Sailforce work on team building on their 42-foot yacht

Team building on 42 feet

| Dehler News

Sailing is teamwork – so what could be more obvious than team building on a yacht? The Dutchman Marco van Dijke offers special team events in Zeeland on his Dehler 42 “SailForce”. In an interview, he told us more about his concept.

Sailing is teamwork – so what could be more obvious than team building on a yacht? The Dutchman Marco van Dijke offers special team events in Zeeland on his Dehler 42 “SailForce”. In an interview, he told us more about his concept.

How did the idea of “SailForce” come about?
“Originally I studied Change Management, but I have been a passionate sailor since my childhood. When we moved to a house on the Oosterschelde in the Netherlands, I decided in 2006 to offer events for 'teams in stormy times'. My consulting company was called 'ChangeForce', so the name 'SailForce' automatically came to my mind.”

What do you offer, and why did you choose a Dehler Yacht?
“From the beginning we have specialized in skippered team building events, incentives, regattas and cruises for groups. Together with owners of similar yachts, we even organized races for up to 100 sailors. Our concept was so well received that 10 years later we were looking for a yacht with a larger cockpit. The Dehler 42 fulfilled this wish and with her beautiful design and sailing performance she was ideal for our project. We decided for the performance edition (performance rudder, larger winches and a more powerful engine).”

How does team building work on board?
“On board, our customers take over all tasks together. I always tell them that I'm only on board to watch safety, make coffee and to give them a toilet briefing. As a team, they should manage the yacht independently so that it is a real experience. Help, support and communication – these aspects are trained. In the unfamiliar sailing situation, they get to know themselves and other personalities in a new way. Here we offer professional guidance to promote communication and cooperation. If this also works in everyday life, we have reached our goal”.

Which experience did you remember?
“We once sailed with a team of tennis players. Of course, none of them had ever been on a yacht, but they wanted to sail a match race against each other. They all wore the same outfit, the atmosphere on board was great, but the sailing skills were, as expected, poor. During the award ceremony they all climbed onto the stage confident of victory, but there was no prize for them. Nevertheless, they stole the show from everyone!”

In which sailing area are you training?
“We always start with some training and sail short matches on the Oosterschelde. This is the largest national park in the Netherlands and is located in the region of Zeeland (South West). This area is perfect for our events, as the conditions are not too rough, but still very demanding for people with little experience. We often sail from Wemeldinge, which is situated on the eastern Oosterschelde. Our marina is only 40 minutes from Antwerp, so many Belgians find their way to us.”

We thank Marco van Dijke for this exciting insight. You can find out more about "SailForce", the team and the offer at www.sailforce.nl