After a perfect first day of the Allianz Regatta, Bjarne Bouwer and Laila van der Meer had a bit more difficulty on their second day. Yet, they still managed to hold on to the first position in the Nacra 17 class.
”It was a difficult day today. Yesterday was better, because today the wind is coming from Medemblik, so the wind was very irregular. Many gusts and turning wind. Nevertheless, a good result.
And it’s nice to sail a race again. Our first World Cup! A while ago we just missed the Olympics in Tokyo. That was disappointing, but not a disaster. We knew it was a long shot, so we are now fully focused on Paris 2024. We are now entering a new trajectory, in which we are going to sail a lot more. We want to become really professional by putting in more hours. We even look for a new coach. Then we hope to get a medal at the Olympics in Paris in 2024.
But for now, first this World Cup, in which we try many new things, but also just want to get results. It is very nice to have such a nice vest and a sticker on our boat. For the first time! And after two months of not sailing because of Bjarne’s final exams, this is our first race, so it is just nice to focus on sailing again.
So now win here, make good plans for the future, keep training and then go for the medals in Paris!”
