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VIJAYA
VIJAYA is a design by the Dutch naval designer K. de Ridder, and was built in aluminium
as a one-off for the original owner.
Functional and light, Vijaya is far from luxurious - just the basics, and excellent sailing.
The ship proved its strength (again) last year during OSTAR, when she encountered - and survived - severe weather. Although Vijaya has always sailed with complete crew, it wasn't difficult for Huib to adapt her for short-handed sailing. Only a few refinements will be necessary for the RB&I.
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Huib Swets - Skipper
How do you say his name? It's impossible - if you're English. He will accept this
pronunciation: house - with a "b". Howb. An adventurous boy, at the age of 9 Huib first
sailed amongst the tall reeds of a Dutch countryside canal - his first taste of a future
obsessed with yachting. Short-handed sailing has fascinated him ever since the days of
Gerard Dijkstra's Second Life/Bestevaer projects.
Sailing and the open seas are the perfect counterweight to his shore-side responsibilities
as the owner of an Internet publishing company.
As skipper, he has made many long-distance trips and participated in the occasional race.
In the nineties, he delivered yachts from The Netherlands to the Biscay area, Gibraltar
and Mediterranean. Last year he participated in the OSTAR. After making an unforgettable
crossing - and sailing along Manhattan Island - he sailed home via the Azores.
Erik de Jong - Co-Skipper
Born on a farm in the Dutch countryside - and quite far from the sea, Erik was introduced to sailing by his parents. They had a traditional Dutch sailboat, and started sailing when he was only a few months old.
By the age of 6. Erik was sailing in an Optimist, his first boat. At that time, his parents had started offshore cruising to Norway, Iceland. Scotland, Sweden and other countries. Erik joined them as much as possible and developed a lifelong (and incurable) addiction to the sea. His obsession with sailing inspired him to attend university to study naval architecture. Today he is a professional sail maker, and assisted Huib in the 2005 OSTAR.
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