Flying Dutchman
Posted: Sun Nov 15, 2009 6:14 pm
The Flying Dutchman (FD) is a 20-foot long high-performance racing dinghy. Developed in the early 50's of the 20th century. She made her Olympic debute at the 1960 Olympics. The FD is still one of the fastest trapeze dinghies in the world [1]. It has hiking straps for the skipper, and a trapeze for the crew. With plenty of sail area, it is probably still the fastest dinghy upwind. The FD carries three sails: a mainsail, a 200% genoa, and a generous spinnaker. Its light weight and large sail area allows it to plane easily upwind. The FD has been the basis for many important innovations in sailing over the past half century.
* The first to use the trapeze, a feature commonly found on high performance dinghies and catamarans
* roller furling genoa
* windward sheeting traveler
* spinnaker chute
* spinnaker pole launchers
* composite construction.
These innovations have happened because the FD is an open one-design class, where limited development is allowed and encouraged. Parameters that influence the speed of the boat directly, including hull shape, weight, sail area are strictly controlled, but other areas are open for development. The Flying Dutchman served her Olympic tour of duty from 1960 till the 1992 Olympics (inclusive). Since 2008 the Flying Dutchman is one of the Vintage Olympic Classes at the Vintage Yachting Games.
Wikipedia
Russia 4824
* The first to use the trapeze, a feature commonly found on high performance dinghies and catamarans
* roller furling genoa
* windward sheeting traveler
* spinnaker chute
* spinnaker pole launchers
* composite construction.
These innovations have happened because the FD is an open one-design class, where limited development is allowed and encouraged. Parameters that influence the speed of the boat directly, including hull shape, weight, sail area are strictly controlled, but other areas are open for development. The Flying Dutchman served her Olympic tour of duty from 1960 till the 1992 Olympics (inclusive). Since 2008 the Flying Dutchman is one of the Vintage Olympic Classes at the Vintage Yachting Games.
Wikipedia
Russia 4824