I have been sailing on and off since the 80ies - on bigger boats as crew and on dinghies as crew and lately as coach. I have participated many times in sailing activities of the CNCE - also as a valk coach at training events and sailing weekends in Holland. I am retired and I still enjoy in my free time dinghy sailing. I am Danish and speak EN-FR-DE-NL-IT.
"I started sailing at the age of 18. For about 10 years, summer sailing with family boat (Swedish yawl 32ft) in Italy and Corsica. In 2008, 2010-2012 I attended Glenans sailing school in Brittany (Paimpol and Vannes). Weekend training sailing in Zealand with the GCBF and from Niewpoort to Gravelines with Sun Odyssey 32 and 37. Summer sailing in Italy with First37 (training for regatta), Platu 25, Match25 and dinghies (laser, 420, hobiecat) with instructors from Italian Sailing Federation. In possession of the ICC (ICMS sailing), the Belgian Brevet de Conduit General and Chef de Bord Côtier and the SRC-GMDSS certificate. My favourite quote "Willing to learn from all; the different abilities of the crew are an asset and not an impediment".
I have been a member of CNCE for 20 years now, focussing my sailing activities on three strands: dinghy sailing, yacht sailing, and tall-ship sailing. For ten years now, I have been serving the club as a coach for "Valk" boats, mainly on Veerse Meer in the Netherlands. I enjoy Valk sailing very much as a very direct yet safe way to experience how a sailing-boat functions. It is a good basis for any "upstream" sailing activities on bigger boats, and fun indeed!
Dimitri started sailing at the age of 16 - he is a self-taught sailor. He enjoys being aboard any kind of sailing vessel (from single-handed dinghy to over 15m. LOA yacht) and the last 20+ years is organising sailing cruises in privileged areas. Moreover, following his long sailing experience he has gathered valuable information about the Greek islands that he is ready to share and looks forward to exchanging ideas and plans with CNCE members!
Marc has sailed dinghies since he was 15 and he has skippered yachts in Zeeland, the North Sea, Brittany, Vendée and the Mediterranean Sea (Italy, Croatia and Greece). Participated several times at the Antwerp Race as bowman/navigator on s/y Tomidi (60 ft. Whitbread Round the World Racer, ex-Rucanor). He holds the yachtman, VHF-SRC, ICC certificates and RYA/ISAF sea survival certificate. Member of CNCE 2000 and the Royal Belgian Sailing Club.
"I joined CNCE a week after I arrived in Brussels and found myself skippering a boat for the Antwerp Race. I have sailed since a young age, and gradually developed a passion for racing. I've done cruises, boat deliveries, offshore races, and even had a stint as a full-time skipper, I have salt water running in my veins, so the CNCE provides an excellent place for me to meet people who, like me, are crazy about the big blue."
My first sailing experience started with windsurfing on a local lake during my stay at the JRC in Ispra (Italy). Upon my return to Brussels, I got more interested in sailing on yachts and joined the CNCE … all more than 25 years ago. I participated regularly in CNCE sailing trips and followed courses to obtain a Belgian licence of 'yachtman'. Much more important was to continue sailing as crew member to gain experience. About 15 years ago, I started to sail as skipper and share my sailing passion with newcomers.
Timo is a skipper in CNCE since 2009 and holds RYA Yachtmaster Offshore certification. He has extensive cruising and regatta sailing experience from the Baltic Sea, the North Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, the Celtic Sea and the Caribbean on keel boats. Currently his main focus is on improving club's racing team's performance, which does not exclude occasional cruising trips and other training events.
École de voile, école de mer, école de vie. Étant un pur produit de l'école française de voile "les Glénans", son slogan décrit parfaitement mon approche de la voile. La navigation de plaisance permet d'apprendre à comprendre et à maîtriser les éléments. Elle permet la découverte du monde marin et de ses phénomènes naturels: prévoir la météo, compter avec les courants et les marées, observer la houle, le ciel, le relief côtier, Enfin, c'est une école de vie ou l'on se forge de nouvelles capacités tout en découvrant ses limites et ou l'on cultive les valeurs de la vie en groupe.
I was two months old when I went sailing for the first time, and have not stopped since! I grew up sailing dinghies in my hometown Cagliari, and cruising around Sardinia and the Mediterranean Sea. Since some years, I decided to develop further as a sailor doing advanced courses in ‘Centro Velico Caprera’- in sailing, you really never stop learning! I was excited to learn about the opportunities in the CNCE, and challenge myself to sailing in the North Sea after so many years in the Med, learning from others and sharing what I know. With CNCE I was part of the racing team winning the 2019 ‘Oostende to Ramsgate’ regatta, and looking forward to be part of more successful regattas with the club!
Coming soon...
Enjoying the water (both from below and from above!), wind and waves without getting seasick: for me this mostly means jumping straight on a Valk sailing boat. For many good reasons it is i.a. the bred-and-butter business of Dutch sailing schools. On relaxed cruises together with two or three fellow sailors you will delve into operating and navigating a boat, then instructing crew and finally co-ordinating a flotilla of several boats (I'm still working on this last point and on some of the former aspects). All this will provide you with solid ground either to jump on smaller, more performing boats or to progress towards operating proud expensive yachts crossing the seven seas of the world. Ready about?
My first time on a boat was by accident on a Hobby Cat and I instantly loved it. I have enjoyed sailing in many different kind of boats (yachts, dinghies, catamarans, etc) since then. I prefer sailing at the Mediterranean (Greece, Turkey, Croatia, Spain and Italy) and the Caribe but for proximity reasons I have done quite some sailing on Zeeland and the North Sea. I have a SRC certificate, an International Sailing License, the Spanish PER and VDWS international license for catamaran. I’m currently completing the process to become a certified yacht sailing instructor by the ADEPS.
What I like the most from sailing? Every time I’m on the boat I learn something new.
"I started sailing with the CNCE in 2008 and liked it so much that I went to sailing courses in Turkey, France (les Glénans) and Belgium, eventually becoming a skipper. I am a big fan of Zeeland and organize one or two trips a year there, but am also attracted to exploring new sailing areas, from the Canary Islands to Norway, Corsica to the Côte d’Azur."
La mer m'a pris quand j'étais enfant et depuis elle ne m'a jamais quitté. J'ai été bercé par la Méditerranée et c'est dans ses bras et embruns que j'ai commencé à développer mon sens marin.
J'ai commencé à pratiquer la voile légère pendant mes études universitaires puis j'ai bâti mon expérience sur différents supports et plans d'eau, notamment en Méditerranée et en Bretagne. J'ai pas mal navigué avec les Glénans, ce qui m'a permis de structurer mes connaissances et d'optimiser ma pratique de la voile. Cela m'a aussi permis d’acquérir des bases pédagogiques adaptées en suivant notamment la formation des moniteurs des Glénans. Toujours heureux de naviguer sur n'importe quel support, en croisière ou en régate et surtout de continuer à apprendre, partager et découvrir des bateaux, des sensations, des paysages maritimes et la faune marine ... y compris des marins!
Obtained "Competent Crew" and "Day Skipper" sticker from "Solent School of Yachting“ in the '90s and did some cross Channel cruises to the Islands and St Malo. Further cruises with "Les Guides de Haute Mer" Cherbourg to "Deuxieme Nivau". My German "Sportboot Führerschein See", a legal requirement in Germany, is dated 1987. With CNCE, the major cruises were to Finland, the Lofoten, the CAMR race to Norway and 4 Antwerp Races.
