Jelmer van Beek: “The 24 Hours was my first night at sea at the time.”

Ten years ago, ocean sailor Jelmer van Beek entered the Coastal Sailors 24 Hour Sail Race for the first time. Back then with the Team Heiner Pups on a MaxFun 35. Since then, Van Beek has sailed the world’s seas and came in second in The Ocean Race VO65 Sprint Cup in 2023 as skipper of the Dutch team JAJO. Still, blood crawls where it can’t go and he now returns as a professional sailor to where night sailing began: the Coastal Sailors 24 Hour Sailing Race. “The 24 Hours was my first night at sea back then,” Van Beek says. He laughs, “That’s actually how my sea sailing career started. It was also the first time I was a little land sick afterwards. Since then I have sailed all kinds of international (sea sailing) races, such as the Fastnet Race, Middle Sea Race, The Ocean Race and the Sydney Hobart. But now I come back to the 24-hour. I sail along on a boat from Scheveningen, the J121 Spitfire of skipper Frederic de Visser.” How did you end up on the Spitfire? “The owner of the J121 had been along on the JAJO once. He then asked if I would like to join the Icicles in a coaching role. I liked that. They are nice people, who really know how to sail the boat. That’s how it started. Last year they sailed races on the Mediterranean, now in the Netherlands. We first compete in the Veronica Race, then the 24 Hours and then the Brown Bank Race. I like all three, but the 24 Hours is my favorite.” Contest of the Year “The crew of the Spitfire has never sailed the 24 Hours before. I told them all how much fun this race is. In competitive sailing you see the numbers of participants decreasing. With the 24 Hours of course also a little bit, but still it is fun to start with four hundred boats on the IJsselmeer. I am really looking forward to it. It’s just fun. Sailing is my profession, but I am also a lover of the sport. If you are a lover, then the 24 Hours is definitely the race of the year on the Dutch racing calendar.” Tips from the pro Asked for tips for other participants, Van Beek replied, “Even though it’s only one night, the unexpected things often happen at night and I think this race again. So you actually have to go to sleep before you get tired. Not four hours of course, but a rack. In addition, you have to prepare well, but that goes for every race. When you get tired, it’s harder to make a good decision. After the start and with the finish line in sight everyone has energy, but in those night hours you win the race.” Favoritism The Spitfire will start in the ORC 1, for which the counter currently stands at eight boats. Last year’s winner, skipper Couperus’ Endorphin, is missing. If conditions are favorable, Van Beek and his team will certainly be on the hunt for the mile record. Van Beek: “I have done quite a bit of puzzling with current times and so on, but I haven’t looked into the competition yet. I think we have one of the faster boats. It’s a nice yacht with good water ballast and Code zero. The approach is to be competitive, though.” 24 Hour webinar Next Wednesday, August 28, Jelmer van Beek will participate as a panelist in the 24 Hour webinar of Sailing. He will then talk with Klaas Jan Kroon, chairman of the 24 Hour Committee, and weatherman Henk Huizinga. If, in preparation for your own Coast Sailors 24 Hour Sail Race, you are interested in learning more about weather and tactics, please still register via this link.