© Team Holcim-PRB
News
Rosalin Kuiper on seeing the bigger picture as skipper of Team Holcim-PRB
Four years ago Dutch yachtswoman Rosalin Kuiper raced the inaugural edition of The Ocean Race Europe aboard the Netherlands VO65 entry AkzoNobel Ocean Racing, finishing third in the seven-boat fleet. Kuiper (30) has had a lot going on in the four years since then – including, in 2022–23, taking part in her first around-the-world edition of The Ocean Race aboard the German-flagged Team Malizia, as well as giving birth to a baby daughter in December 2024.
Now she is preparing for her first IMOCA campaign as skipper, as she leads the Swiss Holcim - PRB team in The Ocean Race 2025, taking place from August 10 to September 21.
Kuiper says she is excited rather than daunted at the prospect of taking on her second edition of The Ocean Race Europe as a skipper but acknowledges that stepping into the leadership role brings extra challenges.
“I’m honoured to be in this role”, she said. “It is different being the skipper. Now you are not just a sailor trying to make the boat sail fast. There’s a bigger picture – like return on investment for the sponsor, for example – that you always have to think about and take into account.”
© Anne Beaugé / Team Holcim-PRB
“As a skipper I think you have a good overview of everything. You can’t go into detail on everything but you have to keep focused on the bigger picture.”
Rosalin Kuiper
“What I try to do is connect the dots between the technical team, the sailing team, the communications team, plus you have the sponsors, the logistics side of the project. I see my job as making sure that everyone in the team is communicating well together.
There are times when I wish I could spend more time on certain topics the way I did before and get really into the details. As a skipper I think you have a good overview of everything. You can’t go into detail on everything but you have to keep focused on the bigger picture.”
Team Holcim-PRB
© polaRYSE / Team Holcim-PRB
“There are times when I wish I could spend more time on certain topics the way I did before and get really into the details. As a skipper I think you have a good overview of everything. You can’t go into detail on everything but you have to keep focused on the bigger picture.”
Kuiper was closely involved in picking the star-studded crew that will race alongside her in the upcoming race around Europe. It’s a line-up that includes French offshore sailing legend Franck Cammas – winner of 2011-12 edition of The Ocean Race around the world aboard Groupama 4 – and fellow Frenchman Nicolas Lunven, who raced the Holcim – PRB IMOCA around the world singlehanded in the 2024-25 edition of the Vendée Globe, finishing in sixth place.
Also on board are up and coming offshore sailor Alan Roberts (GBR/BRA) – who finished fourth in the The Ocean Race 2022–23 with French team Biotherm – and the renowned Dutch sailor Carolijn Brouwer – a veteran of three around-the-world editions of The Ocean Race (including two with all-female crews: 2001–02 with an Amer Sports Too and 2014–15 with Team SCA, as well as becoming one of the first women to win the race with Dongfeng Race Team in 2017-18).
Kuiper says she is ‘super proud’ of the team she and sponsor Holcim – PRB has put together.
“I think it’s a very good mix of people with different experiences, nationalities, and gender. It has been really cool sailing with all of them and I know I have learned a lot from all of them. I feel like with this team we can win – and that’s what we are aiming to do.
I love Franck’s character and how focused and dedicated he is to the project. I call him ‘Mister Light and Fast’ because he is next level when it comes to performance – how to sail the boat and how to optimise it for the specific conditions. He is such a great asset to the team in all departments – ashore as well as on the boat.”
Likewise, Kuiper says Lunven’s intimate knowledge of the Holcim – PRB IMOCA, gained from spending 75 days racing around the world aboard the boat in the last Vendée Globe, has been incalculably valuable also.
“Nicolas is a key part of our campaign. The amount of knowledge [about the boat] he gained during the Vendée Globe is countless and we all learn from him every day. I really appreciate how easy and open he is about sharing what he knows. He really takes the time to explain what he is telling us and to make sure everyone understands.”
“It’s very cool to see how Carolijn watches the way the autopilot steers the boat and then gives her feedback on how she would do it.”
Rosalin Kuiper
Kuiper says that Roberts was chosen for the breadth of his knowledge: “I see him as the link between all the characters in the team. He has a very wide knowledge and he adds value across the campaign in all departments. Plus he is very easy going and a real pleasure to sail with.”
When it comes to fellow Dutch sailor Carolijn Brouwer, Kuiper says that her track record speaks for itself. “She has so much experience across so many different boats – including plenty of ocean racing knowledge. Having her in the team balances it out. The French offshore scene is quite centred on solo or short-handed races, and Carolijn – like me – brings experience from the bigger-crewed boats, and that’s useful.
© Anne Beaugé / Team Holcim-PRB
“In particular, she is a wonderful helmswoman. It’s very cool to see how she watches the way the autopilot steers the boat and then gives her feedback on how she would do it. We are looking between her and Franck to decide who will steer at the start of the Legs.”
Holcim – PRB’s IMOCA has undergone a significant refit after Lunven’s Vendée Globe to adapt the boat to be raced by four crew in the upcoming European race.
“When you switch from solo sailing to racing with a crew you have to change the interior quite a bit,” Kuiper explains. “We have taken out the big navigation station and pretty much stripped out all the comfort from the boat. Under the rules, we had to add another bunk.
But we have also changed the foils. For the Vendée Globe the boat had version one foils and now we have put on version two. We have made plenty of other changes to the performance side of things too – but I am not going to say what they are!”
Kuiper’s crew has been training from Port-la-Forêt in Brittany, France against several other top IMOCA teams and is participating in the Course des Caps-Boulogne sur Mer-Banque Populaire du Nord race around the British Isles. The Dutch skipper is not aboard for that race – choosing instead to focus on getting to peak physical performance for The Ocean Race Europe.
“We are quite a big organisation so it will be good to have a test like this to make sure everything happens on time.”
Rosalin Kuiper
“Nicolas [Lunven] is skipper for that race and Annemieke Bes from the Netherlands has joined the crew. The reason I am not doing it is so that I can get myself properly fit for The Ocean Race Europe. I gave birth to my daughter just half a year ago and the team and I decided that it was better for me to focus on my fitness and to spend some time with my daughter before the big race starts. I am happy that this has been possible.
But the Caps race will be good training for the entire team – not just the sailors. We are quite a big organisation so it will be good to have a test like this to make sure everything happens on time. This will be a good last practice before The Ocean Race Europe. After that, we will be 90 per cent ready – the final push will just be to make sure the boat is as reliable as possible when we get to Kiel for the start.”
© Kiel-Marketing GmbH
Acquire article rights