NEWS

20 February 2021 - Thoughts on Tokens

Earlier in the year, Koos, Bert and I discussed to replace the land-based tokens with water-based tokens.

Not having to land ashore to collect your token not only saves the paintwork on your yacht but gives you a better chance to collect all 6 tokens and therefore claim 'gold'.

Our first idea was to attach polystyrene fish-containers with tokens to floating objects like buoys.

Since we expect the Dutch Waterways and Buoys Department to disagree with this smelly solution we are thinking of 'virtual' tokens.

So you get a list with tokens with GPS coordinates and descriptions which you can 'collect' by rounding the token (if it is a buoy) or getting as you close as you can.

Proof:

Posting your selfie with the token on the Raid Extreme Whatsapp group is undeniable proof and will no doubt be appreciated by future generations.
A GPS track (for example recorded with a GPS tracking app such as Strava) is just as good.
.. and finally, since this is a gentlemans pastime, we will take your word for it if you have no proof.

Safety:

Posting messages on the Whatsapp group is fun but not a safety net.

Here is what to expect:

there are no rescue boats.
messages on the Whatsapp group will NOT be monitored.
when in trouble, help yourself and don't expect help from others.

That said, at the end of the day we like to see you all safely back at Omaho Beach for the prizegiving!

Strategy: Choose your weapons!

For the Raid Extreme 2021 we will have prizes for any category that we can think of.
However, the hottest competition will be for line honours: who returns first with all six tokens?
In the previous editions, local teams won with Nacra 20 and Nacra F18 cats.
The fast Liteboat XP and i550 sportsboat were right up there with their high speed potential. The Goat Island Skiff, Sailhorse and Schwertzugvogel had good average speed to mix with the fastest boats.
Note that all line honours candidates were doublehanders with the exception of Gargantua (aka Hans Drink) a 6m canoe paddled by a crew of 8 and the Artemis sailing canoe sailed singlehandedly by Koos.
Of the new entries, the Caledonian Yawl will be be fast both under oars and sail.
The singlehanded sailing canoes should have a good chance as they can be very quick in paddling mode.
We are especially looking forward to seeing two trimarans (Adventure 600 and Astus 20.5).
That will be quite a spectacle!

Upwind Tactics: Motorsailing vs Rowing

Given the predominant westerly winds you can expect a fair bit of upwind sailing during the Raid Extreme and some of it through narrow channels to make it more exciting.
You will need an average VMG of 3kn to cover 52km or 28nm to collect all six tokens.
Not a problem for the faster boats but quite a challenge for the smaller boats since 30-50% of the course requires beating to windward.

Here are some tactical considerations for (slower) boats that can be paddled or rowed as well.

First of all look up your VMG in the table below when sailing upwind.

Now consider your alternatives to sailing:

Motor sailing (single paddle) adds 1kn and helps you point 5 degrees higher. Useful to force your way upwind through a narrow channel. Very tiring though.
Rowing with a single pair of oars and the mast down you may reach 2,5kn for many miles if there aren’t too many waves.
Doublehanded paddling with the rig down gives you about 3,5kn depending on fitness and hull shape.

A small example of tactical considerations on board Hatseflats (tacking through 100 degrees, 2 crew, single pair of oars, single paddle)

We lose about a third of our SOG when sailing upwind (at 50 degrees to the wind)
lowering and raising the rig takes 5 minutes if we are quick.
Motor sailing at a boat speed of 3,5kn requires the helm to fully hike out - very uncomfortable.

Our decisions for the Raid Extreme would be:

Motor sailing upwind in the channel between Booze Wijf and Hoek vd Bant always pays off.
Rowing upwind through the channel at Ezumazijl always pays off.
Rowing upwind through the narrow passages at Lunegat and Hunzegat always pays off.
Rowing beats sailing upwind at low speeds on longer stretches.
On Hatseflats this is after about 50 minutes or 1,86 miles with an upwind boatspeed of at 3.5kn.
(we are taking into account 5 minutes to change from sailing to rowing and back again).

Hope this helps you with your upwind tactics!

30-01-2021 Routing options

With 6 tokens at the corners of the Lauwersmeer there are many possible routes.
If we skip zigzag routes across the entire estuary we can consider the following routes

the clockwise or North route (N1)
the anti-clockwise or South routes (S1 and S2)

N1: 51.5km, arrive at Mai Tai after 16km
Omaho - Hoek+4 - Booze Wijf+3 - Mai Tai+9 - Hunzegat+8 -Lunegat+15 - Ezumazijl+7.5 - Omaho+5

S1: 53km, arrive at Mai Tai after 22.5km
Omaho - Ezumazijl+5 - Lunegat+7.5 - Mai Tai+10 - Hunzegat+8 - Booze Wijf+15.5 - Hoek+3 - Omaho+4

S2:51.5km, arrive at Mai Tai after 35.5km
Omaho - Ezumazijl+5 - Lunegat+7.5 - Hunzegat+15 - Mai Tai+8 - Booze Wijf+9 - Hoek+3 - Omaho+4

Note these are shortest distances. Useful for rowing boats.

To collect the six tokens you will need to average 5.5km/h or just under 3 knots between start and finish.
In light winds, slower boats like Hatseflats should be quick to lower their rig and start rowing if they want to bring home all six tokens.

But hey, it is your choice! nobody asked you to bring 6 tokens!
Have fun!

27-01-2021 Q+A with Algie Bennett about his Adventure 600 trimaran

Q: Algie, what triggered you to build a 20’ open tri?
A: My mobility is reducing for sailing our Spitfire twin trapezing catamaran (broke my neck and back in motorbike accidents) and we want to be able to go on longer but fast cruising trips.

Q: Did you design it yourself?
A: The project was started and designed by Len Surtees as the Sting 600 project.
I have had input on it over nearly three years and am now taking the whole project forward under my new brand "Adventure Trimarans" due to Len retiring with health issues.
He was already well underway with it when we met.
As we both had the same requirements we banded together, although the fundamental design is still his.
Len decided to retire in early December due to some health issues, so I have bought him out of the project and am taking it forward by myself.
The Adventure 600 updated designs will be crediting Len as the designer even with the changes I will be implementing.
He is very happy and supportive of the re-branding and the fact that the project will be progressing much faster now.
My previous plan was to build boat #2 this year but now there is no need.
I will concentrate on the final testing and fine tuning, updating the build plans into .dxf format from the latest data and properly sorting the marketing.

Q: Which existing designs inspired or influenced you?
A: Lots! The Spitfire cat hulls, Astus 20.5 and Pulse 600, the Seaclipper range and the Mike Waters W17 and coming W19.
None of those however allows sailing in different modes - we can sail the A600 Sport version without foils, or add the front foils and replace the rudder to get the Fast Foiling model. This uses the same hulls, beams, seats, mast and sails etc.
Essentially this is designed to be 3 boats in one.
I really want to be able to sail single or double handed, fast and with capacity for overnight stops.
We are currently developing the third model - the "Coastal Cruiser" version which has a small cabin for 2 with space for a small galley.
This will be a direct competitor for the Astus 20.5.
I prefer to not have a cabin and will be making a bespoke lightweight open tent and sleep in a hammock between the mast and a lightweight rear support frame.
Eventually I want to do a round Britain fast run which is quite a lengthy sail - 1500 nautical miles to 2000 nautical miles.

Q: Did your boat perform to your expectations?
A: Final testing starts in April as soon as lockdown is removed, but expecting to be able to get over 20 knots regularly

Q: Where will you sail or are you sailing?
A: From Lymington (on the Solent in the UK opposite the Isle of Wight) initially but looking to trailer it to lots of locations.

Q: Is your boat going into production?
A: I am investigating options to produce a CNC cut kit of it and also talking to a couple of builders to see if we can produce new fully/partly built boats for people as well.

Q: Will you be making changes for the production boat?
A: The main changes to review and test this summer are:

Making the main hull wider for more weight capacity when touring / raiding but also when racing to enable it to plane more quickly
We've already updated the foils to give 25% more lift, getting it out of the water quicker to make kit more flexible and usable in more usual lower wind conditions.
Testing the new electric remote toggle to control the pitch of the rear inverted T rudder
Changing the beam placement to give more height between them and the water to help in our choppier conditions here.
As part of this there will be an approx 150mm vertical connector between the top of the float and the underside of the beam so when the comparatively lower volume floats are fully submerged the beams will not impact the water and facilitate higher and safer speeds.
This will then require some changes to the trampolines but we have negated those by putting on the Hobie Getaway style bench seats
Reviewing the entire build plans to simplify and lighten where reasonable
The boat is already significantly lighter than the Pulse 600 and Astus 20.5 competitors but can still be further improved

I will then be able to finalise the .dxf plans and be able to produce CNC cut kits for builders and am also talking to a couple of companies about the possibility of them being pre-built to various stages to order. The final step will then be seeing if there is the possibility of making a foam/glass premium version as well.

Q: When does the boat arrive into the UK?
A: I was just in contact with Len this morning and he is loading it into the container on the 1st Feb so hopefully that means it will get here for the end of March still ready for our lockdown to hopefully be easing and get out sailing!

Q: Are you looking forward to the Raid Extreme?
A: Your update on the raid sounds very good. I've got a Spot X tracker that will broadcast our progress as we sail and we can check in at specific locations using the instant logging function which is really cool.

Q: Have you got photos where the boat is sailed?
A: Unfortunately there are limited pictures of the boat sailing as marketing / technology are just not Len's strong suit.
Len has rather different sailing conditions on the east coast of Oz compared to us here in Europe! Good winds, flat seas and most importantly sun and warmth!

The first picture shows Len sailing it as the Sports model ie no hydrofoils
You can see the gantry frames on the outer hulls holding the race numbers that are used to raise and lower the front foils.

The other picture gives a really good idea of the overall proportions of the boat and the super tall mast (over 9m!).

24 January 2021 - Finetuning the Formula

The revised formula for Race Day is as follows:

no mandatory stop at Mai Tai
a Raid Extreme WhatsApp group will be the communication hub on Race Day.
close-up photos of designated buoys or landmarks sent to the Raid Extreme app group will count as evidence instead of bringing tokens - no need to scratch your boats!
provision of 'erwtensoep' during lunch hour at Mai Tai island.
a special reward for those who make it to Hunzegat and back (the Hunzegat Heroes)

23 January 2021 - Presentation at winter meeting of Natuurlijk Varen

Koos presented the Raid Extreme 2021 to an audience of more than 40 at the online winter meeting of the Dutch sail and oars group 'Natuurlijk Varen'.

This inspired Dorestad Raiders Paul Waterman and Robin Popham to register with their new gaff-rigged Morbic 12. Welcome, Paul and Robin!
The photo was taken at a Morbic meeting in Chichester harbour. The 'Proteus' is the Morbic with the red bunting.

18 January 2021 - New arrivals - familiar faces

Benjamin and Christiane Sander are returning with their Schwertzugvogel 'Schleppinsel'. Welcome back!

And Hans Arends sent us a photo of his new boat the 'Weerlicht' (greased lightning) which he has built in the workshop at his waterfront home.
Isn't she lovely?

17 January 2021 - Tips for your stay

The base camp of the Raid Extreme is here:

Catamaranclub Omaho (and its club house for exhausted and desilussioned mariners)
At Jachthaven Lauwersmeer
Oostmahorn 31
9133 DT Oostmahorn

Contact Jachthaven Lauwersmeer to make your reservations for

a box in the marina (if you cannot pull your boat onto Omaho Beach)
a tent pitch if you are a diehard or holiday home if you are more delicate

Jachthaven Lauwersmeer is also home to the restaurant 'Raadsel of the Wadden' which is 2-3 minutes walking from Omaho Beach depending on your fitness.

Other accommodation: you may want to book a luxury holiday home at nearby Esonstad at 10 minutes walking distance from Omaho Beach.

Shopping and more food is available in Anjum (5-10 minutes by car or 15 minutes on bicycle)

Co-Op supermarket in Anjum Mon-Sat 0800 - 2000 Sun 1300-1700
Snackbar and lunchroom Iterij bij de Mune - nice open-air terrace.
Many fish restaurants in the fishing harbour of Lauwersoog (10 minutes by car)
Restaurant Het Booze Wijf at Camping Lauwersoog

Chandlery:

Jachthaven Lauwersmeer - may be open a couple of hours during the weekend
CIV Store in Lauwersoog - Mon-Fri 0830-1700 Sat 0830-1200
Jachthaven Hunzegat - Mon-Fri 900-1630 Sat 1000-1600 (30 minutes by car)

3 January 2021

Koos, Hubert and Bert discussed plans for the Raid Extreme 2021 in an online meeting.
We agreed to keep the event as informal and light as possible with participants making their individual arrangements for their stay and taking full responsibility for their own safety.

In order to attract more boats (especially from Omaho) Bert proposed to attach tokens to buoy locations to avoid damage to boats when coming ashore.

Another idea was to have a mandatory one-hour lunch stop at Mai-Tai island (on Schoenerbult) to make the event more social and to verify that everybody is still sailing.

Feedback on Facebook suggests to allow the mandatory one-hour stop between 1100 and 1500 hours so that sailors have more freedom planning the best strategy.

2 September 2020

Fuck! Just as the Raid Extreme was becoming an international event with no less than 6 guys from France and one guy from Spain, several of our new friends found themselves in 'orange zones' on the new Corona map of Europe.
Once you are in an orange zone you have to self-isolate for 10 days in a yellow zone before it is safe to participate in social events.
WIth Corona continuing to be a threat that is gradually becoming better understood, we had to stick to the rules of the Dutch government.
Better safe than sorry. It sounds lame and we feel lame.
Hope to meet up with you soon, Emmanuel, Yves, Marco, Benoit, Gerard and William! Maybe at the Rassemblement Arwen Marine 2020 from 25-27 September?
To all of our other friends: hope to see you on Friday for this year's Raid-not-very-Extreme.

The image below is a fragment of Jasper Johns' 'Flag' painting.

29 August 2020

The Dutch government updated the travellers advice for France.
There are now more orange zones. Travellers from orange zones should self-isolate for 10 days on arrival in The Netherlands. If you are travelling from an orange zone please send an email to Koos.

29 August 2020

Yesterday we sent out an email with information and the programme of the 'Raid ne pas extreme':

Le Friday

Arrive at Jachthaven Lauwersmeer in Oostmahorn (Oostmahorn 31, 9133 DT Anjum
Build up boats, tents, test on the water

Meet each other at Omaho beach, drinks and discuss plan for Saturday

Le Saturday

Some racing is unavoidable. We will cruise and sometimes race the Lauwersmeer. You can choose to be in the fast or very fast division. Prizes will be awarded per division, and for the best cooking setup during lunch.

Our tentative plan (finalise together on Friday evening)

0900: Start “race” to the first stop (Hoek vd Bant)

1000:Race to next stop SuyderOog

1200:Race to lunch at Gin and Tonic island (SE of Schoenerbult) - across the shallows (20cm)!

1430:Race around the Schoenerbult Island Schoenerbult (cross the shallows if you want)

1700:Back at Omaho beach or the marina

1730: Prizegiving at Omaho beach

Evening: organize your own meal (restaurants nearby)

Le Sunday

Cruising in company, routes depending on wind and weather conditions.

Below: Koos in racing mode, a candidate for the 'very fast' division

26 August 2020

Joost Engelen is a veteran of the 2016 and 2018 editions of the Raid Extreme.
This time Joost will not bring his Goat Island Skiff (sorry Emmanuel) but another treasure from his boatbuilding shed.
Either his 12ft Chris Koper-designed Chickadee scow or his very quick Viola Canoe shown below.

26 August 2020

The Dutch government marked Spain and several areas of France as 'orange' zones which means that only essential trips are allowed and you should self-isolate for 10 days afterwards.

The map below shows the current situation for France. If you should come from an orange area, please inform Koos by email.

24 August 2020

Benoit from France will be bringing 'Mounouf' to the Raid Extreme. Mounouf is a Silmaril, a sail and oars boat designed by Emmanuel Conrath and François Vivier. Mounouf was built in 2016 in two weeks with the help and in the workshop of Arwen Marine. Here Benoit and Emmanuel are sailing Mounouf on the Lac du Der.

21 August 2020

Earlier. this week, the Dutch government imposed new restrictions to prevent the spread of the Corona virus. As of 19th August you may not invite more than 6 people into your house. We are concerned about the spread of Covid-19 which has now reached the northern parts of the Netherlands.
Our view is that the Raid Extreme is essentially an outdoor event. If we admit only 3 persons in the club house at any time, all remaining activities are outdoors with a much reduced of infecting one another.
Since everyone leaves an email address on registering interest in the Raid, everybody can be contacted if needed later on.As long as it is possible we want to go ahead with the Raid Extreme.
We are following the news about Corona and will keep you up to date.

18 August 2020

Ben and Yvonne are veterans of many raids in the Netherlands but they are new to the Raid (not so) Extreme. They will sail on Jewell, a pretty 20 foot yawl designed by Francois Vivier.

17 August 2020

Father and son Hans and Hans will not be there because Hans senior regrettably sold his Solway Dory. He has bought a Fox 22 for singlehanded cruising. Hope to see you back next time, guys!

Fortunately, Hans and Margreet are returning with their very fast Wuptem. Welcome back!

Gerard from France will bring a Skerry Raid called Marie Pupuce II. Gerard built her from a kit supplied by Arwen Marine.It will be interesting how the Skerry Raid compares to the other boats between 4.5m and 5m.

16 August 2020

Emmanuel will bring a Goat Island Skiff. He writes: "I built my GIS during the winter 2018-2019 (I wrote an article about this in the Chasse-Marée N°308). I sailed my GIS at the Semaine du Golfe 2019, at the Challenge Naviguer Léger 2019 (a 5 day raid in the Bay of Quiberon, see Chasse-Marée N° 307) and again at the Challenge Naviguer Léger 2020, 4 days this year from Trébeurden to Bréhat. Before Let's Goat, my boat was Gandalf, an 18 foot CLC Skerry. I'll be riding with a friend, Yves, who also sails extensively in little
boats.
I love sailing in little boats and I do it as much as I can. I am a professional boatbuilder and you can learn more on my website.
Every year I organize a sailing meeting early May for my customers, friends and others on the Lac du Der-Chantecoq. Due to Covid-19, this year's Rassemblement Arwen Marine will be held between Friday 25 and Sunday 27 September."

You can see Emmanuel and "Let's Goat" in action here and here.

15 August 2020

One of the first to register were Wim and Joke with their Wet-Bicycle. Welcome back!

William from France is new to the Raid Extreme. William built a Bedard-designed 15 ft RoG micro cruiser called Bluto but made it 10% lighter and put a lot of sail on it.

The architect was blown away by the newly added flat gennaker and will put a gennaker on his own boat.

The video clip gives a good impression of this fast-looking design.

Marco from Paris will also join us for the first time. You can see some of his art work on his website. You will also see some quite unusual boats there!
Marco brings an aluminium canoe with a lateen rig which he has sailed in the Eolian islands, Bretagne, Sète, Marseilles and at the "semaine du golfe" in Morbihan.

July 21st 2020

Actually, last year's edition wasn't so bad! We sailed with a smallish group, who just got on the water and had fun. So we decided to do the Raid not very extreme again :) We'll keep an eye on Corona regulations, worst case will be everybody doing their own dinner in the evening and we sit on the terrace at "Omaho Beach" (Marina Oostmahorn) and keep our distance. Doesn't sound too bad?