I wanted to be sure to get your attention so I put it on the first post...I did not realize it would cause trouble. Sorry, I can go back and delete it, and so can everyone else, which might save you time.

So, how far is it up to Texel? Thanks. Tim

Wouter I saw your post in that thread. I deleted my post as well. I agree with you, we shouldnt have hijacked it. But you do not have to have Rick delete the thread and start a NEW ONE. That is the long way around it, and time consuming. All he would have to do is delete all the replies, and close the thread. That way it will stay where it is, and NO ONE can reply to it.

In addition you as the thread author, (I THINK) you can close it as well. As long as Rick does NOT un-stick it it will remain where it is.

Delete the posts in that thread, Yes lets try that you all !

Lets see if that works

Wouter

Tim,

Chances that I'll sail at Texel are really slim by now. So I may be able to hook up with you. Texel is about 80 miles north of The Hague and you can get up there by train.

Tim how heavy are you, how comfortable are you with spi handling and would it be a problem for you to bring WARM sailing gear. Or what is your butt size ? And are you required to rest during the saterday in anticipation for the return flight ? Absolutely no garantees what so ever; but if the weather is right and I'm in the mood then we could go for a spin.

Mind you water around here is still rather cold, 10 degrees celsius. You'll a proper wetsuit for that.

Also how do you feel about riding a bicycle for say 20 miles ? If weather is nice than we could meet up go to Texel and rent two bicycles and follow the boats around.

I'm up to me neck in uni work this week so everything will be tentative but when everthing had been cleared than it won't take much time to decided what to do.


Wouter

Thanks Wooter. I've got lots of spin experience, my last 3 cats all had them. I weigh about 180-185 depending on what I eat for dinner. I can bring a wet suit, booties, harness and life jacket but if you have a spare life jacket and/or harness that would save me some room and make it easier to carry it all.

I usually ride my mountain bike 10-20 miles a day for execise when I'm home, so I can do 20 miles if it's not a rusted up peice of crap, but we may have to stop for beer several times.

As long as I get back to the hotel by 9-10pm, in time to get 8 hours sleep before I have to go out on Sunday morning I should be ok. I usually take a 3-4 hr. nap on arrival as I will have been awake for over 24 hours but if there is sailing to be done, I can skip the nap!

I understand if it can't be worked out, I just got the trip on short notice and I realize you have a life too, but if we can get together, that would be great. If not, please point me in the direction of the best place to see some cats.

Thanks.

Tim

Tim,

The chance of me doing Round Texel has shrunk to 0.5 % now. The only way I will doing it is when I grap my own boat, put it on the trailer and drive north on one of the next evenings, pay about 200 Euro's in entry fee and transport costs (+something extra for lodging and food) and find a crew that I trust to do a High Winds distance race like Texel with. I have contacted all the crews I trust and either they are allready spoken for or won't do texel. I'm not going to do Texel solo.

So, I think that I can forget about this years Texel race. As a participant that is. So I should be able to hook up with you (barring any late developments in the coming days).

The weather conditions (long term ones) are as follows. :

Saterday : Sun 30 % chance; rain 30 % chance , wind direction NW, force 3, Temp about 14 degrees celsius (rather cold for the time of year.

So we can do two things.

-1- Hook up and go for some sailing at my own club (about 30 km north of the Hague = 20 miles). This is the most relaxed thing we can do and there is a direct train connection between The Hague and Heemstede (where I live) of about 25 minutes. I can pick you from the station and then about 15 min later we're at the coast and my sailing club. I can mostly likely bring you back to the Hague myself as I always go to a movie art house on saterday evening to see a late film. This coincides beautifully with a 9 PM return at your hotel.


-2- We can drive up to Den Helder (closest mainland town to the island of Texel) and jump on the ferry as pedestrians. Rent a couple of bicycles and peddle our way to the start of the round texel. If we are up to it we can cross the island by bike ahead of the leaders and follow the racing that way. Later in the day we cycle back to the ferry (passing a 7 km traffic jam of cars and boat trailers) ; ditch the bikes and get across the channel in about 30 minutes. Then I can drive you back and drop you at the hotel (same as option 1)


Pro and cons of both options.

-1- This is way more relaxed as option 2. I you are of a normal size (xl chest, 180 lbs and about 6 ft) then I have both a bouyancy aid for you and a harness. It is the best way to hang out and talk alot of boat (if that is your thing) and try out a homebuild Taipan F16 that Sam claims never existed and is fitted with incredibally dumb fittings. This can be an adventure in itself ! Con : you may have less to tell when you get home.

-2- You will probably be exhausted by the end of the day and rosy of being in the open air all day. It will be an eventful day. You will witness the biggest cat race in the world when counting participation. The sight of 550 boats (a forest of masts) on the beach is something to remember. Apart from that it feels much like a medium size festival with sand between your toes. We will witness only small parts of the actual race but following the race by bicycle will be fun (if we manage to rent these). The race starts very early : 10 am and therefor we need to go there very early, especially if we want to hook up with some F16 sailors etc. I estimate that we need to leave for Texel at 7 am (maybe even slightly earlier). This could be a problem for you. Besides it is not much fun arriving after the start. Getting you back in time should be easier.


I think that I personally favour the relaxed option. As I wrote in my other mails. I'm up to my neck in university work and a killer assignment. I think that I'll be ripe for some R&R this weekend. But indeed if things don't work out then I can point you in the right direction.

Ehhhm. wait a minute ... (looking up some data on getting to Texel)

If you go to Texel on your own than it will take 2 hours by train to get there. The ferry itself will take about 30 min (excl. waiting for it to leave); cycling to the event area will take another 30 minutes (if you know where you are going); I don't see anybody do it within 3 hours, probably 4 hours or more is a more dependable estimate. If you want to be experiencign the pre start rush than you must really leave Den Haag at about 6 am . And then all that in reverse to get back. That can be quite a trip. Sadly no intercity trains go to Den Helder only smaller local trains (=slow). An alternative would be to go to Den Helder only and look at the cats when they pass the 7 km channel between the town of Den Helder and the island of Texel. The boats will do that somewhere between midday and 2 pm. But you will not really get the full buzz that way.

So, how late are you really free on saterday morning ? I venture that you want to get settled into the Hotel first. Actually, I live less than 10 km (6 miles) from Schiphol airport. I guess that you "off work" time will pretty much determine whether option 2 is viable.

Wouter

Well, seeing the Texel race would be very cool but since we don't arrive into Schipol until 09:35, that will be allmost impossible, so I guess it's option 1, which is more than fine with me. I had not planned on seeing the Texel race, just getting together to empty a few green bottles and maybe sail, if the conditions are good.

I'll be on Delta flt. 42 from Cinncinnati arriving around 09:35. I don't know how long it takes to get from the airport to the Dorint hotel in Den Haag but I'm guessing it will be at least an hour after our landing before I'm there. I can call you on arrival at the hotel and let you know what time I'll be on the train.

Thanks. Tim

Ohh well, by the time we get to Texel the first boats will be finishing. If we are unlucky will just miss the race entirely (except for a few tail enders = not much fun). Soon after that everybody will be packing. Indeed too much hassle for too little enjoyement.





I can be persuaded into that direction. (Now that I looked at getting to Texel in more detail; I fear that I personally don't have much desire to go there, myself. Too early for me. Hell, the briefing is at 8 am ! I'm much more looking forward to sleeping in this coming saterday !)




Check !




Train ride will be 25 min in itself. I'm guessing you'll be spending somewhat more than an hour to get to the Dorint and getting set-up there. Probably will take another hour to get back to me. My earliest estimate for being able to hook up would be about midday (at Heemstede railway station).




Yep lets do it that way.

Can you send me the exact adres of the Dorint Hotel in a private mail. I want can look into the best route to me. I'll send you my phone number in a private mail as well.

Make sure you bring a proper wetsuit with long legs and long sleeves ! Booties are a must. What is your height ?


Wouter





I can call you on arrival at the hotel and let you know what time I'll be on the train.

Thanks. Tim

Do us all a favor, and take some pictures!

OK, Robi, I'll bring my kid's digital camera and maybe I can figure out how to upload the pictures to post here. OR...you could drive up to my house and watch me drink Heineken in person! Bring your boat and we can play the downwind angles.

Wooter, I'm about 5'9" tall, short for my weight yes but it's all muscle...at least that's what I tell my wife.

I have a wetsuit, long legs, no sleeves, but I have a spray jackett I will bring, and a sweater, and booties, gloves, and...

I will try to get the exact address of the hotel tomorrow from the Chief Pilot's office, they are closed now.

I f you take the ferry on time you can see it al.
Its a great to see so many cats struggle too beet the current between Den helder and Texel.

Wouter,
Are you the only formula 16 cat at texel?
I dint not see the blade’s one the list.
1 formula 16
6 spitfire
2 stealth

http://www.roundtexel.com/
Dutch.


www.roundtexel.com/index.asp?ID_Language=2&ID_Group=1
English.

5'9" by 180 lbs ; I will have some gear for you. Probably I can get you a longjohn top so your arms will be covered as well. I hope that you are not to large in the chest. So I got a harness and bouyancy aid for you and probably a wetsuit top. You should bring your "long john", booties, gloves and spray top yourself. Maybe a towel and slippers as well as we have hot showers at the sailing club. Beer is on me. I think we can make this work.

Robi, I have some very cheap digital camera that I also used to make the pics of Jaaps Blade with, so in the right light it'll work alright. I'm sure we can make a few shots here and there.

Sounds like a plan.

Wouter

Well that is just the problem. Tim is landing at 9:35 am and that doesn't allow us to get an early ferry.




No, besides I'm not sailing the round this year. Destiny interfered. My planned skipper Jaap Haasnoot may still do the round (he is there right now) but not if it is blowing dogs of chains.

Bard Louis and Lonneke Stark are sailing their Stealth F16
Geert Ruesink and Raymond v/d Haas are sailing their Taipan 4.9 with F16 spinnaker

Both have listed themselfs respectively as Stealth and Taipan (without the F16 identifier), but both are sailing as Formula 16's (with spi gear etc). Bards Stealth is even a pure F16 of Geerts boats you can say that it is a modified Taipan 4.9

And then also Pete and Dee Mcdowell (UK) are sailing a Stealth F16. Their sailnumber is higher than that of Bard (so their boat was build late 2004) and so it can only be the F16 version as John Pierce is has not made any other versions since 2 and halve years.

Aaron Young has just written in a post that he can't attendent this years Texel race. He wanted to do but things apparently didn't work out for him. Anyway so he is not there.

I, myself, planned to do it this year but destiny decided otherwise. Besides I'm on a F16 holliday remember, spending lots of time on other things in my life; and you don't hear me complain !





The listing that says "Formula 16" (Jaap Haasnoot) is a Blade F16.

Anyway so in summary ;

3 F16's are sailing the round, maybe a 4th will join in if the weather is decent. Aaron Young and myself won't be there (minus 2 boats from the original count)

Wouter

Pete & Dee are husband & wife from Northern Ireland. They sailed the only red Hawk in existance up 'till the end of last year - then bought Stealth. Pete crewed for me on the Spitfire at last year's Nationals. I thought that the Irish Spitfires would get a chance to race against them next weekend at our Western Champs - looks like they have made other plans - I wish them well - I think that Pete crewed on a Dart 18 in last year's Texel.
Wouter: Have a great day with Tim - very brave of you, picking up the tab for the beer

Dermot.

They are ! Well that is a long way to travel.

Good luck to them indeed ! We want to see them coming back in the next years !




Ohhhh SH!T !

Wouter

hahaha if you take pictures you can always email them to me, and I can host them with no problem. As far as going to your house, that is still in the works. As you mentioned its best to wait till summer goes by. The wind is just NOT here, and the afternoon storms are a huge pita!

But I will still up for the lake sail. Maybe have a small F16 gathering, dunno.

What "other things in (your) life" are you doing?
You annouced on 5/11/05 that you had this big fancy work project was going to take up all of your time so you couldn't sail or do anything for your class
BUT, you have managed to post 124 times since then including your little JPOR spreadsheet project.
That is 124 posts in 35 days !!!
You have averaged 3.5 posts a day during a time that you were supposed to be too busy to race.
Obviously that "project" is not taking up too much of your time.

Tell the truth!
You just invented that "big work project" as an excuse to avoid the Round Texel, didn't you?
You live closer to the Texel than anyone else on this website.
You brag about the Texel more than anyone else on this website.
But when it is time to put your boat where your so-called "expert" mouth is, you run and hide.

You even claim that you were going to have someone else skipper your boat so that you could blame them for a poor finish.

You are a heck of a "leader".

oh hey the TROLL came out of his cave.

Hey Sam you sail an F16? I sent you a pm a while back I even reminded you I beleive once, yet you ignored me.

You trash Wouter as being a lier and this and that, yet I seriously think you are a big hypocrite.

Shut the [censored] already will ya! Your post are an annoyance to this board, specifically in the F16 section.

Sounds like Wouter's "destiny" is with a pretty dutch lady. That would be the only thing I can think of that would drag any normal bloke away from competing in what is obviously one of the premium cat races in the world.

Either that, or as Sami inferred, the fear of not being able to put all his wonderful theory into practice.

Phil

Might I just point out that the F16 class (or any other class for that matter) doesn't need (or want) a 'leader'?

We're all big boys and girls perfectly capable of beating our own paths thank you and I don't believe that Wouter ever claimed to be the 'leader' of anything?