America's Cup: The Netherlands presents its America’s Cup Team
by DutchSailing 26 Jan 2019 10:44 NZDT
26 January 2019
Scheveningen where Team The Netherlands is to establish an America's Cup Base was the venue for the Finish of the Volvo Ocean Race in June 2018 © Jen Edney / Volvo Ocean Race
Wednesday 23th January marked a next major milestone in the foiling fast development of DutchSail, the brand of the movement that Simeon Tienpont (two time winner with Team Oracle USA, three time Volvo Ocean Race) has started by challenging Emirates Team New Zealand last November.
Just before the Mayor of The Hague/Scheveningen, in the presence of Ambassador of New Zealand Lyndal Walker, symbolically opened Head Quarters, Tienpont presented Dirk Kramers as Lead Designer. Dutchman Dirk Kramers (living in the USA) has been involved in 11 America’s Cup campaigns of which many lifted or successfully defended the trophy.
Tienpont also presented Peter van Niekerk, two times Olympian and two times America’s Cup winner with Team Alinghi, as Team Manager. Van Niekerk will be teaming with Carolijn Brouwer in developing Team The Netherlands. Both Van Niekerk and Brouwer are looking to the richly talented Dutch sailors who were on top of the medal ranking at Aarhus 2018 Sailing World Championships.
Carolijn Brouwer, two times World Sailor of the Year, three times Olympian and winner of the last Volvo Ocean Race with DongFeng Race Team, she is named to helm the Dutch AC75, an unique situation and is the first female helm named to steer a Challenger. [Leslie Egnot helmed Mighty Mary in the 1995 campaign, however that was in US Defence selection trials].
A foundation stone of the DutchSail Campaign, is that the AC75 and the test boat will be built and developed by an intensive collaboration within the Dutch maritime and aviation industry.
The desire to show the rest of world the renowned innovation capacities of the industry is long overdue. The Team is also well aware of the late start to the campaign and that sponsors and suppliers and indeed all of the necessary Challenge infrastructure will need to be put in place in an accelerated time line.
The official website of Team The Netherlands is www.dutchsail.com