Dutchmans Dream - Gerd Jan Poortman Interview

The Dutch have a fantastic sea fairing tradition, an affinity with the sea that is as old as Holland itself. What ever part of Holland you are in, you are never far from the sea. Gerd Jan or John Poortman comes from the South of Holland and has been yacht racing from a very young age; ‘John’ came to Southampton to study and soon became a well known and very useful bowman on a variety of racing yachts in the Solent and before long he was racing all over the world.

The first time I met John was pretty memorable, we were out testing some new sails and the sail maker Tom McWilliam brought a ‘nipper’ along to help out with some measurements to make sure the rig was dead straight. Tom asked John to measure some of the rigging some sixty feet aloft. So Poortman attached a halyard to his harness and the rest of the crew watched in amazement as he free climbed the entire rig, the only assistance he had was someone taking the slack in the line as he went up. After calling down the measurements, he came back down, abseiling the mainsail in a controlled but rapid descent.

John Poortman has often been on winning yachts; in 1999 he was part of the victorious Dutch Admiral’s Cup team and became a professional sailor. Since then he has been competing on the match racing circuit and in recent years Poortman has been concentrating on big boat racing and has won European and World Championships. All his dreams came true when he was selected as bowman for the ABN AMRO TWO team for the Volvo Ocean Race 2005-2006, he was still only twenty-nine years old.

Who were your sailing heroes when you were growing up?

I was always very impressed with Russell Coutts but really I was only aware of top Dutch sailors when I was younger, Bouwe Bekking was definitely someone I looked up to and Bouwe was very influential in getting me into big boats, so Bouwe Bekking is someone that I have always admired.

What was the first sailing competition that you won?

It was the club championships in Optimist at small sailing club near where I grew up, it is called the ZCK and it is still there and one of the best places to race Optimists in Holland.

What is your earliest memory of the Whitbread/Volvo Ocean Race?

When Phillips Innovator came back from the 1985 Whitbread I was ten years old and the Maxi acted as a starting vessel in an Optimist regatta, I was in total awe at seeing the enormous boat that my young friends and I had heard so many stories about.

What was your first impression of sailing the Volvo 70?

Unfortunately I was injured for some of the early test sails and when I eventually did get to go out there was virtually no wind for the first few trials but the time that stands out for me was two boat racing with ABN AMRO ONE in Den Helder when we got some decent breeze and the sailing was absolutely amazing.

Where you ever scared on the bow of ABN AMRO TWO?

Not scared but more than any other boat you have to do your job and concentrate on how you will do it; where am I going to sit down, where am I going to clip on etc, looking after yourself is always in the back of your mind. You know that it won’t be long before a wave is going to hit you so hard that you wouldn’t be able to hold on just by yourself. That is especially true when the sail hits the water; the power of the sail becomes immense. I was often using double strops so that I was not swept.

What work would you be doing if you were not a professional sailor?

I would still be working in the marine industry probably as a sailmaker with North sails in Holland which is what I am doing now!

What are you good at?

I am pretty good at reading people; understanding and realising how they feel.

What are you bad at?

I am not very good at being patient, it is something I need to improve!

Do you have any bad habits?

I frown too much when I am stressed which makes me look angry but it is not the case

What is your favourite food and drink?

I love Indian food with a good white beer and there are many good Indian restaurants near where I live in Utrecht.

What sailing have you been doing since the Volvo Ocean Race?

I have been sailing with a lot of clients in a variety of events, for example; the Middle Sea Race on Sea Goddess and the Swan Worlds on Aqua Equinox, I have sailed with Aqua Equinox many times in the past and we were delighted to win the Swan Worlds, it was great fun especially as we had seven sailors on board who had competed in the Whitbread or Volvo Ocean Race, people that I had looked up to when I was growing up; Bouwe Bekking (Movistar 2005),Frans Hinfelaar (Phillips Innovator 1985), Arend van Bergeijk and Argen Van Gent (Brunel Sunergy 1997), Dirk de Ridder (Pirates of the Caribbean 2005) and Simeon Tienpont (ABN AMRO TWO 2005),

Who do you most admire from outside the sailing world?

Larry Page and Sergey Brin. The Google guys. They had a great idea; work it out and became extremely successful.

What did you learn about yourself from the Volvo Ocean Race 2005-2006?

On the sailing side I came to realise that I needed to develop my skills more at the back the boat and that is one of the main reasons I took a position with North Sails in Holland; learning more about sail design and how the sails interact with the rig and helm.

I realised that at the top level, especially with a small crew number, having good skill on the bow is not enough anymore, an event at the very top of the sport like the Volvo Ocean Race requires good all round abilities.

Would you like to compete in the Volvo Ocean Race 2008?

Most definitely, the last race was a fantastic experience for me, the level of competition and the power of the boats pushes you to the limits, it is hard work but anything that is worth having is always hard to achieve. I would love to do the race for the second time.