The 14thedition of the Budget Marine Challenge was sailed off the coast of Curaçao on Sunday June 9th. The different race starts are what makes this event so unique in the Caribbean.
The first challenge was a downwind start at the inshore Spanish water, with cruising class kicking off first and racing-class following 15 minutes after the first group started. The weather conditions were very good this year for the trajectory that needed to be sailed. Especially the downwind trajectory was perfect for spinnaker use which led to a colorful spectacle. A new player in the Budget Marine Challenge race, “Stinger” owned by Norbert Bielderman, a beauitiful race yacht designed and built in South Africa, was an impressive sight. It was however the yacht “Jenk”, a relative new boat that participated for the second time, which was clearly the fastest boat in the race, with recorded speeds of 18 knots during the race. It was no surprise that “Jenk” finished first in fuikbaai for the first part of the race.
After the lunch, the second part of the race commenced. This started with the unusual anchor start, where competitors are required to anchor with sails down and keep their crew below decks until the start gun goes off, after which they have to do numerous tasks which can influence their start time. Usually it’s clear who can handle the challenge and who is struggling, which makes it a hilarious sight for spectators and deciding factor in the overall race results for participants.
In the racing class, the yacht “Jenk”, skippered by Remco van Dortmondt, finished first again in the second lap of the race. Due to the differences in participating yachts and the handicap-factor which they got assigned this did not automatically lead to a win but a second place on the podium. The yacht “Merlin” with skipper Claus Schneider came in second in the second part of the race which proved enough for a first place win. Third place went to newcomer “Stinger”. In the cruising-class it was “Venus Callipyge”, skippered by Jan van Zon, which took first place.
Many thanks to the sponsors of the event Budget Marine and SeaHawk Paints, the racing committee, Ivo van Doorne, Rob Harms en Rob Kouijzer, and the start boat manned by Mark van Nes.
