Meike Greten, Author at International Flying Dutchman Class Organisation

16/09/2025

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

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!

13/06/2025

Nomination of Krzysztof Ciemny (POL 33) as Vice President Communications 5 (14)

IFDCO News

Dear Sailors,

I would like to inform you that we are quite happy to announce that Krzysztof “Chris” Ciemny is willing to serve the class as Vice President Communications.

Although relatively new to the Flying Dutchman class, Chris has already shown remarkable enthusiasm and commitment. Sailing as crew on POL 33, he has actively participated in the full Cádiz League — from the European Championship through to the World Championship — and has quickly become a familiar and respected face in the fleet.

Professionally, Krzysztof operates on a global level and brings with him extensive international experience. His excellent command of English and strong communication skills, combined with his fresh energy and passion for the class, make him an ideal candidate for this role.

I am very pleased that Krzysztof is ready to take on this responsibility, and I strongly support his nomination. I am confident he will make a valuable contribution to the IFDCO and hope he will receive the support of the entire class.

Meike

In the name of the General Committee

Here are some words from Chris:

Hi everyone! I’m looking forward to stepping into the role of VP Communication for International Flying Dutchman Class. I’ve spent many years working at sea and offshore, which has given me a deep respect for teamwork, clear communication, and connecting with people from all over the world. I’m also passionate about sailing, enjoy getting to know new people, and appreciate thinking outside the box when it comes to solving problems. I’m excited to support our class and help keep communication smooth, open, and engaging for everyone.

06/05/2025

Report of the Round Table New Structure of the IFDCO 5 (6)

IFDCO News

During the last World Championship in Porto Sherry, we organized 2 round tables, as announced. I also discussed this topic with many people in the boat park and at other locations. The purpose of the round tables was to have a dialogue about a future-oriented structure of the IFDCO.

The IFDCO is a foundation under Dutch law, established in 1960. There have been changes to the foundation rules in 1988 and 1997. The bye laws have been amended many times, the last time being in 2013. In recent years, we have changed as a class and therefor the current structure no longer suits to who we are now. Questions that were raised at the round tables and the discussions were: What do we think the IFDCO should be? What do we find important? What is missing in the current IFDCO?

The answers were broadly as follows:

No one values the legal entity of the IFDCO. In other words: If the organization stands for what we consider important, then the form does not matter.
The IFDCO must stand for International Flying Dutchman sailing, competitions at various locations and control over the development of the boat / class rules.
Everyone endorses the necessity of organizational balance within the organization. Think here of the influence of countries, persons or regions within the IFDCO. What the right balance is and how to guarantee it was less prominent.
The participation of the (international) sailors was also an important point. Here too, the ideas about how to organize this were diverse. There were voices to give every sailor direct voting rights, but there was also a group in favor of a more tiered democratic model. Everyone thought it was important that the sailors have a say on important points. Here too, the ideas about how to find a balance between governability and participation differ.
The idea of appointing more commodores so that more countries/regions can have a say at the administrative level was warmly welcomed.
The idea of abandoning the country division and working with a regional division also received a lot of approval. How that division should be has not been discussed in depth.
The appointment of commodores must come from the country regions. Many do not see the point in the current restrictions on the term of office of a commodore. They think this is something for the countries/regions themselves.
In line with the above, almost everyone is in favor of a limitation in the term of office of the President, Treasurer and General Secretary and in many cases also the rest of the board.

What next:

As previously announced, we cordially invite national class organizations / groups of sailors to discuss this topic with us via a Teams meeting. Do you want to organize that? Let me know.
We will discuss within the board how we are going to shape the transition. We are supported in this by a legal advisor. We will also consider how feedback from the sailors will be organized.

If you have any questions or want to organize a Teams meeting, email generalsecretary@IFDCO.net

29/04/2025

Kilian König and Johannes Brack are Flying Dutchman World Champions 2025 5 (3)

World Championship

Puerto Sherry, Spain – April 2025
A major triumph for the German Flying Dutchman team: Kilian König and Johannes Brack from Hannoverscher Yacht-Club / Segel-Club Edersee have claimed their first Flying Dutchman World Championship title! Under challenging conditions, the experienced duo prevailed against a strong international fleet.

After several close attempts in recent years — including three bronze medals — König and Brack finally secured the world title in Puerto Sherry. Particularly remarkable: in addition to winning the World Championship, they were awarded the prestigious Silver Sombrero Trophy for achieving the lowest total points without a discard.

The championship week was marked by extreme weather. After two opening light-wind races — where König and Brack finished first and third — storms with gusts over 40 knots kept the fleet ashore for two days. When racing resumed, König and Brack dominated the strong breeze, even overcoming a broken trapeze wire mid-race by making repairs directly on the water.

With consistent top finishes, the pair secured the title before the final race, with their 10th place becoming their discard result.

The Hungarian duo Szabolcs Majthenyi and Andras Domokos, 14-time FD World Champions, took silver, while Italy’s Nicola and Francesco Vespasiani claimed bronze. Defending World Champions Kay-Uwe Lüdtke and Kai Schäfers from Germany finished fourth.

This World Championship also marked the conclusion of the FD Winter Series in Puerto Sherry, which had begun with the European Championship in autumn 2024 and continued with a series of regattas and training events over the winter months.

The next chance to see the new World Champions defend their title will be at the 2026 FD World Championship, set to take place during Kiel Week in Germany.

Congratulations, Kilian and Johannes!

> Pictures of Worlds 2025

All posts by Meike-Greten