Jet Pack,NED 1030
Kind of amazing how double-handers keep winning overall in a fair number of these types of races. It’s good for the sport, as it seems time to see more and more double-handers out there racing. Getting crew along with rising costs to go racing is a never ending battle for all boats, especially for bigger non-pro boats.
Perhaps If there is continued participation of larger boats wishing to sail shorthanded, could we see 4-handed boats on the course? It may sound ludicrous, but is it really? With enough entries, there is no real reason why not, and if the sport is meant to grow…
Diederik Forma’s Dutch JPK 1030 Jetpack, racing double-handed with Martijn Graafmans, secured overall victory in the 2026 North Sea Race after IRC time correction by a margin of 22 minutes 37 seconds. Rob Craigie’s British Sun Fast 3600 Bellino, raced two handed with RORC Commodore Deb Fish, finished second. Michel Dorsman’s Dutch MAT 1070 Checkmate took third, a further 16 minutes 48 seconds behind. Fourth by just two minutes and five seconds was Jan Scholtes J/99 Warp 5.
The overall win under IRC also marked a satisfying reversal of fortunes, as in the 2025 North Sea Race, Craigie’s Bellino claimed overall victory by just 53 seconds from Forma’s Jetpack.
The 2026 North Sea Race was shaped by steady conditions and long downwind legs. Jetpack’s winning performance hinged on smart configuration choices and consistent pace, particularly on the decisive run after Smith’s Knoll. For Jetpack’s owner Forma, the result carried added significance, not as revenge, but as the reward for competing against strong double-handed sailors from both sides of the North Sea.
Photo © Paul Wyeth/RORC. Results here.
