A Class Cat 4 Nations Cup Preview

4 Nations Cup © IACA

4 Nations Cup © IACA

European A-Cat sailors may be aware of next weekend's event at the renowned Hellecat club near Hellevoetsluis. It is the 4 Nations Championships, and has attracted much interest from sailors within and North of the Alps, and now some 11 countries joining in.

The event was conceived back in late 2019 when the NED, GBR, GER and BEL associations started talking about holding a join National Championships to get more boats sailing together, rather than the mere 10-12 or so that they had sailing in their individual events. However, the dark days of Covid arrived, and stripped away first GBR, then other associations as their lockdowns took effect, and that was that.

But new life was breathed into the concept a few of years ago with a couple of countries getting together for an event. This year will be the first time all 4 original Associations will be coming together as their schedules were co-ordinated at last. This event now looks rather like a sort of baby Euros, and many of the Euro A-Cat aces are signed up in this 55 boat event.

For the 13 sailor home NED team, the DNA holy Trinity of Mischa Heemskerk NED 7, PJ Dwarsluis NED 28 and Thijs Visser, are turning up, all riding the DNA F1x, and maybe with their DN bendy rigs after it's Euro race debut in the Open class back in Spain in June. They have analysed the performances and are understood to have tweaked and refined the bendy mast concept further. But a couple of other NED sailors will be keen to challenge, them in the persons of Rutger Krijger NED 14, DNA F1x, and Gert-Jan Kos NED 96, Exploder Ad3 and are both no slouches around the course. And over on the Classics are Former Champs Caroline Van Beelen NED 41, Nikita, and Sjoerd (Stuart to you and me) Hoekstra NED 3, Exploder Ad3, and both are fast in their favoured conditions.

For the GER team we will see a very strong bunch, again of 13 sailors. The likes of Rainer Bohrer GER 6, Exploder Ad3, Roeland Wentholt GER 95, DNA F1x and Klau Raab GER 5, Ad3 in the Open fleet, and with Mortiz Weis GER 121, Ad3, and Christian Stock GER 100, Ad3 in the Classics. All fast and will be pushing. The Germans also have a woman sailor, Katrin Brunner GER 15 F1x. She is an experienced sailor and another well-known in the fleets and beware if the wind is lighter.

The BEL team is an all Classic bunch featuring some fast guys and girls. Multiple National Champ Michel Warlop, BEL 9, is rather fast on his Nikita. But chasing could be the popular and likable veteran Phil Muyzers BEL 54, Flyer and maybe Jan Verlinde BEL 20, Nikita. Their woman sailor is the wonderful multilingual expletive expert Astrid Janssens (BEL 17, Ad3). Just don't get in her way, wherever you come from.

The GBR team is headed by Owen Cox, GBR 72, Scheuer G8. This will be his first regatta on a brand-new boat, so try and keep clear of the Ferreri red one please, but he could do well as it's been set up by Robin Maeder. Mark Rushton GBR 101, Tool and Ben Daigneault GBR 70, F1x will also be battling each other. And then there is your correspondent Gordon sailing GBR4, on his Marstrom M5 Moby and getting into trouble on the course as a sailor for a change. The GBR team is also the only team with no woman sailor, so we do have a vacancy.

Aside from the 4 nations sailors, other sailors include the class travelling mascot, Vladi Ptasnik CZH 1, Ad3. We have a trio of Vikings with Thomas Paasch DEN 1, Jan Saugmann DEN 3 and Christian Nygaard DEN 8, and the Polish travelling sailor Michal Korneszczuk POL 111. All top and very fast foiling sailors. We have Micky Todd, ESP 7, who is far from home and his local classic fleet. We have the Hungarian pair of Sander HUN 18 and Peter Roka HUN 001. A brace of French Classic sailors, with Eric Girardin FRA 26 and Géraud Ballage-Ajassi FRA 669, and three Swiss with National Open Champ Robin Maeder SUI 7, Patrick Gugerli SUI 78 and Benjamin Oudot SUI 69.

So, the biggest international fleet outside a major event this year and it could become a pattern other class fleets could follow, especially if they tend to have smaller National fleets yet fancy sailing in a much larger one. It all starts on Friday, the weather, now the vicelike grip of those unusual 5 successive heatwaves and associated droughts has finally been released, we are expecting a rather more exciting weather pattern to take over, so there could well be something for everyone next weekend.

But whatever, it will always be a great Euro sailing party.