Peter's birthday present

Mean Machine win line honours in North Sea Race and demolished course record

Things really couldn’t have got any better for the Mean Machine team on their last day of offshore racing in the North Sea Regatta.

The Mean Machine VO 70 crossed the Dutch finishing line of the 185 mile offshore race at 22:35:50 yesterday evening (local time), with a few successes to celebrate: firstly they had broken the existing record for the leg after racing against some 50 other boats between Harwich (UK) and Scheveningen (Holland); secondly, their line honours in this first stage of the North Sea Regatta; and finally it was Mean Machine skipper and CEO Peter de Ridder's birthday.

De Ridder’s VO70 took just 11 hours and 05 minutes to cover the 185 miles that separate Harwich from Scheveningen, smashing the old record set by the Lutra 56 Formidable 3 of 19 hours, 14 minutes and 38 seconds. De Ridder’s boys and their 70ft 'beast' emblazoned with pink flames on the bow of its black hull, reduced the course record by more than eight hours.

The forecasts for the first leg to the UK showed conditions weren’t going to be suitable for record-breaking, but the the second and last offshore race they indicated some exciting weather indeed for the North Sea Regatta fleet. Round the world sailor and Navigator on Mean Machine’s TP52 and VO 70 boats, Jules Salter explained: "It has been great, with a pretty cool forecast. We'd had southerly winds shifting to the south-west during the most part of the course, with winds ranging from 16 to 32…so a fast and wet run! It hasn’t been difficult to break the record with this boat".

A brand new record and line honours for the crew have brought many memories flooding back for some of the round the world sailors on board, as Mean Machine’s South African trimmer Jono Swain points out: "It’s been a really nice run from the start to the finish line, and it’s brought back memories for me of the last edition of the Volvo Ocean Race."

Peter de Ridder couldn’t have asked for a better birthday present: "It has been almost like a VOR mini-tour!" he said. "In 11 hours we’ve experienced many of the different aspects of the race, such as the importance of teamwork and boat development. It’s been confirmation that we have a really good team and great sailors on board. I’ve only got praise for the expert knowledge and handling of the boat by Dirk de Ridder, Jules Salter, Jono Swain and Simeon Tienpont.”

De Ridder outlined some of the key differences when it comes to sailing his various Machine yachts: "Sometimes when you race it’s like being a classically trained dancer…the moves are soft and and elegant, like with the TP52; but racing like this is different. It’s pure “rock and roll”, for sure!

"It has been a special birthday for me. I can describe the race in two words: fast and wet, but perhaps not as wild as other times. I am feeling more comfortable helming this boat each time we sail. It’s really fun boat, mostly riding at over 20 knots…. a wild horse! It’s fantastic to race these boats in the conditions we had yesterday."

This is an achievement that will be added to the Mean Machine history books, and is one which leaves no doubt as to the powerful potential behind Peter de Ridder, Ray Davies’ and Dirk de Ridder’s round the world project.

It’s plain for all to see that 20 years experience, and real teamwork are the cornerstones of this team with a strong sense of who they are: Mean Machine.