here is all you need to know:
– The sailors enjoyed a workshop by Simeon Tienpont, who has two America’s Cup wins and was skipper of AkzoNobel in this season’s Volvo Ocean Race.
– The 28 talented sailors comprising 14 teams were also cheered on by sailing fans enjoying the closing stages of the famous global Volvo Ocean Race.
– Snoek (19) and Van Leijen (20) had to use all their skills to beat their rivals and get the chance to represent the Netherlands in Novemberâs Miami World Final.
– Van Leijen revealed: “It was an exciting race until the last minute. Sailing on these boats is a major opportunity for us. The competition was fierce, but we made it. We are really looking forward to the World Final in Miami and we will try to win it as well!â
– Red Bull Foiling Generation co-founder Roman Hagara added: âThis is our second edition in the Netherlands and it looks like the talent here is growing. The Flying Phantom is the fastest boat of its size and we were racing in quite strong breezes, but all of these young teams managed the racecourse, which is great to see.”
– The Red Bull Foiling Generation calendar will continue with national regattas in Switzerland, Austria and the USA before Novemberâs World Final in Florida.
