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01/10/2025

Flying Dutchman USA National Championship 2025 0 (0)

CANANDAIGUA YACHT CLUB JULY 25-27 2025

For the first time since 2019 the Flying Dutchman National Championship was held on Lake Canandaigua, New York. Canandaigua Yacht Club has been a tradition for the Flying Dutchman class for over fifty years. The FD class has participated every year in CYC’s annual Dinghy Regatta. CYC graciously allowed us to designate our participation as our National Championship. Canandaigua is pretty much central to the northeastern FD sailors. We had seven boats participating coming from Maine, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Long Island with some crew members coming in from Rhode Island, Texas and California.

The first day of the regatta provided good sailing with shifty and puffy conditions. Five races were held. Saturday’s racing started with light winds. One race was started and abandoned but later the wind filled in becoming puffy and shifty and causing a couple of capsizes. Two races were completed. The third day started with very little wind and after waiting awhile the racers voted to end our participation in the regatta. The results are posted here.

There are reasons to believe we could have a larger fleet next year since there is potential for at least two new teams to become active and two to three teams coming out of retirement. We are also working to expand the number of regattas held.

The FD class is most grateful and thankful to Canandaigua Yacht Club and especially to Jonathan and Anna Gorbold for their expertly run race committee and overall regatta management.

Plc	Sail Nr	Skipper	Crew	Rce 1	Rce 2	Rce 3	Rce 4	Rce 5	Rce 6	Rce 7	Rce 8	Rce 9	Pnts
1	145	Paul Scoffin	Pavel Ruzika	1	1	1	1	8(DNF)	1	1	1	1	8
2	115	Ben Hall	Bruce Mahoney	3	2		3	1	2	2	4	2	19
3	251	Paul Hemker	Jason Breeden	4	4	3	2	2	8(DNF)	3	2	3	23
4	8	Ovidiu Adam	Russell Mora	2	3	2	4	3	8(DNF)	4	3	6	27
5	301	Jeff Wrenn	Chris Wrenn	5	5	4	5	4	8(DNF)	7	5	4	39
6	1197	Chris Libreti	Emily Swanson	7	6	7	6	8(DNF)	3	6	6	5	46
7	15	Lee Costelloe	Dan Baker	6		6	7	5	4	5	7	7	47

16/09/2025

FD World Championship 2026 – Kiel, Germany 5 (7)

World Championship

Dear FD sailors,

we are excited to announce that preparations are well underway for the FD World Championship 2026 in Kiel, Germany!

The Notice of Race is currently being finalized, and the responsible organization from Kiel week will publish it as soon as it is ready. Until then, we are happy to already share the schedule of the championship week and encourage you to plan your trip early – especially securing your accommodation in Kiel.

Event Schedule

June 21–23 (Sun–Tue): Measurement of boats
June 23 (Tue): Opening Ceremony with food & drinks (included in entry fee)
June 24–28 (Wed–Sun): Races (10 scheduled races, 2 per day)
June 26 (Fri): Mid-Week Event with food & drinks (included in entry fee)
June 28 (Sun): Prizegiving Ceremony with snacks & drinks (included in entry fee)

The regatta will be hosted at the Olympiahafen Kiel Schilksee, with convenient space for boats and trailers, as well as camping and social facilities arranged for sailors and teams.

Stay tuned for the official Notice of Race and further updates – but in the meantime, make sure to save the date and start your planning for what promises to be a fantastic FD World Championship in one of the world’s most iconic sailing venues.

We can’t wait to see you all in Kiel in 2026 – let’s make it a championship to remember!

22/08/2025

Save the date: FD WORLDS 2026 5 (4)

World Championship

We are excited to announce that the Flying Dutchman World Championship 2026 will take place in Germany during Kiel Week – one of the world’s most renowned sailing events!

📅 Schedule at a glance

Sunday–Tuesday, June 21–23: Measurement and registration
Tuesday, June 23: Official Opening Ceremony
Wednesday–Sunday, June 24–28: Championship races

We look forward to welcoming sailors and friends from all over the world to celebrate an unforgettable World Championship 2026 in Germany.

Stay tuned for more details and updates – and make sure to save the date!

15/08/2025

Australian FD Fleet – 2025 Regatta Report 5 (2)

AUS, IFDCO News, National News

The Australian Flying Dutchman (FD) fleet participated in several regattas throughout the 2025 calendar year. The season spanned both the second half of the 2024/25 summer season and the beginning of the 2025/26 summer season, showcasing a mix of strong performances, challenging weather, and impressive sportsmanship.

2024/25 Australian National Championships

Port Melbourne Yacht Club, Victoria – 31 January to 2 February 2025

The year began with the 2024/25 National Championships, hosted by the Port Melbourne Yacht Club. The event drew a competitive fleet of 11 boats, all vying for top honours in classic Port Phillip Bay conditions. Day one saw a strong breeze of 18–25 knots and waves, making for exciting and challenging racing across the fleet. Days 2 and 3 also saw strong breeze and waves.

Photo: Race start on Day 1 – perfect sailing conditions and a well-contested fleet.

Results:

NSW State Championships

Twofold Bay Yacht Club, New South Wales – 14 to 16 February 2025

The next event on the calendar was the NSW State Championships. A smaller fleet gathered for the weekend, with racing beginning on Friday afternoon. Unfortunately, gale-force winds were forecast for the remainder of the weekend. As a result, the event was abandoned early on Saturday morning for safety reasons, with no further races completed. Only 2 races were completed on Friday and as such not enough heats were held to constitute a series.

Photo: First start day one in strong conditions

Safety Beach Regatta

Safety Beach Sailing Club, Victoria – 8 to 10 March 2025

In a stark contrast to the previous regatta, the Safety Beach event faced completely opposite conditions. Over the three-day weekend, the wind failed to appear, with the first heat abandoned due to calm weather and no further races possible. Despite best efforts, the regatta was officially cancelled due to a total lack of breeze. There were 8 FDs at the regatta which was combined with 420s and Tasars. Photo in the late afternoon on the day before racing (from one of the club balconies) shows a beautiful sunset with a very light breeze over Port Phillip Bay, a sign of things to come.

Photo: late afternoon day before racing (from one of the club balconies) shows a beautiful sunset with a very light breeze over Port Phillip Bay, a sign of things to come.

Easter Regatta

Lake Boga Yacht Club, Victoria – 18 to 21 April 2025

Held over the Easter long weekend, the Lake Boga regatta (inland North West Victoria) saw a small but enthusiastic fleet in attendance. Conditions were variable throughout the event, providing a mixed challenge for competitors but allowing some good sailing opportunities. Given low numbers across a range of classes, divisions were grouped by yardstick groupings.

Photo: Sunrise at the Lake on Day 1

The Australian FD association is working on the next generation and at Lake Boga, some 420 sailors sampled the 2025 National Champions FD.

Photo: Nick Meijer 420 sailor from Safety Beach Sailing Club, Port Phillip Bay Victoria with Charlie Edwards on wire, 420 sailor from Metung Yacht Club, East Gippsland Victoria.

Photo: Nick Meijer 420 sailor from Safety Beach Sailing Club, Port Phillip Bay Victoria, with Tom Watson on wire, another 420 sailor from Western Port Yacht Club Victoria.

Batemans Bay Marina Regatta (ANZAC Weekend)

Batemans Bay, New South Wales – 26 to 27 April 2025

The Batemans Bay Marina Regatta also experienced light fleet numbers and strong conditions with rolling waves. Nevertheless, the event maintained the spirit of friendly competition and provided valuable on-water experience for those who attended. Given low numbers across a range of classes, divisions were grouped by yardstick groupings.

Upcoming Events in Late 2025

The second half of the year promises a return to form, with several key events on the horizon:

Dr Ian McCrossin OAM Inland Championships
1–3 November 2025 | Albury Wodonga Sailing Club, Lake Hume (NSW/VIC Border)
A highlight of the inland sailing calendar, this regatta is expected to draw a strong turnout.

Photo: part of the rigging area Albury Wodonga Sailing Club at Lake Hume NSW/Victoria

2025/26 National Championships
Scheduled for early 2026 | Venue to be announced
Planning is underway for the next National Championships, with details to be confirmed shortly.

Summary

While 2025 presented a mix of highs and lows for the Australian FD fleet – from competitive racing in strong conditions to regattas impacted by extreme weather – the camaraderie and dedication within the class remained as strong as ever. The fleet looks forward to a busy and successful 2025/26 season ahead.

Stay tuned for updates on upcoming events and championship announcements.

20/07/2025

New Flying Dutchman Registrations – A Milestone for the Class! 5 (3)

IFDCO News, Technical

We are proud to announce a new milestone in the history of the Flying Dutchman class – the registration of a series of brand new FD boats!

In April, hull number 11700 was officially booked, marking another chapter in our rich class history – exactly 70 years after the Flying Dutchman was first designed and recognized internationally, and later went on to serve as an Olympic class until 1992.

Our congratulations go to Tomasz Jankowiak (POL 64) on his brand-new Mader-built FD, and also to Domokos Andras (HUN 11701) and Lee Costelloe (USA 11702), who have secured their new boats as well. It’s exciting to see fresh energy flowing into the class across multiple continents!

We extend our sincere thanks to the builders for their high-quality craftsmanship in creating these beautiful boats. A special thank-you also goes to Helmut Klug (Germany) and Paul Hemker (USA) for their meticulous work on measurements.

New boats in the class not only enhance the fleet but also contribute to growth by releasing quality second-hand boats to new sailors – a win for everyone and for the future of the IFDCO community.

As IFDCO Boat Registrator, I kindly remind all sailors: if you sell your boat, please notify me of the new owner via the form on the back of the measurement certificate – or simply drop me an email. I will gladly assist with transferring ownership and sending the appropriate forms.

📧 Robbertjantaal@gmail.com

The measurement forms and certificates for the new boats will be issued soon.

Let’s keep the FD spirit sailing strong!

— Robbert Jantaal
IFDCO Boat Registrator