20 Years of Adventure

It all began with ocean racing. In 2003, Jeroen competed in the legendary Cape to Rio Ocean Race and won, crossing the Atlantic in 20 days. But for him, winning wasn’t just about the finish line. He donated every cent of sponsor money to the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, believing that success should be shared.

The real journey started when Jeroen left his corporate job and fully committed to his passion: building and developing a high-performance racing yacht.
In 2006, he returned to the Cape to Rio Race. This time, on a yacht he had built himself. The team smashed the record for yachts under 40 feet, completing the transatlantic crossing in just 16 days and 1 hour. That record still stands today.

What followed was a relentless pursuit of innovation and excellence. It marked the beginning of building and developing high-performance racing yachts. What started as a small start-up in a tiny shed, where a wall had to be broken just to get the first 26’ prototype out, evolved into a full-scale production facility creating cutting-edge yachts.

The journey hasn’t always been easy. Sleepless nights, countless obstacles, and moments of doubt were part of the path. But when you believe in something deeply, when passion fuels every step, and when you build a team that shares the mission as their own, no wall can hold you back.

Now, through The LeadSpire Company, Jeroen shares these principles with others: helping teams, start-ups, and businesses navigate their own oceans of challenges and opportunities.

Because whether you’re crossing the Atlantic or leading an organisation, success always comes down to the same things:
Vision. Resilience. Teamwork. And the courage to push forward.