Around 125 sharp sailing yachts and 20 Lemster barges with a total of 750 crew members competed for the Windmill Cup 2023 between the turbines on the IJsselmeer lake in the Netherlands.
The race over 22 nautical miles from Hindeloopen passed straight through Windpark Fryslân several times, the largest wind farm in the world in an inland waterway.
The participants not only had to deal with wind force 5 from the southwest, but also with the unexpected air turbulence that damaged the rotors of the 89 turbines.
Windpark Fryslân promised before its construction that this part of the IJsselmeer would be opened again for tourist and recreational shipping after the wind farm was completed.
Gerard Vesseur, member of the board of directors of Windpark Fryslân, said: “We are aware that as a wind farm we have the IJsselmeer to share with many other users. We try to do that as best as possible.
“The estimate that sailing through the wind farm in combination with the pleasant character of the The Nacht en Ontij Race could appeal to many water sports enthusiasts, it turned out to be correct.”