The Dutch J/70 National Sailing League “Eredivisie Zeilen” had yet another successful year with record participation and an increase in the level of competition. The leaders of the “EZ” league, Alex Hoeve and Marco de Klerk, had this to say at the finale in Monnickendam: “Throughout the season, we have been able to get high quality sailing amongst our sailing club teams. We have seen the level of competition increase dramatically this year. This is a good development, as we can now sail in heavier wind conditions at any event, thanks to the much-improved sailing experience of the sailors. Most importantly, we see more and more youthful participants joining the ‘old guard.’ This trend is important and fits into the philosophy of the Eredivisie Zeilen.” In the end, it was the WSV Almere Centraal team that took fourth in the finale to clinch the overall title after sailing the five events (Almere, Aalsmeer, Scheveningen, Veere, Monnickendam) with a low point total of 108 points. Only 11 points separated them from the second-place finishers in the end, Jachtclub Scheveningen. For the first day of sailing on the Gouwzee, the fleet was greeted by a tough breeze blowing an average of 24 knots, but also lulls and downpours on occasion. It was very challenging for both the sailors as well as the race committee. Three complete flights were run. The second day of sailing was completely blown out, with winds hitting 40+ knots. For the finale, only nine points separated WSV Almere Centraal and Jachtclub Scheveningen after 147 races in the course of the 2017 season. The conditions on Sunday were considerably quieter than the previous days, making it a tactical game in 5-7 knots of wind. Eventually, 24 races were sailed for the weekend. WSV Almere Centraal was hoping to win another title. Team captain John den Engelsman said, “Our ambition was to win another title. We also wanted to get the final stage in Monnickendam, but unfortunately, it just did not work. At the beginning of this season, we added four new members to our team. All experienced racing sailors, but every round was another challenge to set up the right team. Until this weekend, we managed to win three rounds, although the margins of winning are significantly smaller compared to 2016. Even for the Sailing Champions League that we sailed, the margins were quite small between the 36 best clubs in Europe; we finished ninth overall, and the podium had a four point spread from first to third—amazing!” Rounding out the top three in the Dutch J/70 National Sailing League was Jachtclub Scheveningen in second place with 119 points and WSV Giesbeek in third place with 128 points. For more Dutch J/70 National Sailing League information, visit http://eredivisiezeilen.nl/.