Beste allemaal,

We zijn verheugd aan te kondigen dat de Sessan Cup 2025 in Nederland zal plaatsvinden! Voor meer details verwijzen we naar de bijgevoegde aankondiging van het evenement.

We hopen zoveel mogelijk Nordic Folkboots te verwelkomen om van dit evenement een groot evenement met veel deelnemers te maken.

We kijken ernaar uit jullie allemaal in september volgend jaar in Muiden te zien!

Met vriendelijke groet,

Het bestuur van de NFC

— English version —

The Dutch Folkboat Club (in Dutch: Nederlandse Folkboot Club) is excited to announce that the Sessan Cup 2025 will take place in the Netherlands from September 18th to 20th 2025.

For more details, see attached announcement.

Kind regards,

Board Dutch Folkboat Club

Welcome to the 60^th Nordic Folkboat Gold Cup 2024 in Halmstad, Sweden

We are honored to extend an invitation to participate in the Nordic Folkboat Gold Cup 2024, hosted by Halmstad Sailing Club in association with the Swedish Folkboat Federation. This marks the second occasion that Halmstad Sailing Club has had the privilege of hosting this prestigious event, the first being in 2001. The regatta is scheduled to take place from July 6th to 12th in the charming coastal city of Halmstad, Sweden.

“It is with great pleasure and anticipation that we welcome sailors from around the world to Halmstad”, says Stefan Gottfridsson, Project Manager for the competition.

 “We are eager to see a strong field of competitors and are confident that the event will be a showcase of exceptional sailing. Let’s make the 2024 event one to remember for its fierce competition and the shared joy of sailing”, continues Stefan.

Nestled along the beautiful Swedish coast, Halmstad is not merely a competitive sailing venue but a premier summer destination. With its stunning waters and picturesque beaches, the city offers an exceptional backdrop for both competition and leisure activities.

From Stockholm, a 5-hour drive or a quick domestic flight will bring you to this stunning coastal city. For participants coming from the south, it is a 1,5-hour drive, making the city exceptionally accessible for participants coming from south of Halmstad.

For those traveling from Denmark, a direct ferry from Grenå to Halmstad is available, offering additional convenience.

An array of cultural and social activities will complement the competitive aspects, making your stay in Halmstad truly unforgettable.

We strongly encourage you to save the date and make your accommodation arrangements well in advance. Your participation would undoubtedly enrich the legacy of the Nordic Folkboat Gold Cup, and we look forward to welcoming you to the idyllic setting of Halmstad in July 2024.

More information can be found on the event web www.goldcup2024.com.

I hope you all have had a good break from Folkboat activities and are looking forward to a new season, sailing in the old, wrinkled lady whether it be racing or cruising with friends and families.

We as the board has worked with many things during the winter and I just want to highlight a few.

We got a new and more modern NFIA website, Instagram and email system. Simon Osgood & Co. has done a great job. New look, new features for example marketplace where you can buy and sell boats and equipment, news, calendars, results and event. The aim is to update it regularly so please pitch in with news from your club or fleet.

Check it out and the latest minutes from the board meetings on www. Folkboat.com. If needed, please refresh the link on your national websites.

Thanks to Ilppo Kivivuori from Finland and Yuri Nieuwenhuizen from The Netherlands, NFIA’s Facebook site is up and running. Pitch in with news here too.

Class rules has also been on the agenda. Many old boats are being renovated these years and it is important that they still comply with the class rules AFTER the renovation in order to protect the one design idea. It is proposed that an addendum to the measurement certificate is added stating what material is used for the mast and boom as the boats gains quite a few kilos by changing from a wooden mast to an aluminum. If not weighed with the new spars it may be under weight.

NFIA’s technical committee headed by Lennart Magnusson is looking into this issue and will get back with focus points for both the “renovators” and for the measurers.

Once again, the use of spinnakers during international events i.e., Gold Cup and Sessan Cup has been suggested. Spinnakers are until now only used in Finland, Estonia and UK.

Please discuss this proposal among your national members before the annual general meeting during the Gold Cup in Tallinn.

As the board wishes to bring this proposal to a vote it is important that you show up with a mandate and in case you are not coming, that you send a proxy to the board.

Position of crew during racing has been discussed. The board finds placing a crew member in front under deck unfortunate. It is difficult enough to find crew members so we propose a new rule 13.21 where everyone on board must stay in the cockpit with both feet while racing upwind. You can find the new rule in the minutes from latest board meeting on the website.

As mentioned, this year’s Gold Cup will take place in Tallinn for the first time. Our Estonian friends at Kalev Yacht Club have prepared a great event for us. You can see for yourselves at  GoldCup | Nordic Folkboat 2023 (folkboot.ee) where you find information about the venue and ferries with negotiated discounts etc.

More information on Manage2sail in the coming weeks, but please put it on your websites. We hope to see many boats on the starting line and support the growing interest in Folkboat sailing in Estonia.

The Gold Cup 2024 will take place in Halmstad, Sweden and in 2025 in Kerteminde, Denmark. Dates will follow in due course.

The current NFIA statutes does not leave any vacant positions on the board, but we feel that being the largest fleet among our members, Germany needs to be close to the board. We are therefore happy to announce, that Chairman of the German Folkboat Association, Jürgen Breitenbach, will join the board as an observer.

Last winter, we arranged a MS Teams meeting where many of you chairpersons and other senior national members shared experiences and plans for the coming season. We fully realize that the success of our class starts with the local clubs and national activities driven by enthusiasm and comradeship. NFIA’s objective is to further the interest of folkboating, so let us inspire each other again.

We would therefore like to repeat virtual meeting and invite to a knowledge sharing meeting March 8 at 19.00 CET. Same format as last year. Please share your plans, ideas, what did not work in the past season, what challenges you may have etc. for the benefit of the rest of us. Not least us as board members.

We will send invitations but please mark the date in your calendars.

Best regards

Per Buch

Chairman

Welcome to the 2023 Swedish championship in Västervik, the gem of the Swedish east coast. Anders Olsen, Folkboat sailor and former resident of Västervik gives some information on the championship and about the town.

The championship is hosted by the two Västervik yacht clubs WSSW and WSS. The regatta harbour will be at island Slottholmen in central Västervik, on the jetty below Hotel Slottsholmen. Hotell Slottholmen is a newly built hotel, owned by Björn Ulveus of Abba, and will also be the location of the regatta dinner.

General programme

Launching will be possible at the WSSW harbour at Notholmen. There are cranes for both boats and masts. At the site, it will be possible to put tents and campers and use the facilities of the yacht club. The distance between the two harbours is less than a kilometre walking or biking along the shore.

The main race area is lake Lusärnafjärden 1,5 nM from Slottsholmen. Open water is 5 nM further out and therefore not within the plan.

We also hope many wooden boats will join us – a special prize for wooden boats is set up.

Staying in Västervik
To stay in tent or camper in the WSSW harbour Notholmen is a good alternative. No cost during the championship and other days the yacht club’s standard fees will apply.

There are a couple of hotel and hostels in town, but book early since Västervik is a popular summer town. Some alternatives:

The archipelago
Anders really recommends paying a visit to the beautiful archipelago outside Västervik. Take a couple of days off to go see this.

Other
Travelling sailors may stop at Vikingarnas SS premises in Stockholm on their way to the Gold Cup or in between the Gold Cup and the Swedish Championship after contact with Hans Torlén.

Dat de Nederlandse Folkboten vloot uit verschillende types bestaat is natuurlijk geen nieuws. Maar naast de one off ontwerpen van bv Kroes of De Hudson, hebben we sindskort een nieuw familielid binnen de vereniging: El Ultimo, een Brandt-Møller Family Folkboot.

De Brandt-Møller Family (BMF) boot heeft een folkboot romp met een licht afwijkende opbouw en tuigage, waarvan er een paar binnen Nederland bekend zijn (oa nog één in Kortgene). De huidige eigenaar van e El Ultimo heeft haar 8 jaar geleden gekocht en beleeft er veel plezier aan. De boot heeft een polyester romp, maar een opbouw van hout en een teakhouten dek. El Ultimo is voorzien van aluminium tuigage, een inbouw dieselmotor, zelflozende kuip, deck-stepped mast en een zeerailing. De BMF laat zich goed vergelijken met een Britse Folkboot.

In de Duitstalige “Yacht” nr 17, 88e jaargang, d.d. 14-08-1991, is een tamelijk uitgebreide test, met foto’s geïllustreerd, van het scheepje weergegeven. De kenmerken van de BMF zijn:

• LOA 7,60m
• LWL 6,00m
• Breedte 2,24m (incl stootrand)
• WLB 1,86m
• Diepgang 1,22m
• Ballast 0,93 ton
• Waterverplaatsing 2,2 ton
• 7/8 tuigage met gepijlde zalingen
• Hoofd-, topwant en stelbare achterstag
• Grootzeil 17,1 m2
• Fokkezeil 8,0 m2
• Mastlengte 9,7 m
• Doorvaarthoogte 10,8 m
• Motor Yanmar 1GM10, 6,6 kW bij 3600 rpm, vaste 2 bladsschroef

De foto’s van de Brouwse Classic Regatta 2022 staan nu online!

Met dank aan fotograaf Leo van der Wende zijn er tijdens de Brouwse Classic Regatta prachtige foto’s gemaakt van de deelnemende folkboten! De foto’s staan in een verkleinde versie op de website, maar mocht je interesse hebben in het originele formaat, dan kan de redactie je in contact brengen met Leo.

Dit jaar vindt het NK ORC4 plaats in Muiden van 9 t/m 11 september. De eerst Nordic Folkboten zijn al ingeschreven en ziet er naar uit dat er meerdere folkboten tegen elkaar zullen strijden!
Om zoveel mogelijk folkboten richting het Markermeer te trekken, heeft het bestuur besloten om de seizoensafsluitingstocht dit jaar op het Markermeer te organiseren op 17 september. Dit is het weekend aansluitend aan het ORC4, dus goede reden om voor 2 weekenden met de boot richting het Markermeer te komen.
Inschrijven voor het ORC4 kan via inschrijven ORC4 2022
Mocht je nog geen ORC certificaat hebben, het bestuur kan je hier bij helpen! Stuur een email aan het bestuur via deze link

Ter ere van het 80 jarige bestaan van de Nordic Folkboat, heeft de NFIA een verslag gemaakt met de hoogtepunten in deze 80 jaar. Zie hieronder te tekst, in het Engels:

THE NORDIC FOLKBOAT STORY CELEBRATING 80 YEARS.

On April 23^rd 2022, one of the most iconic small yacht designs of the 21^st century celebrates its 80^th birthday. We want to share this much loved design through its inception to present day. Here we provide the key milestones and development of a class sailed by thousands over the years and by many generations of sailor.

The story begins with a Nordic design competition being announced in 1939. The invitation stated that the boat would be easy and cheap to build and suitable for factory production. In addition, it had to be seaworthy and provide sleeping space for 3-4 people. The building materials Nordic wood and iron keel, had to be used to make production cheaper.

The response from the designers was overwhelming and no less than 59 competition entries were submitted. They came from all the Nordic countries. A first reduction of entries was done in each country, after which the countries’ representatives came together for a final assessment. Below we show the timelines during and since the competition.

Nov. 1939: The Royal Gothenburg Sailing Club desires the creation of a new one design class that offers more room and beam than a Dragon, and cruising accommodations of sorts to small family.

Dec. 1940: The Swedish Sailing Association, urged by shipyard owner and 6-Meter sailor Sven Sahlen, joins the club’s initiative and announces a design competition

May 1941: The Scandinavian Sailing Association fields 58 design suggestions that were returned but none satisfies the fancy of the jurors. But the top four entries and two others showing interesting details were awarded prize money on a sliding scale from 900 to 300 Danish crowns. After some deliberation, the association contracts Tord Sunden, a Swedish yacht designer, to collate the top four entries into one, following the committee’s strict guidelines.

Summer 1941: The final plans are published by the SSA

April, 23 1942: The Launch of the first prototype as soon as the Nordic winter recedes and the Gothenburg harbour is free of ice. To jumpstart the class, Sahlen orders 60 boats being built in Swedish yards.

Although many traditionalists turned up their noses at the new and somewhat unusual design sporting a traditional lapstrake hull, a simple Bermuda rig and a raked transom, enthusiasm about the boat’s seaworthiness and well-mannered behaviour in strong winds and high seas began to spread through the sailing community. However, the war hindered the rapid proliferation in the early years. Sales began in all earnest in the late forties. The boat was very much seen as a cruising boat as much a racing boat, and this is very much the case in current times, with extremely active cruising sailors. The Folkboat started an era of small cruising boats.

1957: A key milestone was the first boat launch in Germany. Germany is now the largest Folkboat sailing nation with 13 fleets and over 455 active boats sailing within these fleets. This being said it took until 1967 for the German sailors to start an Association, and this was the real beginning of their ability to host major Folkboat regattas, of which this current year the Gold Cup is hosted in Kiel.

1958: The UK entered the Folkboat arena. This said the UK had requested changes to the original Nordic design. These changes were innkeeping with trend of the time, and the British Folkboat derivative was born, in many shapes and forms. It was much later in 1983 did the GRP Nordic version really take off as a distributor had been appointed which allowed freer flow of the true Nordic boat into the country.

1960-1970: Due to its versatility as a capable racer and weekend cruiser, the Folkboat prospered in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Germany, UK, Ireland, in the Baltic countries, in Australia and on San Francisco Bay. Conspicuously absent in this list is Norway, which fell in love with the Knarr, a pretty carvel-planked long keeled that came about in 1943 and shunned the supposedly more plebian Folkboat. But unlike the Knarr, the Nordic Folkboat inspired countless designs for small and seaworthy cruisers, which were sailed across oceans and around the world. These derivatives, mostly built in fiberglass popped up in multiple countries. This being said, we all agree any copying is really flattery, and the Folkboat continued to grow albeit at a slower rate than anticipated.

1976: Erik Andreasen in Denmark follows suit and manages to get fiberglass boats approved by the SSA, who still governs the class. What sounds like an anachronism building a clinker boat in fiberglass, may have well saved the Folkboat’s life by helping to reverse the trend of dwindling participation in events. An important reason for new-found prosperity was that GRP did not sail faster than wood. It just required less elbow-grease for maintenance. And that popular trend continued until today. Erik was instrumental in getting the volume of boats into Europe. The long lasting appeal to the racing community is that due to the robust GRP construction applied in the early manufacturing of the boat, a 1976 boat is as competitive as a 2022 boat. This demonstrated by the age of the last Gold Cup winner being a 1979 boat.

1976 – 2000: These years saw new fleets emerge and establish themselves, particular countries of note would be Finland, Estonia and The Netherlands. The former hosted the Gold Cup in 2015 which was a massive success. With emerging Folkboat Nations always supported, we will see the 2023 Gold Cup hosted by Estonia for the first time, but at the fantastic 1980 Olympic venue in Tallin. We expect events to be hosted in The Netherlands soon. This year also will see the other major recognised International event ‘The Sessan Cup’ hosted in the UK. This demonstration of commitment to support emerging Folkboat sailing countries is second to none. From 1976 – 2000, really saw class development and expansion to provide longevity to the class.

July 2000: Another anachronism is set to occur: the approval of aluminium as building material for class legal spars. Soren Backman, a test engineer with Saab Aerospace, spent years behind powerful computer workstations, designing an aluminium mast that emulates the bending characteristics of the average wooden Folkboat mast. Tests showed that he did such a good job that there is literally no difference in the performance of wood and aluminium, repeating the GRP vs. wood experiment a quarter of a century ago. If the proposal is sanctioned by the Scandinavian Sailing Association, Folkboat sailors will be the first ones to buy wooden masts effectively made from aluminium.

2000 – 2022: The past 20 years has seen further boats built, fleets in Estonia, Finland and The Netherlands established. We have had new aluminium mast manufacturers enter, with a true tapered variation.

The 75^th Anniversary of the GC was hosted in Kerteminde, the sailing club with the greatest numbers of wins of any club whose sailors have participated in the event with 9 Cup wins. The 75^th attracted 80 entrants, with 6 countries represented (Sweden, Germany, UK, Finland, Denmark and Estonia).

The large country fleets of Germany, Sweden and Denmark still have between 30-50 boats competing at their National Championships and it is still very much an event on everyone’s calendar to participate and win.

The boat has not changed its athletics or beauty. In the past twenty hears we have seen many sailors come in to the boat, from Olympic Gold Medallists to family day cruisers. The wide appeal still is in existence. Due to the amount of boats build and still in circulation, we believe to top 5,000 it makes a very buoyant second hand market, with boats to suit all budgets. Most countries associations host active brokerage and new boats are still being produced by Haubold Yachting in Germany.

In summary the Folkboat has influenced generations and been passed down to many sailors, the qualities in 1942 are still the qualities today, whether you cruise the boat or race the boat, you cannot help but fall in love with this timeless classic. When speaking to professionals, ex Olympic sailors or club racers all say one thing, the challenge to sail a Folkboat fast is a thrill, as it is sailing at its purest with the simple two sail configuration, it takes you back to the basics of yacht racing. One thing I always believe is true the boat has always been the focus and as the title really translates, it is the ‘peoples boats’ – ‘Folkboat’.

Nordic Folkboat International Association
Simon Osgood – Secretary & Treasurer

19.05.22

Image: SWE 1 – First Nordic Folkboat 1942

Zie hieronder het bericht van de Deense Folkboot Club:

Een evenement voor iedereen die iets met een Folkboot heeft!

De gerimpelde dame wordt dit jaar 80 en dat moet gevierd worden! Een feest dat bestaat uit zowel een internationaal Deens kampioenschap als een tentoonstelling van de mooiste zeilboot van de Scandinavische regio – de Nordic Folkboat.

De Nordic Folkboat, ofwel de Folkboat, is een drijvend Scandinavisch ontwerp gebaseerd op trotse tradities van de botenbouw – en zelfs opgenomen op de UNESCO-lijst van immaterieel cultureel erfgoed. Ookvandaag de dag trekt de overnaads gebouwde boot uit 1942 de beste racezeilers van Denemarken, de scherpste schoonheidsspecialisten, de dapperste zeilers, de coolste jonge mensen en de sterkste senioren aan. We zijn van plan ze te verzamelen voor een knallend feest dat plaats zal bieden aan alles wat de Folkboat te bieden heeft – gemeenschap, passie, plezier in het leven.

De Grenaa Sailing Club in samenwerking met FABLE – the Association of Active Preservation-Worthy Pleasure Vessels in Ebeltoft en de Deense Folkboat Association nodigen u uit voor de 80e verjaardag en het Deense kampioenschap voor Nordic Folkboats. Het vindt allemaal plaats van 30 juni t/m 2 juli 2022. U bent van harte welkom, of u nu komt zeilen of langs komt rijden voor een enkel biertje op de pier of alle festiviteiten wilt meemaken!

Meer informatie zal continue gedeeld worden via de website (folkebaad.dk) en via het evenement op Facebook. Voor de deelnemers aan het Deens kampioenschap zal alle relevante informatie beschikbaar zijn op Manage2Sail (hyperlink volgt).