Eight Bells: Guus Bierman

Guus Bierman, founder of Contender Sailcloth, passed away peacefully on March 2, 2026. He was 87 years of age.

Guus was a passionate sailor and yachtsman, for whom sailing always connected the dots in life. Equally important, he was an internationally minded pioneer, always alert to any opportunity and an excellent salesman and businessman. If you had the chance to meet him, you would immediately recognize that this man had “sailcloth in his stomach,” as Guus would say.

Guus was born on April 11, 1938, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands and was introduced to sailing as a young boy. He began sailing his canoe-class dinghy at the age of nine or ten on the Nieuwe Meer near Amsterdam. It did not take long before he started crewing in the Dutch one design class Vrijheid.

After completing his education, Guus began his career as a salesman for Marbon Chemicals selling ABS plastics to the automotive industry. At the same time, he was actively sailing the Flying Dutchman, attending international regattas and aiming for the 1964 Olympic Games. However, he was rejected as he was considered a professional sailor, having found an opportunity in selling sails.

Thanks to his business savvy, this energetic, smart, and competitive sailor was recommended to build the European division of Howe & Bainbridge. Earlier, Guus had placed an advertisement stating: “Dutch man looking for any opportunity,” which ultimately helped seal the deal.

In 1972, Guus attended the Olympic Games in Munich as a reserve for the Dutch team in the Flying Dutchman class, as his crew tragically passed away in a car accident shortly before the Olympics. He later advanced to the international Star Class, with the Bacardi Cup always holding a special place in his heart. In 2024, Guus was awarded The President’s Award by the International Star Class Association.

Exactly 40 years ago, in 1986, Guus made the decision to become independent and founded Contender Sailcloth in the Netherlands. With his exceptional ability to manage relationships, he persuaded suppliers and producers to begin manufacturing for Contender Sailcloth. From that moment on, the company began writing its own chapter in sailing history.

Over the past 40 years, Contender Sailcloth expanded internationally, becoming a world leader in the manufacturing and supply of sailcloth. Among the many milestones achieved, a few stand out:

• 1988: During the Olympic Games in Seoul, Contender Sailcloth Polykote styles won 17 out of 18 medals in the Finn, Flying Dutchman, Soling, 470, and Europe classes.

• 1995: A breakthrough in the spinnaker cloth market came when the New Zealand team used the lightest urethane-coated Superkote to win the America’s Cup, bringing the Cup to New Zealand. Over four successful America’s Cup campaigns, Contender dominated the event with its Superkote range. As a result of these successes, Contender became the world’s leading manufacturer of nylon and polyester spinnaker fabrics.

• 1997: Contender Sailcloth USA was established in Fall River, Massachusetts, making Contender Sailcloth a truly global operation.

Throughout his career, sailing remained Guus’ greatest passion, and he embraced every opportunity to compete in regattas. Among his fondest memories were competing on Lake Garda in the Asso 99 class with his international Contender Sailcloth team, winning the Centomiglia in 2019.

In late summer 2025, Guus was awarded honorary membership at Circolo Vela Torbole and donated his boat to the yacht club, providing aspiring sailors with the opportunity to develop their skills.

Although truly internationally minded, Guus also deeply loved his home yacht club, the Koninklijke Watersport Vereniging Loosdrecht (KWVL). He made multiple charitable donations to the club and supported local regattas. One of his favorite events at KWVL was the Easy Week, held annually in August, where he continued to compete through 2025.

Guus will be greatly missed by the entire Contender Sailcloth team, his wife Janny Bierman-Polman, his two children, Aksel, Marleen and her husband Alexander and his three grandchildren, Laurens, Floris and Hugo.