The Sevenstar Contest Cup 2009, which took place from 5 to 7 June in Medemblik (NL), was judged to a great success by organisers and participants alike. The event coincided with the celebration of Contest Yachts 50th birthday, which was marked by an impressive Contest yacht parade on Saturday 6 June that involved over 40 Contests from around the world. The Sevenstar Contest Cup 2009 was sponsored by Sevenstar Yacht Transport, Kuiper Insurance and Holland Nautic/Raymarine.
Golden Jubilee
“This was exactly the sort of event we had in mind when we first set up the Contest Cup a few years ago,” says Director Arjen Conijn. “It offered the perfect combination of sailing and fun as we celebrated the Contest Yacht’s golden jubilee in style. We had more participants than ever before and sailors from Germany, the UK, Russia and Sweden came to Holland to join our celebrations. The races were highly competitive but fair and there was plenty of entertainment and socialising on the quay afterwards. We were also pleased at the high levels of interest in our pleasure cruise programme. This was the second time we had offered this option during the Cup and many Contest sailors and their children enjoyed themselves on the water.”
Results
The races and the pleasure cruise were held in excellent conditions on both Saturday and Sunday, with plenty of wind and regular sunny intervals. The overall results after two days of sailing were:
Category ≤ 39 foot Category > 39 foot Pleasure cruise
1st prize Balena, 25OC Njord, 43 Xenia, 36S
2nd prize Fairness Kimmy, 28 Caruso of Carrick, 45CS Fabian, 38K
3rd prize Grautvornix, 30AC La Mer, 44 Dione, 35
Return yacht transportation ticket
In addition to the honour of winning, the Contest Cup also featured some cool prizes in various categories. To mark the 50th anniversary celebrations, a special prize was awarded to the oldest participating Contest yacht. Valentine, a Contest 29 from 1967, received a return yacht transportation ticket with Sevenstar to a European destination of the owner’s choice.
The winner in the ≤39 foot category was presented with a challenge cup as well as a Holland Nautic full-colour GPS. The winner of the over 39-footers also received a challenge cup and a Suunto Yachtsman watch provided by Technautic. North Sails contributed with an encouragement award – a coaching session by a professional during the Sunday races.
Pageant
“The crowning touch was the yacht parade on Saturday afternoon,” Arjen Conijn continues. “This was led by Radboud, the 1935 yacht previously owned by my grandfather who established Contest Yachts in 1959. She was followed by many yachts built here over the years, showing for all to see the rich history of our yard. It was a truly memorable moment. Another highlight was the dinner and party we organised on Saturday night at the yard between the yachts currently under construction.”
Contest Cup 2010
The next Contest Cup will take place from 4 to 6 June 2010.
