Fika (DH)

Mother-daughter duo Annette Hesselmans and Sophie Snijders will do the Rolex Sydney Hobart in preparation for the 2025 Melbourne to Osaka Double Handed Yacht Race. Hesselmans brings experience from the 2019 Hobart race and the 2018 Melbourne to Osaka double-handed yacht race with her husband, which led her to transition from a nursing career to running Paper Sailors Rock, a sail training school.

Snijders did the return delivery with her partner and her mother from Osaka to Melbourne after the Melbourne Osaka race. She also crewed in the Melbourne to Hobart races in 2018 and 2022, which ignited her interest in offshore racing. Snijders also cruises Australia with her partner on their yacht.

Over the past year, Fika has undergone significant upgrades, including mast maintenance, new standing rigging, and a new Code 0 sail. She is a Najad 1490 built in Sweden in 2001 and embodies the Swedish concept of ‘fika’, meaning inviting moments to slow down and appreciate life’s joys. Primarily a cruising yacht, Fika has sailed from Sweden to Asia, New Zealand and Australia, serving as the backbone of Paper Sailors Rock for sail training, adventures and charters.

News:

Double Handed sailors in it to win it

VIDEO | 2024 Rolex Sydney Hobart - Fika

Fika wins PHS Double Handed - the last boats trickle into Hobart

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