Great start to the 59th Coast Sailors 24 Hour Sail Race

Over three hundred participants on the water to sail miles for 24 hours Medemblik, Aug. 30, 2024 – On Friday evening between 6:30 and 7 p.m., 324 of the 365 registered participants started in the Coast Sailors 24 Hour Sail Race. Under a thin sun and with a nice easterly wind around 10 and 15 knots, the participants left from the thirteen starting places. The next 24 hours will be spent puzzling over the favorable courses to cover as many miles as possible. According to the forecast, the wind was still blowing from the north on Friday night and would turn east during the night, where it would remain until Saturday night. With the wind already in the east on Friday night, it looks like the direction will remain constant and the competitors will have to recalculate which courses yield the most miles. A wind shift during the 24 hours is probably not in the cards. The wind will also continue through the night, which is favorable for mileage, increasing over the course of Saturday to about 17 to 23 knots in the evening. As it looks now, it will be a nice spinnaker finish off the coast of Medemblik after the participants in the tour and race have completed their final miles to the finish line under spinnaker. It won’t be cold for the participants of the Coast Sailors 24 Hour Sail Race, the mercury probably won’t go below 13 degrees at night. Saturday will be a sunny day. It looks like this edition can be sailed out without precipitation or strong winds. For the participants, these weather conditions are perfect for making a lot of miles. Nevertheless, it is unlikely that the mileage record that has stood in the name of team Blacquire with the Blacq Magic since 2021 will be broken. This team covered 222.06 miles in 24 hours. The 59th edition again has many newcomers, most of them in the draft classes. It shows that the Coast Sailors 24 Hour Sail Race is undiminished popular among various groups of sailors. Also, a number of participants have already sailed the 24 Hours more than 30 times in regulation, a tremendous achievement. Of the 324 participants who started, 238 started on the IJsselmeer, hoping to make the most miles there, compared to 83 on the Markermeer. With this easterly wind and unfavorable currents, the new starting place on flowing water, near Den Helder, was not popular. Only one participant started there.

Starting Places

Friday evening’s start in the twelve starting places around the Marker and IJssel Lake went quietly. Most popular starting place was Stavoren with 62 participants started, which is not surprising with the easterly wind. Hindeloopen was a close second with 48 boats crossing the starting line. Enkhuizen Noord (46) was also popular, as it is every year. In Lelystad Zuid and Den Oever, 33 participants started their 24 hours of sailing.

Sailwise

SailWise’s Beatrix catamaran is participating for the third time in the Coastal Sailors 24 Hour Sail Race. This foundation offers people with physical or sensory disabilities, intellectual disabilities or non-congenital brain injuries multi-day, challenging water sports activities and vacations.

Digital processing of results

Participants’ covered miles can be tracked in real time via the Coast Sailors 24 Hour Sail Race website. During the race, the participants have to enter the digital system immediately after each buoy lap. This is not only for themselves and the other participants, but also for the people at home and the followers. The processing of the results is completely digital. All participants complete the race declaration online, which saves the organization a lot of work after the finish. It is immediately visible how many miles a team has sailed and in which place they finished.

Following the race

Participants can be followed live at www.24uurszeilrace.nl. Facebook also allows home fans and participants to follow the Coast Sailors 24 Hour Sail Race closely. The organization has asked a dozen onboard reporters in various classes to blog live from the cockpit via Facebook about how their race is going and what they are up against. Through photos, videos and live updates, they will let everyone in on their tactical choices, life on board, fatigue and perseverance. In addition, two reporters on shore will cover the race for 24 hours through interviews with participants, videos and live updates via Facebook and the website.

Finish

Saturday evening between approximately 5:30 and 8:00 p.m., all participants will finish en masse off the coast of Medemblik, after which the party on the quay will erupt and last into the wee hours, especially with this beautiful weather. About Kustzeilers 24 Uurs Zeilrace
In 2024, the Nederlandsche Vereeniging van Kustzeilers will organize the Kustzeilers 24 Uurs Zeilrace for the 59th time. The combination of the art of navigation, 24 hours of consecutive sailing, sociability and endurance makes the event still unique and beloved among yacht sailors. The field of participants consists of touring and racing classes. All teams must cover as many nautical miles as possible in a 24-hour period. They may only sail the set courses on the IJsselmeer, Markermeer, Wadden Sea and North Sea twice, so navigation is essential. Besides seaworthiness and endurance of the entire crew, a good interpretation of the weather, sailing area and currents are important factors for the final result. Participation in the Coastal Sailors 24 Hour Sail Race is possible in the race classes ORC Club fullhanded and doublehanded, Round and Flat-bottomed yachts, VKSJ (classic) yachts, as well as in the trip with non-measured cabin sailing yachts. The vast majority of the fleet participates in the trip. The rest divide among the various racing classes. The Kustzeilers 24 Uurs Zeilrace is made possible in part by the following organizations: Nationale Nederlanden, Municipality of Medemblik and media partner Sailing. For more information, see www.24uurszeilrace.nl /// End