• Sports
  • 12/05/2025
  • Nederlands

Sports spotlight | Boreas’s favorite number is 4

TU/e boasts a total of 38 student sports associations. And every one of them offers its own unique experience: from slamming aces to skimming across the water. At student sports center SSC, you get a wide range of options to choose from: gaming, jumping, running, cycling, rowing, flying, shooting, hanging, playing chess, surfing, punching and pushing. Cursor wants to put every one of these associations in the spotlight. The first question is “What is your favorite number?”

by
photo Boreas

Above all, sailing is a way to relax

Taeke de Jong
board Boreas

Warming up

Student sailing association Boreas chooses 4 as its favorite number. “Because that’s the ideal wind force for sailing,” says Taeke de Jong, the club’s secretary. “Any stronger, and you have to be very careful not to make the wrong moves.” Boreas members are essentially fair-weather sailors – except during the Bikkelweekend.

This is an annual outing that takes place in March, before the start of the sailing season (and the nice weather). “So that means a whole weekend of toughing it out.”

Hoebie.

While sailing, you can send all your worries off with the wind, says De Jong. “The wind and your course are the only things on your mind. You leave your study problems ashore.”

Boreas has a variety of sailboats. Mostly valken (polyester keelboats), optimists (“wooden bathtubs”, De Jong calls them) and centerboard dinghies (Flying Juniors, for those in the know). The association’s fleet consists of nine boats. They are either moored in the Eindhoven Canal or stored on land in the boathouse on Kanaaldijk. Boreas has a few well-known neighbors there: De Asfalthappertjes (the student motorcycle association) and ZES (the student gliding association).

De Loods.

Scores

  • There are 42 members
  • 75 percent of the members are not from Eindhoven or the surrounding area
  • 1987 is the founding year
  • This 37th board consists of 3 people. Hopefully, they can go back to the usual 5 next year
  • Boreas organizes 6 or 7 sailing weekends, always in Friesland
  • The club has 5 committees
  • 1 skipper must always be present on a Boreas boat
  • Boreas’s cabin boat is 24 feet in length
  • 5commissies heeft de club
  • 1 schipper is verplicht aanwezig in Boreasboten
  • 24 voet lang is de kajuitboot van Boreas

Analyses

Harbor De Drijfveer.

A student sailing association does more than just sail, which is why there are five committees. The boats have to be maintained (by the Matcie), the members need to learn how to sail (the Opcie’s job) and there are social activities. These are organized by the Walcie. A recurring event is Sint Mossel, a drinks party held in early December where members roll dice to exchange gifts.

The Boreas members are drawn to Friesland. They can often be found on the Sneekermeer. That is why the valk boat Hoebie and the J24 cabin boat are docked in De Drijfveer harbor in Akkrum all summer, and any other boats needed are available for rent there.

Chores by the Matcie. All photos | Boreas.

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