On board "XCES - Team GCO" - a good year at the office

Making a big decision to form XCES - Team GCO in the highly competitive and technically difficult X35 class represented just the challenge that crew skipper Johan Offermans relishes: “We set out a year ago to bring young professionals together and to develop and maintain their team skills, commitment and focus with an eye on a podium position at the World Championships 48-months later”.

Unique within the class, the 11-person crew is entirely amateur. Crew members were selected during the 2010-2011 winter season on grounds of potential, rather than experience. Creating a sense of unity amongst a collection of strong individuals and inspiring an innovative and winning mindset was not always easy and led to some difficult decisions both on and off the boat being made.

Sailing in the X35 class can be awkward with tricky manoeuvres and frequent sail changes required. The boat’s monohull design and high speed demand a solid game plan but also the flexibility to change that plan in the last instant. In practical terms, the boat and crew have to be at one and able to perform a range of difficult manoeuvres at different rates of speed, often in tight spaces. As Johan explains the secret to achieving this and the boat’s successful first year lies in thorough preparation: “We’ve been continuously improving performance levels, eliminating risks and fostering a close team environment based on mutual respect”. Nothing is left to chance and each race and training session is followed by an extensive debrief.

The crew’s 2011 sailing programme consisted of various regattas and competitions in the spring and autumn and the larger championships in the summer. Right from the outset, the raw pace and ability of XCES - Team GCO was clear to all. The crew displayed bags of fighting spirit and technical ability and quickly recorded a series of encouraging results whilst still learning the subtler facets of sport. Podium positions followed with highlights of the year including winning the Dutch Championship and finishing fourth in the World Championships. Johan: “Our successes this year are nothing like we’ve experienced before”.

Having just been crowned Dutch champions prior to their World Championship race win, you get a sense that Johan and his crew are settling down well together and want to be winners. Johan: “we were probably more than a bit rusty in the early days but we put in some solid practice. I’m pretty happy where we are, the guys are looking really sharp. We are well prepared and want to deliver even more results in 2012”.

2011 season highlights (X35 class)

-       World Championships 4^th (including one race win)
-       Dutch championship 1^st
-       North Sea Regatta 4^th
-       Almere Regatta 2^nd
-       Antwerp semi-offshore race 1^st

GCO and the world of sailing

 Aart Broere, CEO of GCO, said: “Our sponsorship of XCES - Team GCO is an excellent way for us to share our commitment to continuous innovation and desire to win through a passionate and dynamic team. Sailing is actually a technology-intensive event in which teamwork, dedication and an unreserved focus on quality are the key contributors to success. It embodies many of the values held by GCO. We wish Johan Offermans and the rest of XCES - Team GCO much success in the quest for ultimate success at the 2012 Sailing World Championships.”