A few weeks ago PJ lend me his DNA, after I lost the Dutch Nationals to Chris Field (DNA) and Bob Baier (Niktita). I used the PJ’s DNA to sail the open German Championships which I somehow managed to win – to thankfully use Scott Andersons way of putting it- before Bob Baier and Thilo Keller. The DNA was a real party to sail. I couldn’t help to think of a major development in ice-skating (which is pretty big in Holland) a few years ago: the ‘slap skate’ (which uses a new type of blade with a bolt and hinge mechanism that enables the skater to maintain permanent contact with the ice). This slap skate totally reformed speed skating. Much higher speed was possible and old records were broken. There were skaters who accustomed themselves easily into a new way of skating and others who wondered if they ever would succeed in using these new skates. I think to some extend this will also be the case for A-class sailing and the DNA. During the German Nationals for instance it was obvious that, in some races, you could sail faster downwind while being on the wire! It was great fun doing this together with Thilo Keller, but imagine a whole fleet going round the marks this way! But even apart from this I believe the boat to faster and easier to sail then the “old stye” boats. So I pleaded PJ to just give me his boat and stop making more boats…how easy life would be!
Sjoerd Hoekstra
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