My FD saved my life

Posted on November 15, 2021 by - Uncategorized

This is a true story of a friend who was on his way to a regatta in Austria.   He was driving along on the Autobahn in his compact commuter and a trailer with his FD.  As he was cruising along in the middle lane, suddenly his car stopped; it happened so quickly that he didn’t have time to maneuver his vehicle to the emergency lane.  The next car behind him could not stop in time and crashed into the FD.  Here is the outcome:

You could say my friend’s FD sacrificed her life to save the life of her skipper…

It appears there was some kind of defect in the car’s transmission.  The insurance will replace the broken FD with a good FD of similar age. My friend, who is turning 80 this year, is determined to continue sailing FD.

That’s determination!

Scientific explanation of the accident

You need to know that my friend Heinz is an engineer. He provided the following scientific facts of this accident:

“When my car stopped in the second lane of the Autobahn, the next driver behind me was able to evade, but the one behind him had too little reaction and hit the FD on my trailer.

It is true that the rear of the FD has absorbed a lot of mechanical energy in the form of deformation and breakage. But on the other hand, as the trailer’s drawbar buckled and jumped out of the ball head, the trailer moved relative to the car and penetrated dangerously into the trunk, so that the remaining part of the kinetic energy was converted into deformation.

Assuming an inelastic collision with 50% energy loss of the kinetic energy, the car/boat combination would have been pushed forwards with half the collision speed if the mass was the same as the colliding vehicle. Assuming a typical driving speed of 100 km/h, the FD would have moved forward at 33 km/h. You can see from the photos of the police report that my car and trailer has covered a distance of at least 15m after the impact.”

Two lanes of the Autobahn were blocked for two hours. Heinz received a satisfactory settlement from the insurance company and he is going to get a newer FD so he can race again next season. Oh, did I mention, Heinz turned 80 this year?

The Three Amigos

Posted on November 9, 2021 by - Octoberfest

This September Paul Hemker has organized the Oktoberfest Regatta on Brookville Lake, Indiana. This is a beautiful lake, about 10mi long and 1mi wide, with good wind and warm water, and located here: https://goo.gl/maps/o2eqwgyHQe45KU7B8.

We had 3 Flying Dutchman boats reaching the location and competing seriously while having fun and enjoying the venue. This was a true Three Amigos event, where we got to meet new people, make new friends, and comment on the various rigging innovations that the open design of the Flying Dutchman class allows. While the event was located in Indiana, we had teams coming from Ohio (Paul Hemker), Michigan (Peggy Menzies, Razvan Adam, and Ovidiu Adam), and Missouri (John Bick and Rick Mitchell).

The Race Committee has succeeded to run all the 7 races scheduled in two days. The first day the wind blew 10kn with gusts of 20kn, while on the second day it dropped to about 8-19kn.
We did enjoy very welcome and highly appreciated meals at the end of each of the days on the picnic area on the beautiful lawn near the ramps. The venue is easy going, and allows boat launch from both the dolly and the trailer. And best of all, cars may be parked near the boats.

Overall the three participating teams have won the three places on the podium in a win-win outcome where friendship, fun and the beauty of sailing the Flying Dutchman were the most valuable prizes. I am looking forward to return for the next event hosted here.

Pictures and videos are available here, courtesy of Daniel CaJacob, our PRO:

Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/PjR5VJr1CY5KmzzW9

USA Class Lindsay Flying Dutchman

Posted on March 1, 2021 by - IFDCAUS

Jim Rhodes generously donated a 1987 Lindsay to the USA FD fleet. He bought it from the Rosenberg brothers who had sailed it in the 1988 Olympic Trials, where they got 3rd. The USA FD Fleet is very fortunate that Jim donated his FD to the class. It is a rock solid boat that will make the perfect class boat.
 
View Looking Aft
Duane Ehleringer donated centerboard hardware. I donated a Superspar M5 mast and boom, a top cover, new hardware and lines, and cash.
 
I want class boats on the east and west coasts. Jim’s boat will be used on the west coast.   We can loan the Flying Dutchmans to young teams, teams traveling between coasts, and international travelers.
 
The boat is currently stored in my driveway here in San Diego. I want to get the boat ready for the Nationals, which will take place here in San Diego sometime in August or later if all goes to plan. There are number of things that need to be done to get the boat ready.   You can follow the refurbishing of the FD on our Facebook group: FD Facebook Group.  
 
The USA Flying Dutchman is a 401C charitable organization.   If you would like to contribute to our organization, please contact us at Class President.    It is a great boat. I am confident that the boat will come in underweight when everything is finished.
 
View Looking Forward

Comparisons Between Early 80s Leonhard Mader and Hans Mader Layouts

Posted on September 12, 2020 by - Hulls, Rigging

Recent heat and hazardous smoky conditions outside prompted me to go through some old photos.  Here are a couple images that may interest you, too.
 
My brother and I set up a booth for the Austrian FD Class at a big boat show in Vienna, and this is where those photos were taken. The photo of the full double bottom boat is a Leonhard Mader; one of the first models with full double bottom. The cockpit was open all the way to the transom where a narrow beam held up the rudder. What struck me is the simplicity of the controls back then. We already had lowers, but the extreme raking had not been fully developed; we were still sailing with the small spinnaker. Also note how the helmsman’s hiking straps are crossing, probably because the helmsman has long legs.

The second photo shows a Hans Mader all wooden boat from the same period but less advanced, with a half double bottom. This one has a curved traveller track. The controls are set up in a similar way and very simple. I suppose this boat had the spinnaker sack on the port side, which is unusual.

 
 
 

Sailing at Baseline Lake in Michigan

Posted on September 5, 2020 by - Michigan

Ovidiu Adam reports that he is happy to be able to sail the Flying Dutchman on Baseline Lake with my colleagues and friends from the Michigan Sailing Club. The venue offers wonderful conditions for both casual sailing and racing, allowing a couple of FDs to sail, race, and shine in the middle of a mixed fleet. We are now expecting a 3rd boat to join the party.

 

FD Sailing in the Pacific Northwest

Posted on August 31, 2020 by - Seattle

Ken Frankel has been sailing on Lake Washington with crews Kim McDonald and Ondrej Lehecka.   Ken has also been doing some very trick work on his mast.   Check out the block that Ken made to repair his carbon mast.

The backing plate was CNC’d machined. It properly reacts to the forces from the genoa halyard that are trying to pull the sheave forward out of the mast, as well as downward along the mast.  Rivets seem to be the standard approach, and this results in very concentrated loads that a carbon mast doesn’t deal with very well. In the pictured setup, the machine screws serve only to keep the sheave from falling into the mast; the screws themselves have no significant load. The metal plate distributes the forces over comparatively large areas, reducing the pressures dramatically. This is much friendlier to a carbon structure.

Ken has a whole CNC machine shop equipped to make aerospace parts. Ken would welcome other FD sailors who have projects for their boat to come to his shop to use the facility to fabricate their own specialty items.

FD Sailing on Lake Simcoe in Ontario, Canada

Posted on August 31, 2020 by - Canada

Here is a short note to start off your week.  Henry Weinhardt and family have been sailing USA 838 on Lake Simcoe for 15 years.   The boat and the sailing venue look fantastic!   Henry reports that the boat is in great condition and that he loves the boat.  Henry, thank you for the short note.

AUSTRIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS Achensee, 14-16 August 2020

Posted on August 22, 2020 by - Nationals

During my 5-week visit of Austria and despite restrictions from the Corona virus, the opportunity arose for your US Class Secretary/Treasurer to compete in the Austrian Championships together with a new young sailor who recently bought a used 1985 Mader FD. There was a steep learning curve for Gregor to learn everything from how to set sails to trapezing. We also had a number of equipment failures, but we were able to finish all seven races except for one. Here is a quick summary of the Championships.

Because of Corona and a bad weather forecast, probably none of the 23 teams from six nations (from Germany, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Croatia, Great Britain, and Austria) expected such good races on the water and such a relaxed get-together on land.

The Austrian Championships started on Thursday evening, with a lot of rain and traditionally fine burgers and beer, all in strict compliance with Corona rules. At the time, nobody counted on sailing on Friday.

After the usual North wind suddenly appeared on Friday afternoon, three sporting races could be completed in 10 to 15 knots of wind.

GER-87 with Hans-Peter Schwarz and Roland Kirst sat confidently at the top of the ranking. AUT-39 with Martin Pfund and Christoph Zingerle positioned themselves with good results for the title of national champion.

On Saturday, the very accomplished race committee sent the FD fleet, including the six UFO-class boats, which also competed for their champions, onto the water despite the thunderstorm clouds on the entire horizon. And immediately both classes had to endure a heavy downpour, which was followed by bright sun and calm winds.

Some boats took advantage of the long waiting time for a trip to Pertisau on the other side of the lake for refreshing ice cream. The North wind set in late in the afternoon, allowing just enough time for a fourth race to make the FD Championships complete. Last year’s winners GER-222 Felix Albert and Lukas Merz won this race, followed by GER-87. In the evening, the traditional party in front of the boathouse was not detracted by Corona: there was great music, fancy drinks, and people even waltzed on the grass.

On Sunday morning it cleared up and the expected southerly wind set in and lasted until late afternoon.

Three exciting and challenging light wind races were sailed, of which GER-222 won and thus secured the overall victory, followed by GER-87 in second place.

Third in the overall ranking went to the Swiss Stephan Fels and Ulf Hügel with SUI-1.

Austrian champions were AUT-15 Gerhard and Rainer Ulrich, who on Sunday caught up with last year’s champions Jacob Holzinger and Paul Srienz with the same number of points but secured the championship title due to their better placement in the last run. Third in the championship standings were AUT-39 Pfund and Zingerle, who on Sunday could not match the successes they had on the first day.

It was a wonderful championship – thanks to the confident race management on the water and the experienced team on land around Paul Hullehaar, Martin Pfund and Christoph as well as Philipp Zingerle. Thank you so much! We are already looking forward to next year, then hopefully without Corona. You can find the overall result here.

Marc Strittmatter AUT-8, translated into English by Gerhard Panuschka, who also competed with a new Austrian FD sailor

National Championships and North American Championships Postponed

Posted on June 22, 2020 by - Nationals, North Americans

Dear FD Sailors,

Gerhard and I have postponed the National and North American Championships until next year due to risks associated with COVID-19. The Nationals were scheduled for August 7-9 at the San Diego Yacht Club (SDYC) in conjunction with the Olympic Classes Regatta. The North Americans were scheduled for October 9-11 at the American Yacht Club (AYC) in conjunction with the High Performance Regatta. The good news is that both SDYC and AYC have agreed to host our Nationals and North Americans next year in similar time frames.  The National Championships will return to the East Coast in 2022. Our decision follows a similar decision by our International Class to postpone the Flying Dutchman Worlds. The Worlds had originally been scheduled for this September in Altea, Spain, but will now take place in 2021.

The Flying Dutchman is a beautiful boat. Although our championships are postponed until next year, I hope that you are able to get out sailing on your own to enjoy the very best that sailing has to offer. You can enjoy the Flying Dutchman vicariously by reading online old Flying Dutchman Trapezes (Trapeze) and Flying Dutchman Bulletins (Bulletin). You can also check out or contribute to Flying Dutchman news articles (FD News). Now is a great time to work on your boat.  You can buy and sell FD equipment here: FD Classifieds.  Peter Carr’s USA Flying Dutchman Facebook page is also available for your pleasure here: FD Facebook Group. If you would like to join the FD Google Group, please contact me. There is no better boat than the FD. We look forward to seeing you out on the water soon!

Best regards, Doug.

Douglas Dommermuth
US Flying Dutchman Class President
FD President

Gerhard Panuschka
US FD Class Secretary/Treasurer
FD Secretary/Treasurer