Delft Challenge Sailing Team

On Sunday we had an awesome day on the water at KNZ&RV with Tunç Tasar from IKI Marine. Good breeze, some really fun downwind planing and a quick mid day debrief over lunch on Pampus made for a great day on the water.

Big thanks to Tunç and IKI Marine for the continued support and sponsorship. We really appreciate the partnership and everything you have done to help us get to the Corinthian Worlds that are coming up in a few weeks.

Excited for what’s ahead! 🔥

A few weeks ago, Sarah from Delft Challenge competed at the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, joining the British team aboard Belladonna with their sights set on defending last year’s overall win title.

Despite leading IRC 4 for most of the week, with a highlight being finishing 1st overall in the Round the Island Race, a spinnaker issue on the final day saw Belladonna slip to 2nd in IRC 4, still a great achievement.

Four days of world-class racing, tough competition, and plenty of Caribbean sunshine 🌊☀️

On this day two years ago, we had the incredible opportunity to visit our sponsors at Novatug 🚢

From stepping aboard their powerful tugs to testing our skills on the simulators, it was an great look into how these vessels masterfully handle giant ships with precision and control.

A huge thank you to Novatug for organising, and looking forward to more collaborations in future.

As things start to warm up, we’ve been looking back at a strong block of Winter Series training.

Great to have Mark coaching us throughout, and big credit to the other teams making up a consistent 6 boats on the line for some competitive racing.

Looking forward to putting the training to good use over the coming months. ⛵️

2025 Wrap ⛵️

From Winning the winter series 🏆 to lining up at the J/80 Worlds, its been another packed year of racing with plenty of good moments on and off the water. Great to have added some new faces to the team as well, and looking forward to seeing what we achieve in 2026. 🌅

Thank you to our sponsors ,OnDeck and IKI Marine for the continuing support.

Happy New Year everyone! 🎉🎉

Great to have had old Delft Challenge member Baptiste training with us a few weeks ago. Thank you for passing on some handy tips and tricks.

Delft Challenge is excited to welcome Daniel as the final new addition to the 2025–26 team, taking on the roles of bowman and boat captain.

Daniel brings a wealth of offshore and inshore experience, having sailed thousands of miles with .vespernl , alongside four seasons of W/L racing. His highlights include winning the North Sea Race and competing in the 2025 Fastnet Race.

With a background in dinghy sailing and plenty of time on performance yachts, Daniel is eager to bring his skills to the J/70 and continue growing as a sailor.

We’re excited to have him onboard for the season ahead.

Delft Challenge is excited to welcome Sarah as the newest addition to the team, taking on the role of tactician! ⛵💙

Sarah joins us with an impressive range of sailing experience. Having recently completed the Fastnet Race on a J/99 with as bow and won the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta 2025 on a J/121 as pit, she’s now looking forward to returning to the back of the boat and taking on the challenge of calling tactics.

A former U18 UK National Team Racing Champion, Sarah is looking forward to putting her close-quarter decision making to good use in the J/70. She’s no stranger to the class either, having spent time learning from some of the best in the UK, including Team DSP at Cowes Week 2023 and from Team Jelvis during the Barcelona Winter Series 2023.

We’re thrilled to have her on board and can’t wait to see her tactical skills in action this season!