Dirk de Ridder - A Mean Machine in his own right
February 28, 2007 by Mean Machine Sailing Team | 0 comments
Just over 30 years old, Dirk de Ridder (along with Ray Davies) is Peter de Ridder’s right hand man in the Mean Machine team that’s taking on the most challenging round the world race.
Just over 30 years old, Dirk de Ridder (along with Ray Davies) is Peter de Ridder’s right hand man in the Mean Machine team that’s taking on the most challenging round the world race.
The team known as Mean Machine, is what Peter de Ridder likes to call a ‘sailing platform’ – a single sailing team with many different sailing projects, be it a successful TP52 or Mumm 30 campaign or the new round the world project for the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-2009. Mean Machine is the second team to register for the next edition of race, which will depart from the Spanish port of Alicante in 2008.
Despite his youth, the young man who shares the same surname as the team’s alma mater, has an impressive sporting history behind him, having competed in the Olympic Games, on an America’s Cup team or the round the world race par excellence, the Volvo Ocean Race, in which he has already savoured the sweet taste of victory.
Alongside Peter de Ridder and Ray Davies this shy young Dutchman (also known as “Cheese” to his friends) is partly responsible for Peter de Ridder’s most ambitious project to date…Mean Machine entering the Volvo Ocean Race.
How would you describe the Mean Machine Team?
Mean Machine is a team with a lot of experience under its belt. We’ve been competing for over 20 years under the direction of the team’s founder, Peter de Ridder.
Mean Machine’s also a sailing platform. This means that we’ve got various projects on the go at the same time. We’re involved in Mumm 30, where we came 4th in the World Championships in 2006; TP52, in which we won the 2006 Breitling Medcup, and now we’re taking on the Volvo Ocean Race.
How do you manage to maintain such high standards in so many different projects?
Peter directs the team, and we help him to put together the building blocks for each campaign, the best crew, the best boat, the best training conditions and technology etc. He’s a great sailor with over 20 years experience at the highest level in the sport.
Also a sailing team on this scale can’t be led by just one or two people, so it’s important to have strong departments that work together. Each individual in the team has a specific and valuable responsibility…you could say we are all parts of a ‘machine’! We have departments that focus on each key area, but that doesn’t mean each one is necessarily involved in each and every project. Sometimes, however, the programme you develop for one boat can serve as a foundation for another project.
Peter de Ridder, Skipper of the Mean Machine boats, isn’t actually going to be onboard. Why then have the team decided to launch a Volvo Ocean Race campaign?
Peter has been a great force for the Volvo Ocean Race campaign. The idea for the campaign took form last year Palma de Mallorca. Ray Davies, Peter and I were discussing what the next step for the team would be, and the idea began to take shape.
Peter was really excited about it and supported the idea. In a project like this, his experience as a businessman is essential.
Your sailing CV shows a picture of a multi-talented sailor who’s achieved some significant victories for someone so young. How have you managed to do so well from such a young age?
I began my sailing career at 20, and three years after that I went full-time professionally.
It’s given me the opportunity to get to the podium three times in the three editions of the round the world race that I’ve competed in, once with a win on Illbruck. I’ve also been able to prepare for the Olympic games, and been able to compete with teams as big as Mean Machine.
Last year was our first TP 52 season which was really fantastic. We won the most prestigious trophy in the Mediterranean for the class.
Which Mean Machine projects are you most involved with at the moment?
Definitely the Volvo Ocean Race campaign. Recently I’ve become more involved in the organisational side of things, as Operations Manager. Ultimately I am a sailor first – a watch captain, trimmer and helmsaman, and as the project progresses, I’m sure I’ll have to shift my focus back to those roles. However, this is a new challenge for me, and it’s very exciting to work with Peter and Ray Davies to shape the campaign. This is my 4th VOR campaign, but the first time I’ve been involved at this level as part of the management team. Peter, Ray and I have the same goals and strategy, and all of us have a really clear view about where the campaign is going. They’re great guys to work with.
With so much going on in the team, how do you manage to structure the team successfully?
Mean Machine is a global team. What I mean by this is that it’s a “sailing platform”; we –as a team- don’t just focus on one class. We sail in Mumm 30, TP52 (we won the 2006 Breitling Medcup) and now the Volvo Ocean Race. Each team represents an individual campaign, but they are all part of the Mean Machine ‘family’. We have a core crew that may be involved in various Mean Machine projects, but we also want to take advantage of our experience to encourage young sailors to come onboard, and ensure a dynamic future for the team.
What do you need to win the VOR?
Time, money and the right people.
That’s why we knew we had to start working on the campaign as early as possible. It’s the only way you can reach the start line knowing that you have a real chance of winning. It’s so important to have the time to develop ideas, equipment and techniques that will increase the chance of winning.
If you asked me how we get the right team, I’d say it’s all about experience.
For example, we signed Rolf Vrolijk as designer. We asked him what he would need, so he had the right budget to design a good boat and then do load testing, wind tunnel testing…etc. It’s the same for the sailing team and all other areas of the team. Experience and raw talent are key.
We realised that if we were serious about winning we had to start work straight away. Now we are continually working on improving our chances of winning, and it’s a very strong campaign.
What’s special about the Mean Machine Team?
We are a team in the strongest sense of the word. Teamwork one of the most important aspects of a successful team and it’s essential to win the race. You can have the very best team but if the teamwork isn’t good, there’s really nothing to be done.
Working together, in harmony is at the heart of Mean Machine. Really, Peter de Ridder’s worked hard to make teamwork a core value of the Mean Machine family.
