Daan and Roos win Dutch Nationals after breathtaking final race.

For Daan Dutilh, Sunday,  September 23^rd 2012, will be a day to remember.  Not only did he celebrate his 15^th birthday but he, and his teammate Roos van Lookeren Campagne,  finally managed to bring home the Dutch National  RS Feva title!

After being 2^nd in 2010 (as a crew together with Laura van Veen) , 3^rd together with Roos in 2011, this year everything seemed to go the right way.  After seven races of intense battle, Roos and Daan are the new Dutch Champions.

Over 40 boats competed in this year’s Open Dutch Nationals. An absolute record which makes the Feva the most popular two person dingy for youth under 18 in the Netherlands. Among competitors were well known names such as Thomas en Marloes Rot , winners of the title in 2011 and Odile van Aanholt , one of the best Dutch Optimist sailors of 2012.

After a postponement of one hour on Saturday a series of 4 races started which showed an intense battle between the mentioned teams of Daan and Roos,  Odile and Marieke, Thomas and Marloes and the family team of Eline and Olivier Tan.  After day one it was Daan and Roos in the lead just 6 points ahead of Eline and Olivier in second position. The other 2 teams were just 3 points behind them.

For day two only three races were scheduled.  In the light shifting winds the superb upwind tactical skills of Odile  brought them a 1^st and 2^nd in race 5 and 6.  Daan and Roos struggled to stay near and finished only 6^th and 4^th.  So with only 5 points separating number 1 and 4 , the 7^th and final race must bring the decision.  In a building breeze of about 10 knots Daan and Roos finished in style by winning the race with a 5 minutes margin.

Odile and Marieke ended with a very well deserved silver medal while Thomas and Marloes split points with Eline and Olivier for 3^rd and 4^th place.

Jonathan Lewis

Directly after the event Daan thanked the occasional  Rotterdam squad  coach, Jonathan Lewis , who specially came to Holland for the event, for his support.  “Jonathan trained us during the fantastic  RS Feva training camp in the Costa Brava this spring.  There we discussed goals for the season. Mine was winning the Dutch title.  I am so glad he was here to witness me and Roos achieving this dream”.

Dutch Nationals 2012 Prize Winners