The first act of the Netherlands J/70 Sailing League started on the Weerwater in Almere. Eighteen sailing clubs will be competing in five rounds for the 2017 season championship. The national champion will automatically end up in Champions League Sailing in 2018. The opening day was characterized by little wind. In the morning, a 5-6 knot wind enabled some races to be held. But, in the afternoon, the breezes left and it was perfectly flat across the water. The initial leader of the regatta was a result of the good performance put in by the Groningen crew at the VWDTP sailing club. Wouter Westerhof, team member of VWDTP, commented, “Yes, we have started to work hard, and the results have paid off. Last winter, we chartered two boats in Monnickendam at Waterland and sailed every two weeks, and we have been able to grow our team to about 10 sailors.” After two days of sailing, SZ & WV Uitdam was leading the standings after winning four races. VWDTP from Groningen fell to third place, and Jachtclub Scheveningen was second. The WSV Almere Centraal team, international champions 2016, ended up fourth in the ranking. Wietze Zetzema, crew on SZ & WV Uitdam was very pleased with their results. He commented, “We are very happy. Well, that is the result of a combination of factors. We are growing better at this game. We know when we have a bad start. We are better aware of how we can prevent problems and penalties. We found a mode to stay out of trouble. In short, we are growing better and better in our league sailing competitiveness. We joined the league as a sailing club, so we have 15 people on our team, young, old, women and men—all very good sailors. The sailing is really exciting and so close together. The difference between us and number seven in the rankings is less than six points. Six points can be gained or lost in one race.” After Sunday’s racing, it was the Jachtclub Scheveningen sailors that scored seven wins over 14 races in three days to win the first act. In total, there were 42 races sailed. Evert Jansen talks about the success of Scheveningen, the club that finished third in 2016, “Our secret? Consistent sailing, keep calm and keep the same team of 2016 together. We have also received no penalties, as far as I know. So go well, stay calm and stay out of trouble. That certainly matters.” WSV Almere Centraal had a fluctuating scoreline all weekend long, but managed to win the last three races and secure third overall. SZ & WV Uitdam was second. Taking fourth place was WSV Giesbeek, and in fifth place was the original regatta leader VWDTP Sailing Club. For more Netherlands J/70 Sailing League information, visit http://eredivisiezeilen.nl/.