Leeuwarden

Lemmer Ahoy

Lemmer, The Netherlands

Dutch skûtsje caught in a strong gust of wind. Every year in the Netherlands, classic sailing ships (skûtsjes) race each other across the Frisian Lakes. This is the skûtsje representing the city of Leeuwarden, caught in a strong gust of wind in a heavy rain shower. You can see that the second reef has been cut through earlier in the race. Since these ships don’t have a keel but use leeboards instead, they tip over quickly. But the experienced crew stays calm and totally in control. Standing next to skipper Willem Zwaga on the left is his advisor Pieter-Jan Postma, a Dutch sailor and Olympic coach. He represented the Netherlands three times at the Olympic Games and has claimed multiple National, European, and World Champion titles. His latest win was becoming Champion at the Finn Masters World Championship in 2025. As a member of the ‘Leeuwarden’ skûtsje team, he took second place in this year’s championship.

Canon R1, Canon RF 100-500 mm , 1.000, f8 , 1/800