BLOG & PRESS
De Ocean Over Voor Water - Stentor
Wilco van Rooijen gave an interview with the Stentor and the article can be read via subscribtion (Link: https://www.destentor.nl/voorst/wilco-gaat-in-een-roeiboot-de-grote-oceaan-over-en-dat-is-niet-zomaar-we-spoelen-spa-blauw-door-de-wc~a8e5691e/
He explains that we are irresponsible when it comes to treating our precious water resource. Just think, we are throwing away ‘filtered water through the wc’. We need to be more mindful how we treat our fresh water supply because it is not an endless resource. For electricity we have alternatives, for water we don’t.
Wilco as part of Team Ocean will row 4800km from California to Hawaii to raise awreness on water behaviors and stimulate our next generation with educational material. We call this awareness ‘ Aquawareness’. Join Team Ocean in this mission because individually we aree a drop, together we are an ocean. Making more impact together.
48 hour row from IJmuiden to Vlissingen and further
We adventured from IJmuiden to Vlissingen (182 km) and then onto Zeeland. Unfortunately Sara was sick and luckily Ruurd our reserve was able to take Sara’s place for 3 days. We experienced everything from busy traffic routes, beautiful playful sea lions, a non functioning water maker, a failure in the autopilot which was resolved via some troubleshooting, para-anchor drills and foot steering, and a very sick (sea sick) Ruurd. He also contracted COVID on the last day it seemed which didn’t help. You can read the full adventure in Wilco’s blog in Dutch here: https://www.teamwilcovanrooijen.nl/noordzee-training-ijmuiden-vlissingen-182-km-46-uur/
Photo credit: Henk Noevers
52 Hours Rowing on the North Sea
From the Rhine to the North Sea for a multi day training again. We couldn’t wait to train together. From 16th -20th August we trainend along the coastline of the Netherlands, from Ijmuiden-Den Helder-Texel-Den Helder-Schevenigen-Ijmuiden. Good varied sea conditions, and even a couple coping with sea sickness on the firts day. All in all a great training where we bonded even more. Read the blog from Wilco (in Dutch) here: https://www.teamwilcovanrooijen.nl/55-uur-roeien-op-de-noordzee/.
Rhine Expedition 2024
Rowing 700km down the Rhine for water awareness….
Preparing for a mini adventure
They say getting to the start line of an ocean rowing expedition is hard work, but to get to the start line of our Rhine expedition was also as challenging. Weeks before setting off we were busy with getting the boat and trip prepared – including the boat wrap, the PR and social media planning, the campaign (living on 6 liters water per day pp), the route, the logistics, the kit and the food on board. It was worth every single moment. We look back on an eventful trip rowing nearly 700km from the source of our natural water supply (close to Basel), all the way towards the sea (in Rotterdam).
Setting off – different than planned
On July 1st we set off from Holland towards Basel. Wilco with the van and boat on the trailer, together with Ruurd, a reserve rower taking part in the first few days. While Bela and her husband Vincent, took a lift with the social media team, Bo and Meyke. On the way to Basel, Wilco picked up Sara from Frankfurt airport. Sara was returning from Hawaii where she spent a good 3 weeks with her friend Alyssia for a break and for prospecting for Team Ocean.
After a long journey, we all got to Basel around the same time in the evening where we were united as a team. It was lovely to see each other and be as one team including the support crew. We were parked up in the Industrial Harbour where we made friends with the crew of a Dutch inland vessel. They were very interested in our adventure and spent the evening chatting away. It was getting late so decided to get to sleep – 2 in the van, 2 in the car and 3 in the boat. The adventure had begun.
In the morning we gathered our stuff and made our way to the city center ramp where where we could launch the boat in the water. The streets were narrow, however Wilco’s mastery of driving through this maze of one-way streets proved successful. We got to the ramp with the boat ready to be launched, however we couldn’t help noticing the high-water level of Rhine and the fast current. A week before there had been torrential rain and flooding not far from Basel. Just to be sure we could leave safely, Sara and Bela checked in with the Rhine police who were located about a kilometer down the road. At the office it soon became apparent that as an unmotorized boat we would not be able to go through the locks. To be sure, we called the locks themselves whom confirmed ‘no motor, no passage’. The only option would be to start further down the river after the locks, starting at Iffezheim. We discussed this with the team and decided to launch further down the river. A pity, but we managed to stay focused and positive. In the meantime we got noticed by local Basel radio station and had an impromptu interview with them. If your German is good here is the <link> to the interview.
At Iffezheim we managed to find the harbour where we could launch our boat. We got ourselves ready for the trip and said goodbye to the land crew knowing we would see them again at the next agreed harbour 20 kilometers away. Bela steered the team out of Iffezheim and got a feel of the current which was still fast but maneuverable. It was impressive to be on the Rijn, wide with fast currents, and the first big vessels looked impressively big. It was just a matter of being switched on and responsible on the water. The person steering was usually in command with a co-assistant, and we rotated so that everyone got a chance to steer. Our first stop was Neuberg am Rhein, a quiet little harbour just off from the Rhine. And because the Football European Championship was on, we decided to take a bite to eat and drink in a sports bar in the nearest town. Our luck was good, Holland beat Romania.
Continuing our Journey
Following morning we said goodbye to Vincent who drove the Van and trailer back to the Netherlands. Bo and Meyke would continue their car journey along the Rijn with the focus of taking photos and videos for press and social media along the way, and generally as land support. They were absolutely amazing and we enjoyed their company every time we were back on land. It felt as one family, one mission, for water awareness. We continued our rowing journey to Mannheim where we once again met up with Bo and Meyke. We even had a fan meet us at one of our stops. A student living in Germany and following our journey on the app. We made his day when we invited him for coffee and a look around the boat.
The following days our harbour stops took us to Mainz and Rudesheim. Just before the harbour of Rudesheim, we had a little mis-hap. To avoid the passing vessels, Sara who was steering, decided to steer out of the shipping lane. Given that the water level was higher than normal it was assumed that it would be possible to pass, however that was not the case. ‘Crrrrrrrackkk’ – our daggerboard broke off probably being hit by a stone in the water. That hurts, but luckily that was the reserve daggerboard and we continued the journey with our main daggerboard in. We need to be cautious with this one now.
At the haven of Rudesheim we were greeted by the harbour manager who was a splitting image of Mr Iglo, an old sailor man who only spoke German. He kindly offered us beers and wine, and offered Bo and Meyke to overnight in an old ship. The welcome was very warm and were grateful for the hospitality and support in our mission. We closed the evening with some snacks and consumed the beverages.
The Lorelei
The following morning we were ready… to take on the most interesting and challenging part of the Rhine, known as the Lorelei valley. The myth was that a ‘woman of the valley’, a spirit, sang and distracted the sailors who past this area, which resulted in a sunken vessel. We weren’t to be distracted. In fact, being a small ocean rowing boat in this narrow but beautiful valley we needed to be alert. Because this part of the Rhine was narrow, meant the current was rushing through and maneuverability could be a challenge. But it went quite smoothly, and we even managed to reach 9 knts which was 18 km an hour. This majestic area was beautiful with big hills, fauna and not to mention 38 castles which we passed in this part of the journey. The rhine has many different parts. Today we were lucky. However, the days after we only got to see some big industrial places that churned smoke pollution and smells that we were not aquainted with.
Unfortunately it was Ruurds last day with us. We arrived at the harbour of Nieuwd where Joost would meet us and especially meet Sara for the first time. Joost was recruited to the team (taking over Bram’s place) while Sara was on vacation in Hawaii. So the two of them had only met via videocall. It was quite exciting for us all as it would be the first time together as a team. Tim and xx, who are the documentary makers, also met us in the harbour and captured this first meeting on camera. It was kind of a celebratory moment, and by chance we were invited to have drinks on a yacht that evening, by a young wealthy man Christof. Bo, Meyke and Ruurd even got a place to sleep in his luxury yacht making a great change to a roof tent or boat cabin. He was kind enough even to offer a ride in his speedboat the following morning to the media/documentary team, so they could take shots closer to our boat. Thank you Christof!
Joost on board
The morning of 6th July was a milestone for us – the first time the team would row together. We thanked, hugged and said goodbye to our jolly Ruurd and Joost took his place on board. He was eager to row and learn the ropes. A quick short course of instructions and then we were off. The speedboat with the media team sped along next to us making waves, while at the same time that Joost was trying to follow the technique.
The different faces of the Rhine
We had 2 days to get to Dusseldorf where we had press meeting arranged with Grohe International our head sponsor. Joost got used to the rowing and even took his hand at steering. Luckily the Rhine was not at its busiest. The Rhine has different sides to it. Sometimes beautiful areas like the Lorelei with a lot of passenger boats full of tourists and sometime big industrial areas with big industrial harbours and containers. The industrial area can sometimes span 2 to 3 kilometers along the Rhine, with an aura of coldness and unacquainted smells. Unbelievable to see the different faces and interactions of the Rhine. And the boats varied from smaller river maintenance vessels, to massive passenger boats and double container ships of more than 160 meters long. The triple barge vessels attached next to each were also imposing as they created massive waves behind them. Being relatively small in comparison felt a bit overwhelming at times but we got generous waves and acknowledgement from most of the traffic we passed.
Photo shoot and campaign
Because we were a bit ahead of schedule, we had one day in between where we rowed just half a day and stopped in Cologne for a photo shoot. It was a needed stop to get some great photos in courtesy of Bo from elements-productions. The sun was beaming hot today and that meant also a photo shoot in the fountain. Of course we had not showered the whole journey – as we would only live of 6 liters of water a day. We’d instead wash by taking a plunge at the harbours, or like a day today in Cologne, we’d play around in the fountains.
Besides not showering we also utilized a decomposing toilet on board that would separate our urine and poo. The poo we would dispose off with decomposing bags and the urine we would responsibly filter before releasing this into the Rhine. It is suggested that this filtered urine is even purer than the than the water in the Rhine itself. In this way we were saving each time a flush of water – sometimes upto 20 liters each time. We were pleased at how it went with using only 6 liters of water per day. We only used water for our freeze dried food and drinking (dehydration). So it is possible if you can be creative.
Dusseldorf
Grohe our title sponsor, headquartered in Dussledorf, organized a stop for us at the Dusseldorf Yacht club for a mini press conference. We arrived well on time and were welcomed by the Grohe media team and fresh water from their taps. Journalists were drippling in and we kicked off the joint presentation and Q&A on time. The message of water scarcity and better uitilisation of this precious resource really came over. Showcasing the boat to enthusiast jounalists really put our water usage into perspective. Only by sharing the story we can only make more momentum, since ‘Individually we are a drop, together we are an ocean’.
Our last leg
Our last leg took us into the Netherlands to Lobith and we had to get into the harbour on time to avoid being caught in a thunderstorm. Luckily we got there well on time, and even had time to do a man overboard drill. We didn’t always succeed in getting our team crew out of the water abd back in the boat, but the learnings we’ll take with us into a next practice.
En route to our last harbour, we were warmly surprised and cheered on the sidelines. At first we could not see who it was… but it appeared to be Adrie a friend from Bela. And further down the river we had Joosts friend also cheering us along. Its always a buzz to have such fine support from the side lines.
Jachthaven Gorichem, our last night together proved to be a memorable evening with the focus on the last leg. We had Alberto from Live Stuff meet us at the harbour to get us kitted out to take live Go Pro footage during the trip. It was a pretty spontaneous initiative which really paid off. We got some great interest from the public who got to experience life on board with us on the last day. Oscar our team coach and Richard from Attema BV (our sponsor) also met us at the harbour and gave us a briefing of the arrival. We had to get to Rotterdam at 2pm so had to time it perfectly. Once everyone left, we took one last drink in the canteen of the yacht club to eventually see Holland loose to England in the European Football Championship semi-final. But that didn’t dampen our focus for the next day. We were all fired up.
Arrival
At 6 am the following morning our alarm went off, got ready, started filming and set off to Rotterdam. We had to navigate at cross points and sometimes had to pass the busiest of crossings. All worked out well and sometime had to reset the Go Pro but we captured most of the trip for live viewing besides the end due to human error. But a great test for maybe on the Pacific. The trip was longer due to more current and unfavorable wind, but we managed. By 13.30 we closer to Rotterdam. Sara, who was steering could see the Erasmus bridge and before you knew it we had a rib boat next to us who had the media team and Grohe management on board. It was cool to be greeted this way and already get in the mood for arrival. But we had to stay focused. The traffic with all the container vessels, water taxis and strong wind under the bridge, and a go pro that wasn’t working, made it that more challenging. But we kept the focus and Bela steered us into the harbour. A euphoric moment after having rowed for 10 days, rowing from foot of summit (Basel) towards the sea in Rotterdam.
It was a dream of ours to do… to follow this natural water source as a statement for our mission. We did not know how it would go and how the challenging and busiest waterway of Europe would treat us. But all in all it worked out really well and could not have done this without the help of so many, from the media team, the PR team, the documentary team, the Grohe Germany and Netherlands team, the harbours, our Rhine advisor, our logistic team and more. Most especially a big thank you to our sponsors and also the warm welcome from family and friends who were waiting to welcome us on this sunny but windy day in Rotterdam. Once on land we popped a champagne, hugged our nearest and dearest, gave a short presentation together with Grohe and took a plunge for the last time of our Rhine trip. We will miss each other and are already looking forward to the next big training.
GROHE Team Ocean Rows 850 km for Water Awareness
Starts on July 2 in Basel, arriving in Rotterdam on July 11
Voorst, <28 June> GROHE Team Ocean, consisting of adventurers Wilco van Rooijen, Bela Evers, Sara Eenhoorn and Joost Schutte, undertakes challenging rowing expeditions to increase water awareness. The expedition serves as an important action to draw attention to increasing water scarcity and the importance of behavioral change. The first trip takes place at the beginning of July; the Rhine expedition. Switzerland’s glaciers are a crucial water source and are expected to all but disappear by 2040.
Water challenge
The Rhine expedition is a journey of almost 850 km, from the source in the Swiss mountains via the Rhône to the Rhine and finally to the North Sea. During this expedition, the team will not only take on the countless challenges on this busiest river in Europe, which connects major ports with erratic and dangerous currents, depth differences and countless locks, but also the challenge of living with a maximum of 6 liters of water per day per person. For comparison: in the Netherlands we use an average of 129 liters of water per person per day.
“During all my expeditions to the highest mountain peaks in the world including Mount Everest and K2, the great deserts, the North and South Pole, the ocean or this impressive river, it has always become clear to me how important clean drinking water is for survival. Lately we have been seeing more and more reports of water shortages in the Netherlands, and this problem is only getting worse. According to the RIVM, we will be short of 300 billion liters of water in the Netherlands by 2040. We cannot solve the problem with our current technology and infrastructure. What we can do is adapt our behavior, as individuals and as a company, by considering the value that clean drinking water actually represents. We have alternatives for electricity, but not for water. Can you imagine? By paying attention to our water shortage in a positive way, we want to put ‘water’ in the spotlight, because without water there is no life,” said Wilco van Rooijen, GROHE Team Ocean
#Aquawareness
To spread their message, the rowing team challenges others to do the same. With the hashtag #Aquawareness, people can share their experiences with water saving on social media to contribute to the awareness campaign.
Welcome GROHE Team Ocean to Rotterdam on July 11
The team will depart from Basel on July 2, stopping en route in Düsseldorf, where GROHE’s headquarters are located. The arrival in Rotterdam is scheduled for Thursday, July 11 at 2 p.m. at the Global Center on Adaptation, Antoine Platekade 1006, 3072 ME Rotterdam and will be particularly celebrated. Meike van Ginneken, the Dutch UN water envoy, will row the last few kilometers with GROHE Team Ocean to support the #Aquawareness mission. Follow GROHE Team Ocean’s journey via social media and the 3D map on our website: https://teamocean.nl/#Joinjourney
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teamocean2025
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089616566665
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/team-ocean24
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@teamocean2025
Life is Water is Life
PODCAST: DOING GOOD & AQUAWARENESS
Luitser naar Sara en Wilco over hoe ze begon met Team Ocean, over hun avontuurs en de water missie #Aquawareness (in nederlands).
LUISTER
Training March-May 2024 & Wilco's Blogs
We have been training since March to May on the North Sea, which is known as the most raw and unpredictable of seas. Every training was different, with different conditions and different people on board. From night training, sunsets, sunrises, spotting seals, to testing out candidates, avoiding container ships and ferries, to handling seasickness and a mini storm.
It has been great training which has helped the team get closer to the real conditions. The night training was tough, keeping awake at shifts, while sometimes some people facing seasickness. That’s something you can’t train for on rivers or lakes. This was the real test but just one night. Multi day training will help us even more.
Unfortunately in this period we lost Bram as a team member as he faced difficulties combining his irregular Police work and Team Ocean’s training and mission. After a posting a vacancy for this ‘once in a lifetime’ spot we were suprised with enough candidates to choose from. That put us in a luxury position but at the same time, time was ticking. We went through a rigoureus selection process and hope to announce our 4th team member soon.
Next up: Rowing the Rhine from Source to Sea (Basel to Rotterdam in July 2024)
For an impression of our trips take a look at Wilco’s blog’s (in dutch)
TIJD VOOR MAX - UITZENDING GEMIST
Op wereld waterdag was Wilco van Rooijen te gast op Tijd voor Max op NPO1/ Max TV. Heb je de uitzending gemist? Wel een aanarader op het terug te kijken.
Hij legt perfect uit wat onze missie is rondom #Aquawareness.
De waarde van water is meer dan we denken maar toch de bewustwording dat het niet een eindeloos bron zal zijn doet iets met je.
Kijk hier terug!! (vanaf 3.30min)
Press Release: GROHE and Team Ocean collaborate to raise water awareness
- GROHE sponsors rowing expedition of Team Ocean (as title sponsor) to champion the value of water
- Two ventures to increase “Aquawareness”: Team Ocean will row the Rhine, followed by an expedition from California to Hawaii
- Stimulating water conservation behaviors: By producing drinking water from the sea, Team Ocean promotes water self-sufficiency
Düsseldorf, March 22, 2024 – Water scarcity looms as a pressing global challenge. Around 2.3 billion people worldwide live in water-stressed countries (Source: Unwater.org) . However, a recent GROHE survey in seven countries revealed that 27% of people lack sufficient knowledge on how to contribute to water conservation. (Source GROHE x YouGov Survey). Awareness about the availability of clean and fresh water and ways to save this scarce resource are urgently needed – not only on today’s World Water Day.
That is why GROHE, a leading global brand for complete bathroom solutions and kitchen fittings, is supporting Team Ocean, a group of four adventurers named Bela Evers, Bram Mayer, Sara Eenhoorn and Wilco van Rooijen. Together, they embrace the mission of raising “Aquawareness” – creating a consciousness for saving water by encouraging responsible water usage and sustainable practices.
“As the global water crisis intensifies, we remain steadfast in our commitment to water stewardship. However, we believe that addressing this issue requires bold and collective actions. That is why I’m proud to announce our collaboration with Team Ocean. It is more than a sponsorship; it’s a shared mission to championing the value of water and promoting responsible consumption. By harvesting minimal drinking water from the sea, Team Ocean serves as a beacon for water self-sufficiency. Together, we strive to amplify awareness of the global water challenge and inspire sustainable practices for a water-resilient future,” says Daniela Stawinoga-Carrington, Leader Communications & Impact, LIXIL EMENA.
Wilco van Rooijen, Team Ocean, climbed the highest mountains in the world, including Mount Everest and K2, without supplemental oxygen. He also managed to reach both the geographical north and south poles under his own power. Drinking water was a challenge on all his expeditions, at times literally life-threatening: “As a mountain climber and polar explorer, I was able to survive by having water around me in the form of snow and ice. During this expedition, I will be surrounded by undrinkable water. This will be the biggest challenge, but it teaches you to value this resource. Water is not a given and not endlessly available that’s why we need to protect it in any way we can.”
Rowing for a good cause
This July, GROHE Team Ocean will embark on an inaugural expedition, rowing from the Rhine’s water source in the Swiss mountains, through the Rhone towards the North Sea. The alarming loss of 10% of water volume of Swiss glaciers over two years underscores the urgency of their mission. (Source WEC).
In 2025, GROHE Team Ocean will row 4,500 km from California to Hawaii in shifts of 2 hours on and 2 hours off non-stop for their second expedition. During the rowing expedition to Hawaii, Team Ocean will act as a “living laboratory” to highlight the need for self-sufficiency in water use. During the 6-8-week crossing, the team will make their own drinking water from the sea and live on less than 8 liters of water per day. By comparison, the average water consumption in the Netherlands is 129 liters per person per day (Source: CBS).
To amplify the impact of their message, GROHE and Team Ocean will provide regular updates on the progress of the expeditions, ensuring widespread awareness of the global water crisis and the need for sustainable practices.
Feb 23, 2024
PERSBERICHT: Uitbreiding #Aquawareness missie
Water is de bron van ons leven, maar toch is bewustzijn vergroten voor de schaarsheid van schoon (drink)water enorm hard nodig. Vol passie zet Team Ocean dus #Aquawareness in hun ambitieuze roeimissie centraal. In 2025 roeien de vier avonturiers Bela Evers, Bram Meyer, Sara Eenhoorn en Wilco van Rooijen een monstertocht van 4500 kilometer vanaf San Francisco naar Hawaï. Gedurende de 6 tot 8 weken durende overtocht zal Team Ocean hun eigen drinkwater moeten maken uit de zee.
Missie
De missie van Team Ocean om waterbewustzijn te vergroten voor schoon en schaars (drink)water is eind 2023 van start gegaan. De beschikbaarheid van schoon, zoet water wordt immers elk jaar een grotere uitdaging. In samenwerking met scholen, publiek en sponsoren wil het team maximale impact maken. Wij zijn verheugd te kunnen melden dat we inmiddels ook vergevorderde gesprekken hebben met een titelsponsor die de missie Aquawareness volledig omarmt.
De uitdaging: van de top naar de zee (2024) en van de zee naar de top (2025)
De roei expeditie San Francisco – Hawaï stond initieel gepland in mei 2024. Echter om nóg meer impact te realiseren is besloten om in 2024 eerst een roei expeditie in Europa te plannen. Deze expeditie zal vanaf de waterbron in de bergen van Zwitserland via de Rhône naar de Rijn richting de Noordzee gaan. De gletsjers – een belangrijke bron voor ons water – zullen naar verwachting in Zwitserland in 2024 op één na verdwenen zijn.
In 2025 zal Team Ocean vervolgens 4.500 km roeien van Californië naar Hawaï, met als laatste deel een klim naar de hoogste berg op Hawaï, Mount Kea. Beide missies zijn verbonden door water. Onze essentiële levensbron.
Notitie: Over een paar weken kondigen wij onze titelsponsor aan.
Jan 19, 2024
Week van de Gelderland (NL)
Dec 5, 2023
PERSBERICHT TEAM OCEAN (DUTCH)
Zondag 10 Dec | 10-12 UUR | Hoeve Duin & Kruidberg Santpoort
Op 10 december zal Team Ocean zich presenteren tijdens het event van The Walk in de Kennemerduinen. In mei 2024 steken deze vier avonturiers per roeiboot de Pacific Ocean over. Ze hebben als missie de wereld bewuster te maken van haar omgang en het gebruik van ons schaarse zoetwater.
ONTMOET DE AVONTURIERS VAN TEAM OCEAN
Het gemengde team bestaat uit Bela Evers, Bram Mayer, Sara Eenhoorn en Wilco van Rooijen. Allen gelouterde avonturiers, van bergbeklimmers tot oceaanroeiers. Zo is Wilco de bekendste bergbeklimmer van Nederland en Bela Evers roeide al eerder de Atlantische Oceaan over. Roeien op de Pacific is ‘next level’ in verband met stromingen en temperaturen daarbij zijn ze ‘independent’. Dus geen volgboten. Team Ocean roeit van San Francisco naar Hawaï, 4500 km in shifts van 2 uur op, 2 uur af en dat 24 uur per dag zo’n 6 tot 8 weken lang. Daarna beklimmen ze de hoogste berg van de wereld op Hawaï. Als men tenminste vanaf de zeebodem van de oceaan rekent.
AQUAWARENESS: BEWUST ZIJN VAN ONS WATER
De missie van Team Ocean is om bewustzijn rondom ons watergebruik te creëren, wij noemen dat AQUAWARENESS. Water betekent leven; slechts 2,5% van al het water op aarde is zoetwater. En als mens bestaan we voor 60 procent uit water. Toch zijn wij ons onvoldoende bewust van onze afhankelijkheid van schoon drinkwater. Water heeft geen economische waarde voor ons, terwijl er geen alternatief voor bestaat. Op de oceaan zullen deze avonturiers de enorme afhankelijkheid van zoetwater zelf ervaren; zij zullen zelf drinkwater moeten maken. Dan ontdek je plots de waarde en energie die het kost.
PERSCONFERENTIE 10-12 UUR / THE WALK 12-18 UUR Na de persconferentie lopen de avonturiers van Team Ocean mee met het initiatief The Walk. Deze wandeling staat in het teken van Antarctica, en de smeltende ijskap die 90% van onze totale zoetwater voorraad herbergt. Zijn flora, fauna en grondstoffen zijn van onschatbare waarde voor een gezonde wereld. The Walk is daarom een uitstekend evenement om de Teamleden van Ocean beter te leren kennen!
AANMELDEN PERSCONFERENTIE:
Mail naar teamocean24@gmail.com of app naar 063064 6294 (sara)
AANMELDEN THE WALK:
Schrijf je in via: https://www.thewalk.nu/the-walk/
Sept - Nov 2023
From Zutphen to the Waddenzee
By: Bela Evers
After having got our boat, it took a while before we started training with Ambrosia due to schedules. But once we started it was a matter of GoGoGo. Our aim is to get as much training in as possible, not only on rivers but out on sea. Also training with boat equipment etc.. So our aim is to row from Zutphen to Ijmuiden in stages before Christmas. That way we not only go on adventure, see new parts of Holland, but we have a great training and meet some wonderful people along the way. Here’s the story up until November. We now have the Waddenzee and North Sea still to go.
Rowing from Zutphen to Kampen
We had trained in August and early Sept in and around the Harbour of Zutphen, but now (end Sept) it was time to leave our trusted harbour in Zutphen (Noorderhaven) where we were looked after by the harbour masters. This time it was only Sara, Wilco and myself. Paul was abroad for work, and besides that we were transitioning team member since Paul could not commit to the Pacific trip anymore due to personal reasons. Paul however will still be part of the team but more as a training buddy which is great news.
Our ‘set off’ started a little different than planned since we spent the first 30 minutes trying to net out Wilco’s phone that fell into the water as he stepped on board. Ouch, a lesson that Wilco will not forget. While trying to fish for the phone, we got talking to the harbour master, which happens to be a good friend of Bela. When she heard there was a space free on the boat she immediately volunteerd to jump on board. Adrie has a love for water although is less of a water sporter but even so, she was thrilled with the opportunity to row with us. A chance of a lifetime.
The weather was perfect, the last of the summer days. The sun was shining and a chance to test out our newly sponsored Julbo sunglasses. You could still feel the summer vibe as we watched the cyclists, walkers, boats passing by. We probably passed about 5 passenger ferries which gave a touristic feeling and a chance to get some extra looks from passersby. The Ijssel was at its finest (as always). As we got into Kampen it got windier but not too much to spoil the excitement. By this time Adrie was happy to steer more than row.
Another 52 kilometers were clocked on our rowing times, a total of 6 hours. Not bad having a novice on board. The harbour was not new to us as we were there 6 months earlier with our training boat. We left Ambrosia (our boot) moored up in a fine harbour under a lamp post which gave a kind of spotlight effect, accentuated as the darkness began to fall.
Rowing from Kampen to Lelystad
Only 2 of us (Wilco and Bela) could make the training today which would take us from our stay in Kampen to Lelystad over the Kettelmeer and onto the Ijsselmeer. It was also the day when Bram would do a ‘trial’ training to see if it would click as the fourth team member and replacement of Paul. Bram sailed in his earlier days and always dreamt of sailing an ocean, but when he heard you could row an ocean it seemed like an adventure of a lifetime. Coming from an adventure lifestyle background, and having the mental and physical stamina of a police officier, Bram was a actually a great guy to have on board. He had a big smile on his face even though he just came out of his night shift. Bram picked up the technique really well, the only thing he had to get used to were those initial blisters and bottom pain. Yes, it’s a crime to begin with but it’s about training every part of your body… literally. We had another guest rower on board that also has a love for water and loved the idea of steering us. Leaving the Ijssel River going onto the open lakes was a great change of scenery. Big windmills towering over us as we got onto the Ijsselmeer, and just before coming into the harbour we tested out our autopilot. Another 39 km ticked off.
Our stay in Lelystad
The weather wasn’t always on our side for training, so we stayed a bit longer in Lelystad than we planned. But we must say it was one of the most social harbours. There was a small coffee canteen where you’d grab a free warm drink and have a chit chat with the other boat owners. We’d get interested chats going as people couldn’t quite comprehend the challenge we’d be undertaking.
We spent one of our non-rowing days wisely, and instead used the time to go through the boat equipment, unpacking the Para anchor (floating anchor for at sea) and jumping in the water with our safety suits on. Also going through the manuals and the outstanding training needs was a useful exercise. Of course we also had to mark the day with a celebratory drink in the bar – toasting to the fact that we were complete as a team… and it felt good. Bram left for home while Bela, Wilco and Sara spent the night on the boat and testing out new freeze dried food ..a little bit cold but totally fine.
The following day we got a visit from Ralph Tuijn, an ocean rower pur sang, who has several ocean rowing records under his belt. We were fortunate to row his boat earlier in the year and now invited him on board ours to take a look. He was curious with our new boat and with his knowledge he answered some of our questions. It was super that he was with us that morning, before departing back home.
You can take a look at the video we made about the boat here
Lelystad to Enkhuizen
We had one training around Lelytstad… but now the weather conditions were good to make the trip. It was Sara, Wilco and Bela as Bram had to work. A Saturday afternoon when the wind started to die down a bit, still a little choppy at times but good for the training. We soon put the boat on autopilot so the 3 of us could row together instead of one hand steering. That was chill. Our rear mirror view was super helpful as well as taking a look out from time to time. Once in Enhuizen we were treated to the beautiful harbours that Enkhuizen has in its portfolio. We arrived into Buyshaven after 4.5 hours just before sunset having rowed a distance of 28km. We are super thankful to this harbour as with all the other harbours who have supported up by donating a box for us. Once moored up we got talking to our sailboat neighbours (Pim and xx) who were mega curious about our trip. It was super spontaneous and social that we ended up sitting on the pier next to the boat, with a beer in our hand, closing off the day as the sun began to set over the marina.
Enkhuizen to Den Oever – Our first night training
Our first night row. This is an essential part of the training as well as getting into the rythmn of rowing in shifts. We decided to rotate every 1.5 hours instead of 2 so we would stay warmer by not sitting still for too long. We set off just after the sun had set after 17.30. The lights shining around Enkhuzien were magnified as we started to row out onto the darker Ijsselmeer. The weather was cold but clear. Soon the stars began to shine brighter and brighter. Once out of the shipping lane we set the navigation on.. and began our adventure in the dark. It was cosy as we talked on board, no one sleeping yet as it was still early. In the individual pause moments, we boiled water using the jetboil… made our freeze-dried meal and returned back on the oars. It was a good training also for the autopilot and navigating in the dark. As we got to Den Oever we saw how tricky it was with fishers nets, but managed to get into the harbour and moored up safe and sound. Another 34km clocked up. It was early hours of the morning and managed to get some shut eye before the media team would show up in the morning. The men in the small back cabin, and the ladies in the luxury front cabin. How fairly split right :). Of course the girls had to finish off with some karaoke with the famous Abba songs, hopefully not disturbing the boats next to us. Take a look at the video we made to give you an impression.
It was morning, we all seemed to sleep well but short although I think Bram had to pit up with a bit of snoring from Wilco. Opening the cabin door to blue skies and a beautifully still water was a treat. It seemed like a holiday to be honest. Two fishermen were busy trying to catch Seabass around our boat and ended up spectating their great fishing skills, whilst asking them 101 questions. Really curious and insightful.
After freshening up Sara and Bela were looking around for a boat we could use for the media team who were coming that morning for a shoot, when suddenly we came across Dick Koopmans on his sailing boat. Dick is our weather router and we had informed him we would be in Den Oever. It had to be…. Dick offered his boat for he film crew and welcomed everyone with a good cup of coffee. We got ourselves ready. Duc from the film crew joined us for shots in the boat while the rest, Sjors, Jorrt, Bo and Meyke were on the sailing boat of Dick that sailed next to us.
There was virtually no wind, the Ijsselmeer was flat and the scenery was magical and a bit mystical. Beautiful shots were made and we are sharing a few here to give you a good impression we hope. Back in the harbour we had a team shoot and an interview, and finally closing off the day with some studio shoots for our campagne material. Energy was buzzing..and we are really excited to have this amazing media team as part of Team Ocean – visualizing the journey and mission.
Den Oever to Den Helder (part I)
Weekend rowing in mid Nov didn’t go ahead because of weather, so picked a day in the week. Unfortunately Bram could not make it so it was the three of us to make the 22km crossing from Den Oever to Den Helder. Wilco volunteerd this time to organize the trip together with the input from his sailor friend who has Waddenzee experience. Ideally we’d need to leave before high tide but Sara couldn’t get time off work earlier. We ended up leaving just at the peak of high tide, and with one rower short, plus the fact we had to wait a bit at the lock before it opened up, meant we were challenged by every minute.
Once the lock doors opened we entered the big wide Waddenzee later than scheduled but had faith to give it a go. The sunset was falling and the skies lit up in a burnt orange. The waves where busy and the current was sturdy. The current was so sturdy that we were pushed towards the narrow shipping lane. It posed a bit of a challenge seeing that it was at times 5 meter deep with only 0.5 meter on the sides. Staying in the narrow shipping lane while having to navigate using the chartplotter inside the cabin was a challenge in itself. It began to get darker and the bouys were getting harder to see, so had to rely more on the chartplotter in the cabin. That was a challenge and not having an extra rower meant we soon were pushed onto a sand bank. We tried to row ourselves out of the situation but this was next to impossible…. the water was getting shallower. Wilco jumped out of the boat to see if there was any leeway to push the boat back on course, but it was truly stuck. We thought the options through but first we wanted to see if the coastguard could help out. We called them on the mariphone, however by now it was getting pitch black and we waited until they arrived.
After half an hour, a boat with shining lights approached us, stopped about 400m away (due to low tide) and 2 of the crew had to walk to us. We were happy to see the men from the KNRM rescue service. They basically gave us 2 options …. Stay on the boat and continue rowing when it would be the next high tide moment (6 hours later in the middle of the night), or put the boat on anchor, transfer to Den Helder to sleep and pick up the boat in the morning at high tide. Given the options, not having warm sleeping bags with us and the fact that Sara needed to be present at work the next day we chose for the latter. On recommendation of the rescue team, the decision was taken to put the boat on anchor and take a lift to Den Helder. It felt very strange as Ambrosia is a team member and she now has a night out there without us. The AIS (location) and navigation lights were kept on so that we could monitor that everything was OK with Ambrosia.
We stepped off Ambrosia wearing our safety suits (thermal floating dry suit) and walked through the water at ankle height towards the motorboat of the KNRM. The crew got us on board and were ready for the speedboat ride to Den Helder. What a fun experience that was even though that was not our main goal. We realized what heros these men were. Working on a voluntary basis and bringing people to safety out on sea. A very thankful job that should not be taken for granted. We were now their new donators. Back on land we waited to be picked up by Walter (an acquaintance of Wilco and owner of ‘Bouw je Avontuur’ who had a hostel for us to stay in). Because Sara had to be at work she already left for home.
The stay at the hostel was pretty cosy. Sebastian, a friend of Wilco joined us and the four of us soon exchanged adventure stories, ate pizza and had a few beers. It was all surreal, but little did we know that our adventure was already making news in the Wieringa paper. That was not our intention of course and didn’t think of it as a big deal, but hey it was news. It is interesting how everyone goes about such an incident. It brought with it new learning moments but also tested our resilience in such a situation. The area in which we were rowing was of course not representative of what we will be doing on the Pacific. The Pacific is the deepest ocean in the world whereas the Waddenzee is the shallowest for boats and a place where where even the chartplotter depths don’t always tally up. Meaning it can be really misleading. As we took to our sleep, Bela checked in on the AIS tracker to see if everything was OK with Ambrosia and it was…. time to sleep further.
The next day Wilco and Bela met the KNRM at Den Oever to go back to the boat to get it towed. When we got to Ambrosia she was floating and still on anchor at the same place where we left her the night before. A relief. We could now get her transported back to Den Oever marine. Ambrosia was secured well by rope to the speedboat and was carefully towed back to the harbour. Once back in the harbour we thanked the crew once again, hoping not to see them ever again.
Despite the story being picked up by the press, we learned and grew as a team. The following week we safely rowed the boat to Den Helder. Our training is an important part of our mission. Not everyone can do what we will be doing …. Rowing 4500km non-stop from California to Hawaii for our mission on water. So let’s give it up for our mission for which we are in seek of donations. If you haven’t already you can donate at gofundme.com/beat-climate-change
July 2023
UK Adventure: Picking up our boat & training row UK-NL
By: Bela Evers
So another adventure: Not only did we pick up our boat in the UK, we had planned to row her back to the Netherlands. An eventful experience in itself with many highs and dealing with the unexpected as a team …this is the story…
Welcome Ambrosia
Early June, it was time to return our training boat (Rose II) to Ralph Tuijn (world’s ocean rower). For eight months we were able to train in Ralph’s boat which took us across rivers in the Netherlands with many guest rowers and a mixed bag of weather. (Read our other blogs). Ralph had found a buyer for Rose II, a US team who plan to row the Pacific in her in 2024. So who knows, maybe we will run into our training boat again. In the meantime, already for a few months, we were scouting a new boat for Team Ocean and luckily found Ambrosia. A Rannoch RX45 ocean rowing boat that was built last year and who took the AmbroseBouys across the Atlantic in December 2022. We were really happy to take (second) ownership of the new boat. We had planned to pick her up from the UK on 2nd July (as Paul was in the UK anyway), and had planned to row her back to the Netherlands, as a training row. A distance of 280km from Burnham on Crouch to Ijmuiden, following waypoint to waypoint (and avoiding windfarms and shipping lanes). Unfortunately Sara, our new team member, could not join us as she was guiding a group in Charmonix, and instead we had Ananya take her place. Ananya is Paul’s girlfriend who would use this as a training row for her solo race in 2025.
Sunday 2nd July arrived and Wilco, Bela and Duc (a cameraman and land support) drove to Burnham on Crouch where the boat was stalled (at Rannoch Adventures). After a 10 hour journey we got to our destination. Behind the gate we found Ambrosia. A magical feeling to see her and her newness – the first owners really took care of her. We checked off the equipment and repaired the seat bearings in preparation of our planned row to the UK the next morning. However, the weather conditions weren’t looking favourable to leave, so decided to do a check in the next morning with the weather router John.
The next day, on Monday 3rd July, we officially got the boat handed over by Rannoch. Such a great milestone, because having the boat makes the team complete and makes everything more real. Without a boat, we have no expedition. Often a boat is seen as the fifth team member. You need to get to know each other, how she reacts, operates and manoeuvres. Taking ownership was like having Christmas come early…exciting!
Preparation and weather router
Immediately we started to pack the boat, tied all the loose equipment on deck and managed to get a trailer lighting board organized so that we were able to set off. After checking in with the ‘weather router’ we decided to postpone our trip by 12 hours, due to high winds on the UK side.
A weather router is an important member of the land crew – they are the eyes of the crew (on land) – having access to various weather and traffic charts. We are super excited to work with John and team on this project (more news to be announced).. As an experienced sailor, he is momentarily helping 5 teams cross the pacific and has a wealth of experience helping rowing teams cross the Atlantic. It’s all about safety at the end of the day and that’s why this trial run with John was a great test of cooperation and trust.
By postponing the row, we were able to organize the boat a bit more and do a training row. The space on a boat is limited so you really need to be selective and efficient in how you pack the boat. Once packed up, we launched the boat and waited for the winds to die down before going for a test row. While launching the boat Wilco got his thumb stuck under the safety cable of the trailer when the trailer slipped from the clutch 10 cm or so. But that caused an injury that was concerning, as we weren’t sure if he would be able to row. At one point Wilco thought his thumb would be lost…(gosh)!! The pain was high but he was determined to give it a try without putting pressure on his left thumb (and which worked out OK in the end).
Making the most of it
Since the boat was already in the water, and the wind had eased off (at around 20.00), we decided to give the boat a spin. Duc the camera man jumped on board for some footage and we not only enjoyed an amazing sunset but also the rise of the full (Buck) moon! Ambrosia rowed with ease in the choppy estuary, even on the autopilot.
When we got back at 23.00 the tide was high enough to get the boat back on the trailer so that we would be ready to set off early in the morning to Harwich, from where we booked the ferry to Hoek van Holland.
You can watch the evening UK row on Youtube here.
Journey back
Tired yet satisfied, we set off early in the morning towards the ferry port of Harwich, arriving well on time. Of course with an unusual rowing boat on the back of the trailer does get some sort of attention, so no wonder we were stopped at customs. After a quick check, we quickly settled onto the ferry.
The journey back gave us time to rest after an intensive 2 days and to reflect. Analysing the lessons learned, how we operated as a team, and the plans for the coming period. At least the mission to get our new boat back to Holland was accomplished and could not have done this also without the support of the cameraman Duc. Row or no row, its safety that counts at the end of the day. Satisfied and excited now that Ambrosia is ‘in da house’, and looking forward to getting her prepped and taking on the next steps of our journey towards the start line.
May 2023
Amsterdam here we come
By Bela Evers
A while ago
It had been a while since we trained. Six weeks to be precise. Last time we rowed into Naarden from Harderwijk. In the meantime, Wilco had been in Corsica for active holiday and Bela in the UK. We couldn’t wait to get back in the boat again which is a good sign.
This time rowing from Naarden to Amsterdam (19km) to continue our adventure through the Dutch waterways. A great way to get in those miles and see the beauty of Holland. It was our pleasure to ask Otto on board as a guest rower this time. Otto from the Coastal Rowing Club in Naarden kindly hosted our boat in his private harbour. Due to his dogsitting commitment he passed on the honours to Tess from his rowing Club who is a fanatic rower and lives partly in Hong Kong and a few months in the year in the Netherlands.
What a treat it was to row with Tess. A bubbly enthusiastic rower who looooooved the fact that she got this opportunity to row in such a different boat. What did Otto miss out! We met in Naarden and was waved out by Otto and his girlfriend’s dog.
From a peaceful sunny harbour we quickly faced some serious short wavy and windy conditions. Sometimes our oar would hang longer under a wave while the other oar would miss the water. It was kind of turbulent, and for Wilco and Tess it was their first experience of a kind. Both Paul and Bela were pretty used to the waves being out on the Atlantic, only these waves were short after each other while out on the ocean they a much longer and bigger.
En route
We passed a few mini-islands, but the one that guided us was Pampus Fort Island. What was special about this Island? After the French-German war of 1870, the Dutch parliament felt that Amsterdam could be threatened. For the safety of the city they decided to build a fort island which was completed in 1895 and handed over to the council of Muiden. Funny enough it was not used as a fort for protection in the second world war, but as a training base for the Germans who took over the eiland. After the period of captivation, the Dutch used the island to detonate bombs safely.
Pampus
The word Pampus is even older than the Island and means the fairway is naturally shallowed through sand. This was particular in the area between Marken and Muiden. In Dutch there is a saying ‘voor Pampus liggen’ (Laying before Pampus). Large boats couldn’t pass through and there were inventive ways to get the boats across (besides waiting for the right tide). From a pump, that pumped out the water in order to lift the boats to the other side, to creating a platform to help move goods from boat to boat. Sometimes it took weeks before a boat could pass or empty its goods. No worries for the crew as they took plenty of drink and women on board to pass the time.
Into Amsterdam
While rowing towards Pampus we noticed it was pretty shallow around the sides, but before we got stuck ‘again’, we changed direction and rowed straight into Amsterdam. Next time we’ll definitely take a stop there where you can visit this unique place.
Tess steered the last bit into Amsterdam. It was a for a her a great experience as prefers to row. She had a grand feeling when on the steering ropes of such a big rowing boat while tackling the waves. Paul took over as we got closer to Amsterdam and it was a treat to enter a big city. Ijburg (Amsterdam), was our destination and we had to enter a narrow lock to get to the harbour. Once out of the lock the wind had gone, the sun was out and the atmosphere was buzzing. We got a lot of interested looks from the people on the terrace where we docked the boat. Kind of weird, but huh, I guess it’s not every day that you see such a boat in a harbour. It was thanks to Toine, a friend of Wilco (who Bela also happened to know), that helped us get a place in the busy harbour. Our temporary home base for the training boat until we move on again. He welcomed us in. Before we headed back to our ‘normal’ homes, it was time for a beer, a bite to eat and planning our next bigger adventures.
April 2023
Roei.NL 'Van De Ijssel naar de Stille OCEAAN'
By Jos Wassink
Jos was invited to our kick-off in Zutphen. Great to read his article.
April 2023
Rowing the dutch waterways
By Bela Evers
Spreading our wings
After being based out of the Zutphen’s harbour for 5 months, it was time to broaden horizons. We were ready to go on longer trips from harbour to harbour along the Dutch waterways. Real adventure while getting some serious rowing hours in. Pretty fun and seeing a bit of Holland at the same time.
At the beginning of March we already did a 2 day stint first rowing from Zutphen to Kampen and then Kampen to Harderwijk. A tour of over about 120km. Beautiful to row along the Ijssel, into the Drontemeer and finaly towards the Ijsselmeer. A friend of mine had a place reserved at the Harderwijk harbour which was our temporary base for a months. Having had some glorious cold and sunny rowing days it was time again to move on. Wilco, Paul and myself had agreed to row our training boat from Harderwijk to Naarden. Continuing our tour along the Dutch waterways by rowing boat. Joost, who has been training with us while at Zutphen, stepped in as the 4th rower.
Easter Saturday
After having left one car in Naarden in the early morning, we drove further with another car to Harderwijk, picking up Paul on the way. It was our last time in Harderwijk, where we’ve had some great training sessions with various guest rowers. And what a beautiful day it was. Blue skies and sunshine with a light breeze. Probably the first time we all rowed in short sleeves. You can definitely tell it was feeling like Spring. For the first time we found it busier than usual on the waters, especially being Easter weekend. It seems the water recreationalist have come out of their winter sleep.
Joost was reminding us of how the the coast of Harderwijk was once the coastline of the Netherlands. The Afsluitdijk that was built in 1932, creating the Ijsselmeer, changed the face of Harderwijk and other inner coastal towns. Fishermen who once earned their income lost their jobs as the salt water became sweet.
The changing landscape of the waterways
It is a real gift to be able to row along this stretch of water and experiencing the different changing waterways. After leaving the broader Wolderwijd lake of Harderwijk, we entered into a more narrow stretch of water, lined with trees, plenty of swans and many tourist villages along the way. It took a good hour or two before the scene changed again. We entered a broader lake (Eemmeer), lined with huge windmills which made us feel pretty small. When we got to Huizen, rowing into the Gooimeer we realized it wasn’t long anymore. Throughout our journey we kept to a rythmn of rowing 1.5 hours and steering for 30 minutes, We’d rotate every 30 minutes.
Last Shift
Bela took the last steering shift before entering Naarden. The wind surf foilers were a pleasure to see on the way. Joost was convinced we were taking a wrong route, but Bela was sure of her navigation bringing us nicely into Harderwijk. As we turned into the private waters next to the harbour we were warmly welcomed by two members of the Naarden Coastal Rowing Club. Bela had arranged with one of the members to be able to moor our boat in his ‘box’. It’s our temporary base for the next few weeks before setting off again into the big wide world of the Dutch waterways. Next destination – Amsterdam.
For now satisfied with more than 5 hours of rowing with 44 more training kilometers under the belt!
March 2023
Het Ijssel AVONTUUR - TEAM OCEAN
Geschreven door: Wilco van Rooijen
Oefenen en team uitbreiden
Op vrijdag 3 maart was het plan om de IJssel af te gaan varen met onze oceaan boot. Ik zeg ‘onze’ maar in feiten mogen we ons gelukkig prijzen dat Ralph Tuijn zo aardig was om ons deze unieke oceaanboot waar er niet zoveel van zijn in Nederland ter beschikking te stellen. Bela en ik konden zo op de IJssel trainen 2x per week vanaf oktober. Maar eind maart moet de boot weer terug!
De week voor 3 maart houden we onze Kick-off in het Koelhuis in Zutphen om mensen, vrienden en sponsoren kennis te laten maken met ons team en de oceaanboot. Bela ik geven een presentatie en stellen ons zelf voor. Ook Paul Heerenma is van de partij. Hij is zeer geïnteresseerd om deel te nemen in ons team van uit eindelijk 2 mannen en 2 vrouwen. Maar Paul moet eerst thuis en op zijn werk nog wat zaken regelen voordat hij definitief ja kan zeggen. In de ochtend hebben ook Carien Bornebroek en Roos Evers voor het eerst als mogelijke vrouwelijke kandidaten mee geroeid.
Catastrofe
Echter tijdens de laatste roeitraining in de middag van de Kick-off hadden we te maken met een catastrofe. Midden op de IJssel is de boot plots letterlijk onbestuurbaar. Ik sta aan het roer, Paul en zijn vriendin zijn aan het roeien. Bela wacht voor ons bij de haven. Gelukkig zijn we op de terugweg en varen we met de stroom mee richting de haven van Zutphen. Maar ondanks de stroming die we mee hebben gaat de boot van bijna 9 meter lengte gewoon om zijn as. Hoe ik ook manoeuvreer met het roer, de boot doet waar die zelf zin in heeft. Nadat we zeker 3 tot 4 keer rond zijn gegaan zie ik tot overmaat van ramp ook nog zo’n enorme rijnaker van een binnenschip aankomen. Ik zie letterlijk het rampenscenario zich al aftekenen voor mijn ogen. Of we gaan in aanvaring komen met dat enorme binnenvaartschip of we weten hem naar de kant te krijgen maar varen we op de talloze keien langs de IJssel. Gods zijdank blijkt nu de ervaring van Paul die de Atlantische oceaan in 2018 al heeft overgeroeid. Hij weet met de riemen dusdanig te trekken en te duwen dat hij de boot recht weet te houden op de stroom. De as gemaakt van carbon van het roer waar de helmstok aan vast zit blijkt volledig door de midden te zijn gebroken!
Ongelofelijk. Hoe kan dat? Maar die vraag is voor alter. Een feit is een feit. Belangrijker nu, hoe lossen we dit op? En is het roer onder de boot foetsie?Verloren in de stroom. Maar warempel blijkt het roer nog op 3 centimeter aan de onderkant van de boot te zijn blijven hangen.
Geluk bij een ongeluk komt een zeer goed bevriende relatie Robert al met een idee. Hij kent nog wel een vriendje van een machine onderdelen fabriek die hier wel raad mee zou weten. Diezelfde week word het roer gerepareerd met RVS, epoxy, een draadeind en 2 hele dikke moeren zodat het roer nooit meer zou breken! De klus werd geklaard door de Jong Technics uit Sliedrecht. En zo zijn we weer een ervaring rijker. Liever dit op de IJssel dan midden op de oceaan. Les geleerd!
Op avontuur
Zo kan het avontuur om de IJssel af te varen vanaf Zutphen naar Kampen en via Kampen naar Harderwijk toch doorgaan. Op vrijdag 3 maart laten we de boot met gerepareerd roer weer te water. Bela, Paul, Carien en ikzelf verzamelden rond 8.30 uur. Rond 9.30 uur kunnen we vertrekken. Warme kleren, handschoenen, muts en slaapzakken mee, slaapmatjes, eten, water, thee, koffie wat broodjes en een emmer als WC aan boord. Vanaf de roeiclub Isala uit Zutphen worden we uitgezwaaid. Het is prachtig om als 4 mans team voor het eerst in de boot te zitten. Eén persoon sturen, 3 roeiers en om de 30 tot 40 min wisselen de stuurder met één van de roeiers. Als roeier krijg je het snel lekker warm maar als stuurder sta je vol in de koude wind want je moet ook boven en voor de boot uitkijken. De IJssel slingert prachtig door het Nederlandse landschap maar om de bocht kan er zo maar zo’n enorme rijnaker op je af komen en die hebben wel ten alle tijden voorrang. Het is een prachtig gezicht zo vanaf het water. En wat een natuur in al die uiterwaarden. En wat een vogels! Van ganzen tot zwanen, reigers, kuifeenden etc, etc. Dan zien we de brug van de A1 al in de verte over de IJssel bij Deventer.
Even later passeren we de grens provincie Gelderland – Overijssel. Dan weer verderop het pondje bij het prachtige plaatje Olst waar ik met de racefiets nog wel eens oversteek. We roeien verder door naar Hattum waar we Carien afzetten omdat zij in de middag nog een training moet verzorgen. We doen onze laatste koffie met elkaar, kletsen wat, eten een broodje en nemen afscheid. Dan vervolgen Bela, Paul en ikzelf onze weg richting Kampen. Maar eerst Zwolle. In de verte zien we eerst de brug van de A28, de snelweg naar Zwolle. Toch grappig om nu eens de andere kant van de brug te zien.
Eerste bestemming
Wat reken ik me rijk dat wij hier lekker roeien en niet op vrijdag in dat drukke verkeer zitten. En wat een vrachtauto’s het lijkt wel één lange trein.Na Zwolle maakt de IJssel een paar prachtige grote speelse bochten. Plekken die ik nog nooit van mijn leven gezien heb. De natuur op en vanaf het water blijft me fascineren. Richting Kampen wordt de IJssel steeds breder en qua natuur ook minder mooi want de menselijke industriële activiteiten nemen toe. Vroeger toen de grote schepen vanaf de Noordzee de Zuiderzee opvoeren moest de lading worden overgeslagen op kleinere schepen die dan de IJssel weer verder op konden varen naar Deventer, Doesburg en dan bij Lobith de grens over naar Duitsland.
De aanblik na de eerste brug die we in Kampen onder door varen oogt vooral industrie. Maar dan na het passeren van een tweede brug wat verder op zien we het historische stadje Kampen met al zijn lichtjes, authentieke kerken en prachtige oude zeilschepen aan de kade. En dan mogen we ook nog midden in het kleine haventje aanleggen binnen in Kampen. Dit was een adres van Bela van haar vorige oceaan tocht. Toen zij hier trainde met de Dutchess of the Sea in 2020 zag de plaatselijke roeisloep vereniging Kampen dit en bood hun spontaan hun clubhuis aan. Dat adres had Bela onthouden en we zijn weer van harte welkom! We mogen onze boot langs hun prachtige 12 man grote roeisloep aanmeren die net in de winter zijn jaarlijkse onderhoud weer heeft gehad en prachtig in de lak staat. Bela heeft de man ingeseind en terwijl we aan het afmeren zijn komt de man al aangefietst met zijn dochter om ons in het sfeervolle clubhuisje boven een botenloods van harte welkom te heten.
Kampen gastvrijheid
Tja, we hadden hardcore in de boot kunnen gaan slapen maar aangezien we daar nog lang genoeg onder extreme omstandigheden in mogen bivakkeren sloegen we het aanbod om nu in het 10 graden warme clubhuis te mogen slapen niet af. Op het terrein waar ook de sloep vereniging haar clubhuis heeft liggen er ook nog historische botters. Een botter is een typische oud Nederlands vissersvaartuig met een bijna vlakke bodem die vooral op deZuiderzee gebruikt werd. Paul die eigenlijk net als Bela meer Engels is dan Nederlands zoekt het woord ‘botter’ op via Google translate en krijgt als vertaling: fuckbonescrew! Tja, die Engelse …..
De man neemt ons nog mee de stad Kampen in en we zijn alledrie verrast hoe gezellig en authentiek Kampen is. Het moet hier zomers een gezellige drukte zijn met al die terrasjes en die prachtige oude gebouwen en kerken. We krijgen uiteraard ook het folklorische verhaal van de koe toren mee. Een prachtige toren midden in het centrum van Kampen.
Boven op de toren is er ooit een koe omhoog getakeld. Hij graast het gras er af. De Kampenaren geloofden dat dat een goedkope oplossing was om het dak grasvrij te krijgen. Maar niet echt slim, want halverwege dat de koe naar boven werd getakeld aan zijn hals, hing haar tong al halverwege, iets wat door de Kampenaren werd geïnterpreteerd als dat de koe al erg veel zin in het gras zou hebben. Tegenwoordig is de (plastic)koe een folkloristisch pronkstuk, vooral te zien in de zomerperiode tijdens bijvoorbeeld evenementen.
Na de beste pizza uit Kampen te hebben gegeten en sterke verhalen te hebben uitgewisseld hebben we behoefte om te gaan slapen. We hebben bijna 70 kilometer geroeid en dik 7 uur in de boot gezeten. Nu al een record voor mij maar ik had het nu al voor geen goud willen missen. Het voelt als een mooi avontuur dat pas net begonnen is. En eigenlijk had ik al heel lang geleden de IJssel of het Amsterdams Rijnkanaal willen afvaren met een niet gemotoriseerde boot. Ik dacht in de eerste instantie aan een kano of kayak maar dat het uiteindelijk in een oceaanboot zou zijn was in mijn wildste dromen nog niet voorgekomen.
Op naar Harderwijk
De volgende ochtend zijn we weer om 8.15 uur bij de boot. De mannen van de 12 man sterke roeisloep gaan ook trainen. En elkaar uitzwaaien is wel een mooi begin. Om 8.30 uur arriveert Roos zoals afgesproken en zij zal de hele dag met ons meevaren. Haar man is zo aardig om haar helemaal vanuit Hengelo (gemeente Bronckhorst) te brengen. We bedanken de mannen voor het gastvrije gebruik van het clubhuis en beloven als tegenprestatie om een praatje in het najaar van 2024 na de Pacific Ocean tocht te komen geven. Ze verheugen zich er nu al op!
We varen de IJssel weer op richting het Kattendiep en Keteldiep. Daar begint het IJsselmeer. Gelukkig is het plan niet om het IJsselmeer direct op te roeien want het weer is onstuimig met harde wind en regen. We hebben de hele tocht tot nog toe geluk gehad en echt prachtig Hollands weer gehad. Dus mooie bewolkte luchten. Heel veel bewolking soms grijs maar gelukkig ook tussen de wolken door prachtige blauwe luchten. Maar boven het IJsselmeer hangen er dreigende wolken en regent het ook in de verte. Ook staan er flinke schuimkoppen op het IJsselmeer dus we zijn maar al te blij dat we linksom het Vossemeer op draaien richting Drontermeer en vervolgens hetVeluwe meer. En met het draaien naar het Vossemeer krijgen we de harde wind ook gelukkig in de rug.
Leer moment
De ochtend was zwaar begonnen met wind tegen en dreigende luchten maar nu kunnen we even weer op krachten komen. We besluiten de vers meegebrachte grote kan koffie van Roos te nuttigen en ik heb nog wat stroopwafels uit te delen. En zelfs met niks doen beweegt de boot met zo’n 2,5 knopen de goede kant op. We houden koers op de rode betonningen van de vaargeul. Maar plots lijken we stil te liggen. Ik doe een check op onze Garmin Inreach en jawel de snelheid is 0 knopen. Dat is gek? Zouden de stromingen elkaar hier opheffen? Maar wat blijkt? We zitten vast aan de grond. Hoe dat kan? Dan valt het kwartje. We zitten aan de verkeerde kant van de rode betonning niet in de vaargeul maar er naast. We hadden de groene betonning aan de andere kant niet zo dicht aan de waterkant verwacht. Afijn, hoe nu los te komen? Paul toch de zwaarste (en misschien wel de sterkste;-) van ons allemaal gaat op de achterklant van de boot hangen terwijl wij met zijn 3-en maximaal roeien. Eerst zien we alleen maar modder en zand omhoog komen zonder dat de boot in beweging komt. Maar heel langzaam blijkt de boot toch centimeter voor centimeter in beweging te komen. We roeien en maaien met de riemen zo hard als we kunnen. Uiteindelijk lukt het en roeien we half door de modder terug waar we vandaan komen en steken we door richting de andere kant van de vaargeul. Daar is het water in plaats van nog geen 50 cm diep zo’n 5 meter diep. We hebben weer wat geleerd. Les 3. En we zijn trots hoe we dit ook weer als team organisch hebben opgelost. Situationeel leiderschap wat kracht uitstraalt voor de toekomst.
Na opgelucht weer vlot getrokken te zijn roeien we weer met 3 posities en 1 stuurder door een prachtig natuur gebied rond het Vossemeer met eilandjes en heel veel vogels. Dan even later zien we het begin van de Roggebotsluis en via de marifoon geeft Bela door dat we er aan komen. We kunnen zo de sluis invaren en na heel weinig hoogte verschil ook zo de sluis weer uit. We roeien door en de natuur op het water blijft prachtig. Nooit gedacht dat het hier zo mooi varen zou zijn. Naast heel veel recreatie huisjes kun je je hier zomers voorstellen dat het druk is met plezier vaart. Maar nu niet. We hebben misschien 3 pleziervaart motorboten gezien en 1 zeilboot. Wel veel vissers met kleine snelle vissersbootjes. Na het eiland Reve gaan we de Revesluis door en komen we op het Drontermeer waar ook nog de nodige eilandjes zijn en prachtige natuurgebiedjes. Dan varen we de brug bij Elburg onderdoor entrekt de wind aan. We hebben de wind schuin tegen en dat zorgt ervoor dat de boot schuin komt te liggen. Dat wil zeggen naar 1 kant. Dus aan de linkerkant moet je zorgen dat de riem wel het water in duikt en aan de rechterkant kletst het water als je niet uitkijkt tegen het blad van de riem aan boven water. Dat zorgt er dan voor dat je riem 45 graden verdraaid en dus geen afzet heeft in het water. Heel irritant. Maar wel weer een les! Zo werkt dat dus. Hoe moet dat wel niet op de oceaan zijn met nog veel hogere golven en een steeds kantelende boot.
Laatste loodjes
Afijn het venijn zit het altijd in de staart en ook nu weer geld de laatste loodjes wegen het zwaarst. We denken dat we er al bijna zijn maar tussen de brug van Elburg en de brug bij Harderwijk wordt het nog even flink afzien. In plaats van zo’n 10 km geschat is de totale afstand nog 18,7 km roeien met de wind schuin op de kop. We tellen de laatste rode betonningen in de vaargeul af tot onder de brug bij Harderwijk. Onder de brug door van de N302 mogen we links af slaan naar de Knar haven waar Bela weer iemand kende en we de boot mogen afmeren. We hebben vandaag dik 8 uur gevaren en het is alweer 16.0 uur in de middag. In de haven blijkt de boot eigenlijk te lang voor de ligplekken maar we krijgen uiteindelijk een speciale ligplek langs een steiger bij het havenkantoor. Gelukkig is Vincent de man van Bela zo aardig om ons qua vervoer op te halen en thuis weer af te zetten. Zo eindigt een fantastisch avontuur van dik 120 km roeien in 2 dagen en voelen we allemaal ons lijf. We zijn toe aan een relaxte zondag. Even niet de armen-, rug-, nek-, benen- en buikspieren gebruiken maar lang uit op de bank. Nu het nog kan!
February 2023
De STENTOR
By: Bela Evers
A great article in Dutch, putting the adventure into perspective. Thanks to Diego from the Stentor.
De Stentor
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 17, 2023.
Adventurers row non-stop across the Pacific Ocean for two month
‘There are situations that almost go wrong, but it’s just that that stimulates me’
Bela Evers
Bela Evers and Wilco van Rooijen will be gone several weeks on the ocean. For such a journey, you must properly aligned.”
“The ocean has touched me, because you are close to nature’
-Bela Evers
De Stentor
FRIDAY FEBUARY 17, 2023
Thousands of miles from civilization, …as far as you can see …just water and several dangerous animals hiding beneath the surface. For some a scary thought, for Bela Evers and Wilco van Rooijen a dream world that are eager to start. Next year they will row more than 4500 kilometers across the Pacific Ocean.
Today, Bela Evers from Tonden and Wilco van Rooijen from Voorst were training on the fresh water of the IJssel. Maybe less exciting but much needed. “For such a journey of eight weeks long, you have to look after each other” says Van Rooijen
“Both mentally and physically. Everything can go wrong. Then you have to rely on each other.”
It turns out that their journey is special given the facts. Only about eighty people have successfully completed the trek from the United States to Hawaii made in a rowboat. “Team Ocean”, as Bela and Wilco are called, will be the first Dutch national mixed team ever doing this journey.
“There is no lack of experience with the two. Evers has already rowed the Atlantic Ocean in 2020 with three other women. A journey of more than 4700 kilometers which lasted two months.
Experienced adventurers
It was tough, hard, sometimes even a bit frightening.“Why do you still want to make such a trip? ,We are a little crazy,” she jokes. What attracts me is the vulnerability. You see nothing for days except the people in the boat. There are situations when it almost can go wrong, like with high waves, but that’s what motivates me. The curiosity; what does such a situation do to me?”
And, perhaps even more important is the fascination with the ocean. ‘The ocean really touched me the last time. You’re close to the nature, you see whales and dolphins. That is pretty unique.”
The same goes for her team-mate, Wilco van Rooijen, with whom she has already trained for hours. As a mountain climber he defied many dangers. From the white world on the North and South Pole to the mountain tops of the Himalayas. ‘With rowing I actually had no affinity at all. During the training I got more enthusiastic about the idea. Ultimately, such a journey is a mental battle.”
‘It’s not for me’
The two got to know each other at a workshop by Van Rooijen about dealing mentally with such similar situations. Bela’s team with which she rowed the Atlantic Ocean, came to do the workshops “When I first heard about their adventure heard, I thought: that’s nothing for me?’
Until the two met again and Bela told about her new plan. “I first trained in such a boat before I got used to the idea. You start watching movies about such a trip, and get more excited. You grow into it,” says Van Rooijen. “With the experience of Bela it doesn’t feel like you’re starting at zero. She knows what to do and what not to do.”
The Voorstenaar is not afraid. He’s climbed mountains without extra oxygen. Then you play with the balance of life. You have the idea that you have it under control. It is no different at sea.”
A hellish journey of 4500 kilometers, where you don’t get much more space than a meter or two. Preparation is essential. Not only physically, also mentally. You give each other your manual about the type of person you are. Everyone must be able to handle his/her frustrations and be able to express themselves. Thoughts must stay on the boat. If those fall outside the boat come, it becomes difficult to focus again on the end goal” says Evers.
Before the trip begins, two other rowers are needed. Every two hours, two will be rowing in alternated patterns, while the other two rest, eat or perform maintenance. And sleep. “You sleep maybe three times an hour per night. That’s really tough the first week”, Evers remembers.
For one of the vacant spots, they have a man from Amsterdam. He rowed the Atlantic ocean before. It’s quite a journey: so a person needs to fit into the team. Soon we will practice for five days on the North Sea. Then you really see how the team reacts to each other”, says Evers. ,It would be great to have one more woman. That search is still going on.”
Awareness for the climate
The two want to use their journey to create awareness for climate change. “At Hawaii, our destination, you see the effects of climate change due to rising sea levels already We hope to inspire others change their lifestyle. We do this as a challenge, even on the ocean we need to be precious with our energy and nutrition. That’s what we should do more of in the Netherlands’, says Van Rooijen.
They are still talking to several companies as potential sponsors “We’ll combine this with a charity for sustainability together” says Evers. Even private donations are possible. For every donation a percentage will go towards planting a tree (for example the Voedselbos on Voorst).
October 2022
How it started
By: Bela Evers
Having rowed an ocean, knowing its untouched beauty, there was a silent energy drawing me to reunite with that feeling again. The adventure never really ended I realised. It’s funny how things develop organically, driven by that positive flow that draws a dream and team together.
It was June 2019 when I met Wilco van Rooijen for the first time. In that period, I was training to row across the Atlantic with 3 other ladies and we had a mental coaching session in Wilco’s basecamp located in Voorst, (close to where I live). He shared his expedition experiences and lessons of teamwork, which helped us paint the picture of the challenge ahead of us.
Since then I kept in contact with Wilco, especially since he was literally a far neighbour. After we had completed our rowing adventure somewhere in March 2021, I sat with Wilco sharing our stories over a cup of coffee, at the same asking ‘isn’t it something for you?’. Water adventure wasn’t top of his list but then later that year he was asked to sail across the Atlantic. On his return from his sailing trip in February 2022 he shared his stories and we realised we had the very same appreciation of the nature on sea, the elements, the milky-way, the animal life. Asking him again the question ‘isn’t rowing across an ocean something for you?’ This time the answer was ‘let’s first see how it is to ocean row’.
That year Wilco had an expedition to the Himalaya’s and on his return we tried to fix a date to row in an Ocean boat. There are only a few boats in the Netherlands. I called Ralph Tuijn, a professional ocean rower, who offered us to row with him and a mutual friend. It was a windy day and Wilco got the hardest way to learn, but managed pretty well. Despite the blisters and back side pain he was still enthusiastic. Ralph offered an ocean boat for loan during the winter period which we were extremely grateful for. If we didn’t have that we would not be were we are at now. We would just be talking about it without action. But this made it so much real and accelerated our dream even further. So Thank you Ralph. The following week we picked up RoseII and brought her to the Noorderhaven where our training journey and plans to row across the Pacific begins….