September 21, 2025
1 minute reading time
Dutch Water Week: Bos, Wind, Lambriex/Van de Werken in action in Almere city centre
On the penultimate day of Dutch Water Week, spectators at the Weerwater saw both the world's elite and the Dutch Olympians of Team Allianz in action up close. Right in the heart of the city, with the shopping street serving as grandstands, it became clear how elite sport and spectators converge in this water-rich municipality. This provided the Dutch sailors with excellent prospects for Sunday's finals.
Team Allianz in the final
In the ILCA 7, Duko Bos convincingly climbed to second place overall, securing a strong starting position for the final. Willem Wiersema also remains in contention: with the new final format, he still has a chance of winning. For more information about the final format, see the bottom of this post.
In the ILCA 6, Roos Wind upheld Dutch honors with a fifth-place finish in a strong international field. Maxime van de Werken-Jonker was disqualified due to four yellow flags from the judges for pumping.
Return of Lambriex & Van de Werken
The return of Bart Lambriex and Floris van de Werken, three-time world champions in the 49er, added a special touch to the day. For Lambriex, it was his first outing after becoming a father. Van de Werken returned after months of gaining experience in other classes like the Cape 31 and the TP52.
iQFOiL starts tomorrow
There was no race for the iQFOiL class today. Due to a lack of stable wind, the foiling windsurfers stayed away. They resumed their competition on Sunday morning at 9:00 AM, with the quarterfinals and plenty to look forward to.
The standings from day three remain, with the three Dutchmen, Badloe, Castelein and Vink all qualifying for the quarter-finals.
Optimist on Tour: new generations on the water
Besides top-level sports, Dutch Water Week also featured numerous side events to promote water sports, including canoe trips, SUP clinics, and E-foiling. There was also “Optimist on Tour,” where hundreds of children were introduced to sailing, canoeing, and kayaking under supervision.
Olympic bronze medalist and windsurfer Luuc van Opzeeland (Paris 2024), who is recovering from an injury, was present as an instructor and encouraged the youth.
Text and images courtesy of Dutch Water Week. Read more here.