After an exciting 24-hour stage Team Childhood I finished earlier today as the third boat in Gdynia, Poland. Just minutes behind AmberSail 2 from Lithuania. The victory in this first stage of the Prologue went to Sailing Poland. The Austrian Ocean Race Project finished fourth, half an hour behind Team Childhood I. The four teams sail this Prologue in preparation for The Ocean Race Europe, starting at the end of May.

Childhood I, The Austrian Ocean Race Project, AmberSail 2, Sailing Poland.

I used to see this in videos
Co-skipper Jelmer van Beek was positive about how the team sailed. Van Beek: "Looking back on these last 24 hours, I'm very positive. Back in the days, I used to see in the videos of The Ocean Race how close the racing could be. Now I'm experiencing it myself. That's amazing. AmberSail 2, the boat from Lithuania, was so close to us for 16 hours. We were constantly changing positions. Unfortunately for us, it turned out in their favor in the end. But I believe in this team, we learn a lot and make huge progress.

Pieter-Jan Postma adds to Van Beek: "The team from Lithuania has been sailing together for almost two years. They have really sailed many hours as a team. We have been on board together for a week and a half now. So in that regard, we need to put things in perspective. We are in the game and that's great for now."

"We are going great downwind. Upwind we have a little more trouble in keeping the boat up to speed. That is that piece of experience, that we currently miss. Something we knew in advance, we use this Prologue to gain that experience.

The Ocean Race Europe selection
Postma also uses the Prologue to make a selection of sailors under the age of thirty for The Ocean Race Europe. One of the eligible sailors is Lars van Stekelenborg, the talent coming from the Rotterdam Offshore Sailing Team, who had the following reaction after the first stage. “How incredible, to battle side by side with the AmberSail 2 all night long. It was really a top training for us. With a constant 20 to 25 knots of wind, we have been well tested as a team.”

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Crewlist proloog

Jelmer van Beek (NED) – co-skipper
Rutger Vos (NED)
Max Deckers (NED)
Laura van Veen (NED)
Arianne van de Loosdrecht (NED)
Lars van Stekelenborg (NED)
Robin Jacobs (NED)
Julius Hallström (SWE)
Matt Whitehead (SA)
Pieter Jan Postma (NED)
E.J. van Housselt (NED) - skipper

Prologue
May 12th 2021 – Stage 2: Gdynia, POL => Stockholm, SWE.
May 16th 2021 – Stage 3: Stockholm, SWE => South Sweden Waypoint.

The Ocean Race Europe
May 29th 2021 - Leg 1: Lorient, FRA => Cascais, POR.
June 6th 2021 - Leg 2: Cascais, POR => Alicante, ESP.
June 13th 2021 – Leg 3: Alicante, ESP => Genua, ITA

World Childhood Foundation
Childhood I, sails for the benefit of World Childhood Foundation founded by H.M. Queen Silva of Sweden. Childhood works to protect children from violence and sexual abuse. They initiate and support various types of initiatives, often in partnership with grassroots organizations and other networks, to develop innovative methods that help children and families in vulnerability.

DutchSail
DutchSail is a non-profit Foundation with one goal: to bring together and keep together all parties who directly and indirectly support water sports in the Netherlands. An important part of bringing this together means that the current, rather big step from the Olympic sailing disciplines, to the non-Olympic but prestigious sailing disciplines must become smaller and easier.

Third place for Team Childhood I in stage 1 to Gdynia, Poland.