Ocean Race is | Radio NPO 1

Her team consists of five people: four sailors and a reporter on board the ship. Kuiper has been aiming for the Ocean Race for some time. “I’ve been doing this for 10 years now. 8 years ago I chose myself that I wanted to sail this race. Others said I should think of something else. You have to make sure you are good enough. And that’s you in the picture I’ve prepared myself and in Last year I got the compensatory bell.”

40 sea days

Kuiper himself is very much looking forward to the stage between Cape Town and Brazil. The journey takes from 40 to 45 days. Despite her extensive experience, Kuiper did not sail there on her own. “It’s in the Southern Ocean, it’s a challenge. It’s going to be exciting!”

She describes life at sea as twofold: close to nature and simple living. “You sail, eat, poop and sleep. Other than that, there are no distractions. No matter how harsh it is, it’s soothing.”

But it can also be dangerous, for example during a storm with giant waves. However, Kuiper is not too concerned about that. “We’re trained. That’s exactly why we have a totally professional crew and nobody can do that. You two do it together. It’s simple: my life depends on my colleague. And vice versa. So you have to deal with that well.”

The country smells of flowers

What does it look like to suddenly see land after 40 days at sea? “Special feeling. It smells land first. Cape Town, for example, smells very different from Alicante. Look, it doesn’t smell anything at sea. But on land…when the wind is in the right direction, it smells like flowers.” And then you get a little confused.” According to Kuiper, Holland smells fishy, ​​too.

On January 15, Kuiper will debut at The Ocean Race.

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