Skipper Ineke wins offshore racing award

Clipper 2023-24 Race Skipper, Ineke van der Weijden, has been awarded the Coolhaas Award by the Noordzee Club for an outstanding performance in offshore racing. Ineke, who led her Perseverance team to second place, received the award in the Netherlands and was joined by members of her crew to celebrate her success.

Image: Ineke wins prestigious award

Ineke joins an impressive roster of world-class Dutch sailors who have won the award since its inception in 1947, including Conny van Rietschoten, the only skipper to win the Whitbread Round the World Race twice; esteemed offshore sailors Hans Horrevoets and Piet Vroon; Olympian Carolijn Brouwer; Vendée Globe sailor Pieter Heerema and Simeon Tienpont, who has completed numerous editions of the Volvo Ocean Race and the America’s Cup.

Image: Ineke's team winning the penultimate race of the 2023-24 edition

The Noordzee Club is the Dutch class association for IRC (International Rating Certificate) and ORC (Offshore Racing Congress), founded in 1946. Its Coolhaas Award was created to reward exceptional performance in offshore racing, The club’s award commemorates Wim Coolhaas, an avid yacht racer, former marine officer and writer specialising in offshore yacht racing.

After a successful race campaign, Ineke and the Perseverance team narrowly missed out on the top spot by just one point in the 2023-24 edition. After taking second place, she became the only Skipper in Clipper Race history to have taken a podium position on the overall race – who started out as Clipper Race crew.

Image: Ineke van der Weijden

Ineke’s story is extraordinary, having given up her desk job in international consulting to race on the Clipper 2017-18 Race as a crew member. She then changed career paths completely to pursue a new venture as a professional sailor and went on to become a First Mate on the 2019-20 edition. She then progressed to a Race Skipper, one of the toughest jobs in sailing in the Clipper 2023-24 Race. Ineke's Perseverance team consisted of non-professional crew from all walks of life, including a number of Ambassadors. Through collaboration with the Princess Máxima Center, eight young cancer survivors had the chance to race across the world’s oceans through an Ambassador Programme, experiencing the adventure of a lifetime and carrying the perseverance attitude that the Princess Máxima Center inspires, raising awareness for the cause.

Image: Perseverance Ambassadors- above Annick Sickinghe and Jill Karel, and below, Tom, Sonja, Laura, Natalie, Marleen and Maaike

Ineke said: “To receive this award for offshore racing is an incredible moment for me. It is recognition of the achievements with Perseverance in the past year, as well as recognition of the unique challenge that the Clipper Race is. Holland has a big ocean sailing history and to have been placed on the same list as some of the most iconic Dutch sailors leaves me incredibly proud and a little speechless to be honest.”

Image: First Mate Joss Creswell, Perseverance partner Jaap Koole and Ineke at Race Finish

Image: Perseverance team celebrate second place overall

Eva Hermans, Secretary of the Noordzee Club said: “Ineke is probably unknown to most Dutch sailors, but we think this needs to change. By placing second overall in the Clipper Race, Ineke is a role model for many (young) sailors. She shows that it is possible to decide to quit your desk job, become a professional sailor and get to the top level of ocean racing in just a few years’ time. The word ‘perseverance’ is definitely applicable to Ineke.”

Inspired by Ineke? If you are a professional sailor and are looking for the ultimate job in the field, you can apply to become a Race Skipper. Click here for more information and to apply.

Or are you an aspiring sailor or someone looking for their next adventure? Find out more about signing up to the Clipper Race as crew at one of our upcoming talks and events.