2B Sailing Team at Texel
Press Release – Multiple world catamaran sailing champion Darren Bundock has identified an Australian duo with weight on their side and a crew of female sailors as among his biggest obstacles to claiming an historic third overall victory at the prestigious Round Texel Regatta in Holland this coming weekend.
Bundock, a renown catamaran sailor who has won the annual regatta overall twice previously in 2003 and 2007, believes if the current forecast for strong winds in excess of 20 knots prevails it will be the pairing of Australians Andrew Williams and Brett Goodall on the Viper Patria who could well end his bid for a third crown in Texel. But if the predicted forecast moderates and the winds lightens his opposition could well be closer to home with partner Carolijn Brouwer and team-mate Liz Wardley on the Sojasun Viper considered highly dangerous in the light.
“We all know that when it is lighter Carolijn and Liz are very, very good and very, very dangerous,’’ Bundock said. “They won the Eurocat regatta together despite very little training as a team and I reckon just about every guy in the fleet will be watching out for them if the wind lightens.
“But if it is as strong as is being predicted I think Andrew Williams and Brett Goodall will be among our main dangers. “But Wouter (Samama) is 80 kilos plus and a former winner of this event so we are going into Texel with high hopes and very determined to win the event in the Patria C2 Formula 18.
“This is the biggest catamaran regatta in the world and also one of the most prestigious so a win here is something that would be very special to us.’’
Interestingly Bundock, a two-time Olympic silver medallist for Australia now based in Europe for most of the year, could well have written himself a place into the races history some years ago if he had known more about the race when he turned up to contest his first one back in 1998.
“I turned up with my old crewmate John Forbes, a multiple world champion in the Tornado, rigged up and went sailing,’’ Bundock said. “But we ended up being disqualified because we didn’t know we needed the required safety equipment.’’
No sailor has ever won Texel three times with the start of the annual race in The Netherlands
considered one of the great spectacles in sailing.
“Anyone who has ever seen a start will always remember it. It is something else,’’ said world sailing champion and Olympian Brouwer, skipper of the Sojasun Viper.
“For one thing the start line is 1.5km long and a helicopter marks out the start line with smoke flares for timing. It’s a real adrenalin rush start to an incredibly grueling race.’’
Brouwer and Wardley, who sailed together on the all-female round the world racer Amer Sports Too in the Volvo Ocean race are hoping to keep their perfect record intact in Texel.
The pair has raced just one regatta together on a Viper for one win with Texel marking their first outing in the catamaran with their new Sojasun sponsorship.
The 60 nautical mile, 33rd Zwitserleven Round Texel, to be raced on June 19, will be contested by a fleet in excess of 400 with Bundock and Samama and Brouwer and Wardley to race the Zwitserleven Open Dutch championships as their major preparation.
The record for the Round Texel race is 2hrs 07min 02sec.
For further information about the Viper or C2 Formula 18 please go to our website www.2Bsailing.eu