This month, Heesen honours Worldwide Ladies’s Day with portraits of inspiring Dutch ladies in yachting. Rosalin Kuiper is knowledgeable offshore sailor and the skipper of Workforce Holcim-PRB, gearing as much as lead her crew in The Ocean Race Europe 2025. Via her management, Kuiper is championing variety in offshore crusing.
Rosalin’s journey on the water started on the age of six, crusing an Optimist on a small lake close to her hometown of Zoetermeer. “Again then, you had these 24-hour solo races the place you possibly can sail at night time at midnight, and I completely beloved it.”
Though she was keen about crusing from an early age, it wasn’t till she turned 18 that the fireplace really ignited. “Throughout a solo journey to Australia, I landed a job as a deckhand on a yacht crusing by way of the gorgeous Whitsunday Islands. That was the primary time I realised this was the life for me.”
Upon returning to the Netherlands, she pursued formal coaching at a crusing academy, the place she was chosen for Roy Heiner’s prestigious youth crusing programme.
50,000 racing miles
From there, the whole lot gained momentum for Rosalin. “Earlier than my debut in The Ocean Race Europe in 2021, I had already accomplished 50,000 long-distance racing miles in among the world’s most iconic offshore races, together with the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, The Fastnet Race, and the Caribbean 600. I had the privilege of crusing alongside among the sport’s most completed names. However The Ocean Race was subsequent degree—being a part of Workforce AkzoNobel, with the acclaimed skipper Chris Nicholson and such knowledgeable crew, on a high-speed racer—that was one thing else.”
Constructing on that have, Rosalin joined Workforce Malizia for The Ocean Race 2023. The group secured a powerful third-place general end, and managed to set a brand new monohull world file, masking 641.13 nautical miles in 24 hours at a mean velocity of 26.71 knots (50 km/h). On the identical time, Rosalin turned the one feminine co-skipper to finish each leg of the race.
Flying throughout the Water at 70 km/h
Ocean racing isn’t for the faint-hearted. With speeds reaching as much as 70 km/h, unpredictable climate situations, and the boat actually flying throughout the waves on its hydrofoils, the expertise is as thrilling as it’s demanding. “The noise from the foils and the hull is extremely loud—we’ve got to put on earplugs and noise-cancelling headphones on a regular basis. Seasickness is one other problem. The boat is absolutely enclosed, making the within stuffy, and mixed with fixed motion, it may be powerful. In uneven situations it’s most likely ten instances worse than any theme park journey. Crusing these boats is extremely intense.”
A Twin Problem in 2025
2025 presents a double problem for Rosalin. As a brand new mom, she is getting ready to skipper Workforce Holcim-PRB in The Ocean Race Europe. “Twelve weeks in the past, I gave delivery to my daughter. Like all new mum, returning to work was thrilling. Crusing has at all times ignited a flame in me—now, I’ve an excellent greater one for her. In current months, the whole lot has come collectively.”
She and her group have spent the previous months in Brittany, France, fine-tuning the boat. “It’s unimaginable to see the group working tirelessly to make it sooner. We constantly analyse knowledge—foil positions, sail configurations, water ballast, and numerous different components—to optimise efficiency. It’s just like F1, the place the crew and technical group co-develop the boat. Success is 80% all the way down to preparation on land.”
Mast Restore at 27 Metres Excessive
To grasp how the boat is constructed and to have the ability to make repairs alongside the way in which, the crew actively participates in its meeting. “If one thing breaks, you may, after all, ask for recommendation from the shore, however in the long run, you’ve got to have the ability to restore it your self with the assets and folks obtainable,” Rosalin says.
Over the last Ocean Race, a fall had pulled by way of the mast, making a 30-centimetre crack within the carbon on the high—27 metres above deck. “Throughout development, I realized how one can restore carbon by making use of it layer by layer. For this specific restore, we needed to first laminate three units of six layers of carbon on deck. Then, we introduced it up, the place I utilized it. We had solely 40 minutes to finish the method earlier than it hardened. However in the long run, we repaired it efficiently and have been in a position to proceed the race.”
Inclusive Groups Drive Efficiency
Her position as skipper for Workforce Holcim-PRB extends past crusing. Considered one of Rosalin’s key goals is to make this male-dominated sport extra accessible to ladies. “My aim is to construct a high-performing, worldwide, and inclusive group the place everybody can thrive. I´m actively supporting equality and inclusion in crusing, working to create extra alternatives for girls. In the beginning, by being a task mannequin—exhibiting you may be each a skipper and a mum. After my final Ocean Race, many ladies advised me my story impressed them to talk up and form working situations that higher swimsuit ladies. I encourage ladies to be assured, embrace who they’re, and voice their wants.”
www.rosalinkuiper.com
