The first 100 registrations are in
On Friday evening, August 30, at 7 p.m., the 59th edition of the Coast Sailors 24 Hour Sail Race will start. Since May 1, registration has been open. Already 104 participants have registered! Look for the list of participants at https://24uurszeilrace.nl/deelnemerslijst/
Not registered yet? You can still do so at www.24uurszeilrace.nl.
Crew apparel
No matter what category you start in, team apparel is always functional and nice to have. Moreover, it is a nice memento of your joint adventure on the water. This year, in cooperation with Magic Marine, beautiful crew clothing can again be ordered with your own boat name on the back. There is a choice of Crew Polo, Crew shirt (long sleeve) or Crew Softshell jacket. Order your own crew clothing via https://24uurszeilrace.nl/winkel/
Supporter companies
The 24 Hours can only be organized with the support of sponsors and supporter companies. You too can become a supporter of the 24 Hours! For a contribution of € 500, – you get a nice package of benefits, such as logo on the website, 1/4 page ad in the result booklet, visibility on the quay of Medemblik etc. See for more information https://24uurszeilrace.nl/product/sponsor-worden/
Do you know the history of the 24 Hour Sailing Race?
What started in 1950 as a trial and in 1965 was issued as the first official 24 Uurs Zeilrace, has grown into the largest event for cabin sailing yachts in the Netherlands. An event that can no longer be ignored in patriotic sailing.
In 1950, the Coast Sailors organized the first 24 Hour Sail Race, initially only for its own members. Twenty-two yachts participated. Due to lack of wind, only two participants managed to finish in regulation, C. Kaars Sijpensteijn won with the Starnakel, A. Conijn was second with the Femmy. Especially the fact that only two boats finished made the board think. They thought that because of the windlessness there was too big an element of chance and the board postponed a next edition. In subsequent years, there were occasional attempts to organize the race again, but it was not until 1965 that it became an annual event. De Kustzeilers sought cooperation with the local water sports club in Medemblik and to this day, this IJsselmeer town is the finish port.
The idea for the 24 Hours originally came from Sweden. The Swenska Kryssarklubben organized 24 and 48 Hour “Crusades” in 1947 with great success. The concept is the same; in 24 or 48 hours cover as many miles as possible between self-selected raks. Of which each rake may only be sailed twice. Those who finish late receive penalty miles. In those days, skippers had to keep a journal of the marks they rounded, the forerunner of the on-line declaration. These “crusades” proved to be good learning schools in seamanship, navigation, meteorology and getting to know the characteristics of crew and ship. England and Denmark adopted the idea in 1949, and the Netherlands followed a year later.
The first official 24 Hours in 1965 had pleasant sailing weather, with moderate winds, but with a piece of venom in the tail in the form of rain showers and strong winds. In 1965 L. Weisfeld with the Salacia won the Radbout Cup, the overall prize in the RORC class. G. Jorritsma’s Spes Mostra won the 24 Hour Challenge Cup in the Round and Flatboat class. The foundation was laid for an annual event full of sailing challenges.
The formula of the 24 Hours has not changed in all these years. The organization did expand the number of starting places to 14 and in the seventies there were also races on the Wadden and North Sea. The dike between Enkhuizen and Lelystad is permanently closed in 1975. For passing through the lock, participants receive compensation time. The 24 Hours quickly gained popularity and the number of participants grew each year. The peak was reached with more than 800 participants, after which there was a period of decline. Nowadays also duohanded sailors sail in the ORC and the number of participating boats is on average around 400. For many participants, the massive entry into the harbor of Medemblik is still a highlight of the 24 Hours. Thereby the sailors are welcomed by enthusiastic crowds ashore.
Read the whole story about the history of the 24 Hours at https://24uurszeilrace.nl/historie-van-de-24-uurs-zeilrace/
About Coastal Sailors 24 Hour Sail Race
In 2024, the Nederlandsche Vereeniging van Kustzeilers will organize the Coastal Sailors 24 Hour Sail Race for the 59th time. The combination of navigational skill, 24 hours of consecutive sailing, sociability and endurance makes the event still unique and beloved by sailors. The start takes place on Friday evening, August 30, from 13 starting ports around IJsselmeer, Markermeer and Waddenzee. And the (massive) finish is on Saturday evening, August 31, in Medemblik. The field of participants consists of touring and racing classes. Participation in the Kustzeilers 24 Uurs Zeilrace is possible in the competition classes ORC Club fullhanded and doublehanded, Round and Flat-bottomed yachts, VKSJ (classic) yachts, as well as in the tour with non-measured cabin sailing yachts (including flatboats and multihulls). The vast majority of the fleet participates in the trip. The rest divide among the various racing classes.
The 59th Coast Sailors 24 Hour Sail Race is made possible by the following organizations, among others: Nationale Nederlanden, Gemeente Medemblik, Mediapartner Zeilen and many enthusiastic support companies.
Subscribe now
We hope to see everyone at the start on Friday, August 30, and welcome them to Medemblik after 24 hours of sailing. Register from May 1 at www.24uurszeilrace.nl. We wish everyone a very fine sailing season with lots of great sailing hours to be well prepared at the start on August 30.