International News 2011

Salon Nautique International de Paris 12' Dinghy exhibited on the Transat Classique 2012 stand at the Paris Boat Show 7-16 December 2011 Photo: Marie-Claire Guégan

Another Turkish Dinghy Constructor The first Dinghy hull to be constructed by Roland Bouwkamp, Turkish boat-builder Cengis and apprentice Matthijs, has been taken off its mould and fitting-out has begun in preparation for the arrival of an official measurer from the Netherlands. In mid-January the first two boats will be shipped to the Netherlands for exhibition at the Boot Holland show in Friesland. Subsequently one Dinghy is expected to join the Lake Geneva fleet. Contact Roland Bouwkamp (info@12footsailing.com) for more details.

Dinghies aboard Mariette   In a throw-back to the days when the 12' Dinghy was first conceived as a yacht tender, the 38-metre sailing yacht Mariette constructed in 1915 to a design by Nathanael Herreshoff, carries two Dinghies for the use of guests. Steve Crook - 13.12.2011

Dinghy Cup, Harun's Paradise, Tuzla, Istanbul Kaan Mazlumca - Winner of the Tuzla Dinghy Cup Named in honour of Harun Ulmen, Turkish naval architect and Olympic sailor, this unique site on the Marmara Sea has become the regular venue for the final event of the annual Cockshott Trophy series. Excellent sailing conditions greeted the 18 competitors representing Turkey, France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Canada and Great Britain who competed in this truly international affair. Rifat and his team had prepared a fleet of 15 Dinghies and we were joined by Eytan Levi who has recently acquired three Lithuanian-built Dinghies for use at his Bungalow Park. Young Turkish Laser sailor Kaan Mazlumca dominated the event, winning all four races, whilst Pierre Moneger managed a string of second places but was denied a well-deserved place on the winner's podium due to being adjudged OCS at the start of the second race. Whilst these two sailors dominated the front of the fleet, the racing was nevertheless competitive with some very close finishes. Sanem Sevinc at the helm...   Rifat's father presents the winner's trophy to Kaan Mazlumca Results: 1st Kaan Mazlumca 2nd Nicky Arnoldus 3rd Steve Crook 4th Rifat Edin 5th Pierre Moneger 6th Pierre Lambert Prizewinners: Kaan Mazlumca, Nicky Arnoldus, Steve Crook   The extraordinary Harun's Paradise estate, the warm welcome from Rifat and his team, and Sanem's hospitality and organizational skills make this an event not to be missed. Will you be there next year? More info: Harun's Paradise: www.harunsparadise.com Almondville Bungalows: www.almondvillebungalows.com Steve Crook - 14.10.2011

Travemünde Trophy 12' Dinghy Results: 1st Huib Ozinga winner of the challenge trophy "Travemünder Kanne" and winner "Master" category 2nd Karl-Heinz Sager   3rd Andreas Fuhrhop & Indra Stülcken   4th Ben Akkerman winner of the "Grand Master" category 5th Willem de Beur   Prizewinners (from left to right): Willem de Beur, Indra Stülcken, Huib Ozinga, Andreas Fuhrhop, Karl-Heinz Sager, Ben Akkerman,

Dutch National Championship 2011 The 2011 Dutch national championship has finished and once again the victors are Jeroen de Groot and Damy Janssen. Forty-seven teams competed at the Gongarijpster Poelen, a lake near the bigger Sneekermeer. Each year more and more young talented sailors take part. This year, for example, the Yngling worldchampion, Tom Otte, and the national champion in the Valken klasse, Menno Huisman. They both agreed: the dinghy is a difficult boat to sail and both where surprised to be passed by old experienced sailors dinghy during the regatta. A total of seven races where sailed under strong wind conditions during the first 2 days, with almost everyone chosing to sail with a crew to keep their boat flat. The last race was sailed with a wind strength of Beaufort 2 - a comfortable dinghy wind but with extreme wind-shifts. Wim Bleeker was the runner up. Right up until the last race Wim Bleeker still had a small chance to become champion. If Jeroen ended as number 8 and Wim as number 1, he would take first place. But unfortunally he was too early at the starting line and Jeroen is not someone who makes a lot of mistakes. So, the same result as in 2010 for Jeroen de Groot and Damy Jansens finishing first to loud applause from the spectators. Wim was the runner-up followed by the always strong Emile Westerhof. Fourth place was taken by the 66 years old Huib Ozinga. The former national champions Pieter Bleeker (5), Joep Brinkman (6) and Martijn van der Pol (7) followed the top sailors home. Pieter Bleeker - 08.08.2011

Dinghy Shop - Douarnenz Last Thursday the Dinghy Shop at Douarnenez opened it's doors for the first time. An initiative of the society Comet Organisation, the shop is situated on the banks of the river at Port-Rhu, under the club-house of the Atlantic Yacht Club. Comet Organisation will be the sole French distributers for boats built by the renowned Dutch shipyard Van de Meer. A welcome cocktail was offered to Dinghy lovers ...   ... and several Dinghies were on sale Jacques Blanken, President of the French Dinghy Association commented: "Avec cette initiative, voilà un nouvel élément de promotion du dinghy et de la jeune Dinghy 12' Classe France". Steve Crook - 29.06.2011

Pinksterevenement - Kaag 2011 It has become a long-standing tradition that the Dutch "Twaalfvoetsjollenclub" and the "Koninklijke Watersportvereniging de Kaag" organize the Cockshott Trophy event at the Kaag each Whitsun. This year 44 dinghies representing four different nationalities took part: Netherlands, Japan, Italy and Germany. As usual there was a long race through all the small canals of the Kagerplassen, prompting a Japanese competitor to observe that this was the first regatta in which he had been watched by cows! Overall winner was Pieter Bleeker, with local sailor Hans Nieuwland second. Duuk Dudok van Heel (4 times world champion in the Flying Junior class) finished in 3rd position despite his dinghy being equipped with a 15-year-old sail. Tom Fick was 4th and Fred Udo 5th. Three times Dutch champion Joep Brinkman, who is now living in Berlin and has not much time for sailing anymore, finished strongly and will surely be amongst the challengers at the next Dutch championship (29-31 July). A special mention for everybody's favourite, Tonny Surendonk, who finished in 8th position, close behind Hans Reyers.         Pieter Bleeker - 21.06.2011

Dinghy World Cup - Venice 2011 June 1st, 2011, and the largest ever fleet of International 12-foot Dinghies, comprising sixty-six classic (wooden) boats and thirty-eight modern boats, manned by sailors from ten countries, assembled on the Lagoon of Venice for the second Dinghy World Cup of the modern era. The event was organised by the Compagnia della Vela di Venezia as part of their centenery celebrations, supported by the Circolo della Vela Mestre, Associazione Velica Lido and the Circolo Nautico Chioggia. Results: II Trofei 12' Dinghy World Cup Classifica Classici (wood)   II Trofei 12' Dinghy World Cup Classifica Moderni (GRP) General Classification   General Classification 1st Giorgio Pizzarello ITA                1st Fabrizio Brazzo ITA 2nd Jeroen de Groot NED   2nd Riccardo Pallavidini ITA 3rd Roberto Benedetti ITA   3rd Marco Tapetto ITA 4th Uberto Capannoli ITA   4th Marco Durli ITA 5th Pieter Bleeker NED   5th Andrea Bortoluzzi ITA 6th Wim Bleeker NED   6th Gaetano Allodi Varriale ITA Cockshott Trophy 1st Fabrizio Brazzo ITA 2nd Marco Tapetto ITA 3rd Enrico Michel ITA 4th Fred Lachotzki NED 5th Andrea Tognacci ITA 6th Andrea Bortoluzzi ITA         The Dinghy World Cup has now become an established event on the Dinghy racing calendar. It is likely that the 2012 event will be sailed at Portorose, Slovenia. All photos by James Robinson Taylor. More of James' photographs are available at www.jrtphoto.com

Coupe de France Dinghy 12 A cold wind gusting to over 25 knots welcomed the fifteen competitors to the Coupe de France Dinghy 12. In these 'sporty' conditions the fleet suffered some broken spars and capsizes, justifying the presence of two powerful safety boats from l'Association Petite Plaisance de Cornouaille. The most unexpected event was the capsize by the Dutch sailor, Fred Udo, proving that such mishaps can happen to the best of helmsmen. At the end of the first day only two points separated the first four boats sailed by Loïc Blanken, Gwendal Jaffry, Camille Long and Jean Pol Kerbaol. Thanks to his capsize, Fred Udo, brilliant winner last year, was languishing in 7th position. By Sunday the wind had dropped, but the contest intensified. Jean Pol Kerbaol was in the running for a podium finish until breaking his tiller, leaving Gwendal Jaffry and Loïc Blanken to fight for the first two places. A late charge by Fred Udo who won the last two races resulted in him claiming the third podium position.   Results: 1st Loïc Blanken 14 points 2nd Gwendal Jaffry 18 points 3rd Fred Udo (NED) 26 points =4th Christian Placier 32 points =4th Camille Long 32 points 6th Anne Coyon 37 points Pierre Moneger (who was sailing a plastic dinghy) was excluded from the results but scored 18 points Jacques Blanken - 01.06.2011

Dinghy 12' Classe France Vendredi soir (27.05.2011) à l'Atlantic Yacht Club, ce jeune yacht club fondé à la suite de la " Transat Lagassé ", par les participants à la course, avait lieu l'assemblée constitutive de l'association des pratiquants Français du Dinghy 12' : joli dériveur bien connu aux Pays Bas, en Italie notamment où il est le dériveur-roi ou encore en Lituanie et dans plusieurs autres pays d'Europe ou plus lointains comme la Turquie ou même le Japon …   Après avoir accepté les statuts de leur nouvelle association qui a pris le nom de "Dinghy 12' Classe France", les participants ont élu le bureau ainsi composé : Membre d'Honneur : Fred Udo (Pays-Bas) Président : Jacques Blanken Vice-président : Claude Brillet Membres de la commission technique Président : Eric Ogden Assesseurs : Jean Pol Kerbaol, François Séruzier Secrétaire : Marie Claire Guégan Trésorier : Gilles Michel Chargés de communication : Loïc Blanken, Gwendal Jaffry Dinghy 12' Classe France 17 bd du Général de Gaulle 29100 DOUARNENEZ http://www.dinghy.fr Jacques Blanken - 01.06.2011

Rassemblement international de Dinghy 12' à Les Settons Nine boats, representing four countries, assembled on the starting line for the first-ever regatta for International 12-foot Dinghies to be sailed in eastern France, on the weekend of 14-15 May 2011. This event, organised by the Swiss Dinghy Association and the Club de Voile des Settons, was sailed on the beautiful Lac des Settons in the Morvan region of Burgundy. Despite inclement weather a total of seven closely contested races were completed. Overall winner was Swiss sailor Michel Nerbollier sailing his new boat Dinghy Toy. Fred Udo of the Netherlands finishing second in Waterlander and Steve Crook and his 1943-built Einepyk took the third podium position. The first French boat was sailed by Nicolas Saumagne who finished fourth. Highlight of the social events was the baptism of Marie-Claire Guégan's Dinghy Trotte en Tête.   Victorious helmsman Michel Nerbollier receives his trophy The Lac des Settons is an ideal venue for our boats and there are hopes that a Dinghy fleet will be established there. Sailing club president Jack Salingardes will be delighted to welcome actual and potential 12' Dinghy owners. Contact Jack on (+33) (0) 6 59 30 27 10. Thanks are due to both Jack and co-organiser Romain Berard for their help in making the event so successful. text: Steve Crook - 23.05.2011   photos: Michèle Long

SuisseNautic 2011, Berne For the first time, the 12' Dinghy Class exhibited at the Swiss Boat Show in Berne. Our stand generated a great deal of interest - with many people commenting upon how nice it was to see a 'real' boat amongst the plastic bathtubs on display! Not only did the show introduce the Dinghy to many people who had not previously seen one, - it also enabled us to meet a number of owners who were previouly unknown to us. Entirely thanks to our SuisseNautic stand the known Swiss fleet has grown by three boats! SuisseNautic also provided the setting for the inaugural meeting of the Swiss International 12 Foot Dinghy Class Association.   NED486 Einepyk, built in the Netherlands in 1943, and a newly-built boat from Ernesto Riva, on display at SuisseNautic. Steve Crook - 17.02.2011

Boot Holland 2011, Leewarden Proud owner Wim Bleeker shows off his newly constructed Dinghy, NED870, at the Boot Holland exhibition at Leewarden. Builder Jeroen de Groot is now planning to complete a second Dinghy in time for the 2011 World Cup event in Venice. The stand attracted many visitors and we have done good marketing for the Dinghy and the Twaalfvoetsjollenclub Pieter Bleeker - 15.02.2011

Annual General Meeting, Twaalfvoetsjollenclub A new chapter begins for the Twaalfvoetsjollenclub as Pieter Bleeker, chairman for the past five years, retires and is replaced at the helm by Henk van der Zande. Pieter Jan Sandbergen also retired after six years of sterling service. Newly elected committee members Karel de Boer and Rieks Reijers complete the 2011 team. The new committee (from left to right), Karel de Boer (regatta secretary), Rieks Reijers (treasurer), Henk van der Zande (chairman), Anjo Klinkenberg (secretary) and Duuk Dudok van Heel (secretary technical committee) Steve Crook - 15.02.2011

International News 2010

Klassieke Schepenbeurs, Enkhuizen As always, the Dutch Dinghy Association was present at the annual Klassieke Schepenbeurs at Enkhuizen. This year the association chose to exhibit one of the Netherlands' longest surviving dinghies. Dinghy 49 was constructed by the Belgian boatbuilder, Fr. Anemans, in 1923. Former owner, Mrs Borrie, was astonished to see the boat that she sailed from 1958 to 1965, on display at the show!   Pieter Bleeker - 08.11.2010

Cockshott Trophy Event Harun's Paradise - Tuzla The final Cockshott Trophy event of the 2010 season. Story to follow... Results: 1st Orhan Gorbon TUR 2nd Andreas Fuhrhop / Clemens Kroeger GER 3rd Edhem Dirvana TUR 4th Mehmet Onat Çaglayan TUR 5th Rifat Edin TUR 6th Esen Durmaz TUR

Dinghies at the Société Nautique de Genève The first International 12 dinghies to appear on the Léman were built at Corsier Port in 1920 by the Chantiers de Constructions Navales du Léman for members of the Société Nautique de Genève. By the mid 1930s some thirty 12' dinghies were saiing in the Petit Lac. Thereafter the fleet quickly dispersed. Then, in 2010, Jean-Claude and Louisa Marchand introduced their 1923 Abeking & Rasmussen built dinghy to the club. This weekend they were joined by other dinghies for what will, we hope, be the first of many Sailing in the City events. Steve Crook - 10.10.2010

Irish Dinghy Championships 2010 We finally got all the Irish 12s together - 100% turnout of the operable boats in the country! Three of these were standard International 12-foot Dinghies and three were rigged as Dublin Bay 12s. We had 2 races on a windward-leeward course from the Royal St. George YC at Dun Laoghaire. Gail Varian won both in her newly restored DB12. I had a 2nd and a 3rd as did the Sarrat Brothers. Brian O'Connell's boat suffered the mishap of a broken rudder in the 2nd race (which was also only the 2nd race in which Brian has competed). The racing was surprisingly close with the single sail boats not falling too far behind upwind and possibly faster than the DB12s downwind. Veteran Dinghy sailor Keith Collie, and Gordon Piper performed OOD, rescue and photography services. There seem to be several old trophies still around that we could race for in future, including a cup from 1921 that we hope to borrow for a proper race series to be hosted by Sutton Dinghy Club next year. Two more old Dinghies have been 'discovered' recently and will hopefully join the fleet after restoration. Results: 1st Gail Varian (Dublin Bay 12) =2nd Geoff Serratt (Dublin Bay 12) =2nd George Miller (International 12) George Miller - 28.09.2010

Dutch Championship 2010 This weekend we have held the Dutch championship 2010 on the Loosdrechtse plassen. The sailing club "de Vrijbuiter" has organised the event perfectly. 50 dinghies participated. The first three regattas were divided in two groups of 25 dinghies. After these heats the gold fleet of the 25 best sailors in Holland competed in the champions group and have sailed another 2 regattas. There was nothing to choose between the crews at the front of the fleet and the final result was in doubt until the very last moment, with six crews having the potential of winning the event. Jeroen de Groot and Damy Jansen made the fewest mistakes and are the new Dutch champions finishing with positions 1st, 1st, 2nd ,8th and 4th. Emiel Westerhof and his son Erik Jan finished in second place with 4th, 1st, 1st, 13th and 3rd. Geja and I finished third with 1st, 2nd, 5th, 2nd and 13th. So, for the fifth time is Jeroen Dutch champion. Three times in the Pampus class and once in 2009 in the 16m2 class. And now, in 2010, also in the 12foot dinghy class. A special mention for our grand lady Tonny Surendonk, who finished in eighth position.   photo: Annette Westerhof Pieter Bleeker - 02.08.2010

Dinghy World Cup - Bracciano 2010 Just eighty-five years after the last Dinghy World Cup was sailed in Cork Harbour in 1925, ninety-three International 12-foot Dinghies representing eight countries took to the waters of Bracciano for the 2010 Dinghy World Cup. This superb event, which was brilliantly organised by the Associazione Italiana Classe Dinghy 12p, the Sailing Team Bracciano and the Tiberino Sailing Club, was won by Vincenzo Penagini of Italy (classic fleet) and Pieter Bleeker of The Netherland (sailing a modern GRP dinghy). Following the success of this event, further World Cup regattas are now being planned for the forthcoming years. The pictures below tell their own story: Results: I Trofei 12' Dinghy World Cup Classifica Classici (wood)   I Trofei 12' Dinghy World Cup Classifica Moderni (GRP) General Classification   General Classification 1st Vincenzo Penagini ITA                1st Pieter Bleeker NED 2nd Italo Bertacca ITA   2nd Giorgio Pizzarello ITA 3rd Marcello Coppola ITA   3rd Filippo Jannello ITA Female   Female 1st Anna Guglielminetti ITA   1st Anja Klinkenberg NED 2nd Patricia Surendonk NED   2nd Nicky Arnoldus CAN 3rd Patrizia Calzecchi ITA   3rd Tonny Surendonk NED Master (over 60)   Master (over 60) 1st Vincenzo Penagini ITA   1st Giorgio Pizzarello ITA 2nd Marcello Coppola ITA   2nd Gaetano Allodi ITA 3rd Attilio Carmagnani ITA   3rd Giorgio Sanzini ITA Supermaster (over 70)   Supermaster (over 70) 1st Giangiacomo D'Ardia ITA   1st Giorgio Sanzini ITA 2nd Alberto Marini ITA   2nd Angelo Oneto ITA         3rd Tonny Surendonk NED Junior     1st E. Anghileri ITA   2nd R. Giordano ITA   3rd Sarah Miller IRL   Equipaggio Straniero Classici     1st Jeroen de Groot NED   Barca più vecchia     1st George Miller (IRL 11) IRL

Love Me Tender   Roland Bouwkamp writes: I bought a polyester 12-foot dinghy and towed her behind my boat Sylphe. We covered 500 nautical miles between Istanbul and Bodrum in a month. We lost the dinghy once in a near gale but were able to pick her up again...     Sylphe is a Bermudan cutter rigged yacht, with an overall length of 60 feet. She was built and designed in France, by André Mauric (who was later involved in the design of the Eric Tabarlay's famous Pen Duick). Her construction was started in October 1940 and she was launched in 1947.     ... and the tender, now baptised 'Love Me Tender', followed Sylphe wherever she went and was sailed in many of the bays and ports en-route.

Challenge des Dinghies de 12 Pieds, Douarnenez, France Fred Udo convincingly won the Challenge des Dinghies de 12 Pieds with local sailors Loïc Blanken and Gwendal Jaffry taking the second and third place on the podium. The event, which was superbly hosted by the Atlantic Yacht Club in Douarnenez, attracted considerable interest from the French press, both locally and in the specialised yachting press. This was almost certainly the first regatta for 12' Dinghies to have been sailed in France since 1925 when four boats competed in a race in Nantes. Organiser Jacques Blanken is now looking forward to welcoming a larger fleet to next years event. Results: Fred Udo Loïc Blanken Gwendal Jaffry Steve Crook Jean Pol Kerbaol Jean Jacques Ollu   photos: Zoë Crook & Jacques Blanken Steve Crook - 22.06.2010

Pinksterevenement Kaag 2010    photos: Geja van Ommen On 22-24 May one of the most famous regattas in the 12-foot dinghy calendar was held on the Kaag lakes. 50 dinghies participated this year, with representatives from Japan, Germany, England, Lithuania, France and Italy. And of course a lot of Dutch dinghy sailors! Two new dinghies had their maiden voyage. The organizers has arranged a barbecue and of course the traditional dinner at the Kaagsocieteit. The weather was perfect with windforce 3-4, only the long distance race, through all the small canals, was cancelled this year due to a lack of wind. The results: Pieter Bleeker Dudok van Heel Hans Nieuwland Uberto Capannoli (Italy) Jan Bart Lucas Pieter Bleeker - 29.05.2010

Société Nautique de Genève After an absence of 60 years, 12-foot Dinghies are returning to the Sociéte Nautique de Genève. Here Louisa Marchand helps her father, Jean-Claude, prepare the latest addition to the Lake Geneva Dinghy fleet. Louisa's next task is to choose a new name for her new boat! STOP PRESS: The name has been chosen - it's TIGROU Steve Crook - 12.04.2010

Boat Show and the Sea of Rome Over 140.000 people have visited the IV BIG BLU, Boat Show and the Sea of Rome from 20 to February 28, an exhibition of 90.000 square meters, with around 800 boats on display. On the stand Italian Federation Sail-Allianz were present, with full sails hoisted, the associations of class of the competitive sail from the mono-types of the sport-boat to the Olympic classes up to the classes of youth initiatives. The only other place where such a concentration of sailing dinghies can be admired is at Alexandra Palace, in London at the RYA DINGHY SHOW. L'Italian Association Class Dinghy 12' has set up a stand of thirty square meters with a lot of screen on which flowed the Images of the Dinghy 12 feet designed by G. Cockhott. On show the three versions of the Dinghy 12 feet, a Lillia built around GRP, a Patrone of the series of the Committee of the GRP-wood and a beautiful Colombo all wood, which was surely the most photographed boat in the pavilion. In the Theater of the Sea stand FIV-Allianz, in a busy schedule of events and cultural presentations, the Secretary of the Italian Dinghy 12' Class, Giorgio Pizzarello, assisted by the members of the Board of Directors Carlo Cameli and Francesca Lodigiani and Paolo Rastrelli the author of the book "La leggenda del Dinghy 12 piedi" has presented to the press the two important events in the class, both to be held on Lake Bracciano: 74° Championship National Class Dinghy 12' 24-27 June World Cup III° Cockshott Trophy Series 15-18 July Report by Stefano Tolotti - 22.03.2010

Japan A-Class Dinghy Association Regatta Championships 2010 The West Japan A-class Dinghy Regatta to be held on 29th and 30th May in New-Nishinomiya Yacht Harbour is expected to attract some 20 boats sailed by the alumnus of various Japanese Universites. The following month approximately 60 dinghies are expected to take part in the 20th All Japan A-class Dinghy Championship Regatta which will take place in Fukuoka Hakata Yacht Harbour on 26th and 27th June 2010. Fukuoka Hakata Bay is one of the largest bays in the Kyushyu region and has long been the venue for major sailing events. These events are organised by the Japan A-Class Dinghy Association (JADA). Hopefully, some Japanese crews will be present at the Dinghy World Championships to be held in Italy in July 2010. information supplied by the Japan A-Class Dinghy Association - 17/03/2010

International News 2009

Beurs Klassieke Schepen The 13th Beurs Klassieke Schepen was held in Enkhuizen on 6, 7 and 8 November 2009. It is advertised as the only fair in Europe that combines shipbuilding, maintenance, restoration and conservation of classic and traditional boats. This three-day show is considered by many to be the meeting place for commercial and pleasure yachting; for skilled ship owners and dedicated enthusiasts of traditional vessels and shipbuilding crafts. Naturally, the Twaalfvoetsjollenclub was there, and as usual their 12-foot Dinghies attracted a lot of interest.   Photos by Geja van Ommen. Steve Crook 12/11/2009

Salone Internazionale della Nautica di Genova As in past years, the AICD-ASSOCIAZIONE ITALIANA CLASSE DINGHY 12'  took part in the International Boat Show SALONE NAUTICO, Genoa, open from 3rd to 11th October. The impressive stand, the only one for a sailing boat class association, received many visitors attracted by the beauty of the four dinghies on show and by the sensational photos and videos being shown on the screens. Titti Carmagnani, class committee member and organiser of our exhibition, was awarded the special prize Vela d'Oro - the Golden Sail - for the best scenography of the Show. A great success. The theme: Crisis does not affect the dinghy! Renzo Santini 16/10/2009

12-foot Dinghy Class to receive official recognition by the Lithuanian Sailing Authority The XIX international sailing regatta Autumn Wind was held on the Kaunas Lagoon (Lithuania's biggest lake) at the beginning of October 2009. For the first time in the history of this regatta, and probably for the first time in the history of independent Lithuania, three 12-foot Dinghies were on the start line. There was a strong 8-10 m/s wind from the west-southwest as the crews sailed the 5 km distance to the finish. The winner of this race and also of this competition was Helmsman Karolis Valenta who sailed our new dinghy which was constructed using larch and epoxy technologies, second was Aidis Jaskevicius, and third Sigitas Rinkevicius. On Sunday the race was cancelled as the wind increased from 15-17 m/s in the morning to 20 m/s by the afternoon. Now we are very happy that in one year starting with no boats we now have a five boat fleet, and big interest from local sailors and other people. I hope that next year we will have at least 8 boats and guests are welcome too. We want to show for our people how popular this class is, because sometimes people in Lithuania do not believe that these beauties can sail, and sometimes they are too shy even to touch them! Our Lithuanian sailing union give us a promise, they will help us in all questions, and will officially recognise the Dinghy Class in Lithuania. Aidis Jaskevicius, Commercial Manager, Amber Boat, Lituania - 14/10/2009

Cockshott Trophy Series 2009 - Tuzla, Istanbul We were delighted to welcome Chris Cockshott, grandson of the designer of the 12-foot Dinghy, to Tuzla for the final regatta of the 2nd George Cockshott Trophy Series. Once again Giorgio Pizzarello demonstrated his mastery of Turkish waters as he won four out of five races - a performance only marred by a broken boom which prevented him taking part in the fourth race of the weekend. Second place in the Tuzla event was taken by local sailor Orhan Tüker, whilst Italian Umberto Campannoli took the third position on the podium. Ten competitors from four countries enjoyed excellent sailing conditions with warm, sunny days, and winds varying between Beaufort force 2 to a gusty and variable force 4. Umberto's 3rd place together with his win in Bracciano was sufficient to earn him first place in the 2009 Cockshott Trophy Series. Chris Cockshott flanked by Paolo Corbellini and Giorgio Pizzarello Giorgio and Umberto examine the Cockshott Trophy Chris Cockshott takes his first sail in his grandfather's boat Orhan Tüker and Edhem Dirvana See separate news item for the full results of the 2009 Cockshott Trophy Series. Many thanks to Rifat Edin and his team for their customary warm welcome and hospitality! Steve Crook - 14/10/2009

Naut’Antics 2009 - Annecy Last weekend saw the first edition of Naut’Antics - rassemblement de barques, voiliers at canots bois anciens which was organised by the Association des Vieux Safrans d’Annecy. Three 12-foot Dinghies attended this regatta which featured a concours d’élégance and concours de manoeuvrabilité in addition to the usual race. The event, which took place on lac Annecy in France, was another good opportunity to publicize the class and our attempts to create a viable dinghy fleet in the region. Steve Crook - 25/09/2009

Cockshott Trophy Series 2009 - Bracciano The second event of the 2nd George Cockshott Trophy Series took place on 10th to 12th July in Bracciano, where 38 wooden dinghies have sailed five races in perfect weather conditions. A bright sunshine and a BF 4 breeze have blessed this beautiful volcanic lake near Rome throughout the regatta. The winner was Uberto Capannoli, followed by Gaetano Allodi and Vincenzo Penagini. The prize for the first foreign helmsman (8th place) went to Rifat Edin, while Pieter Bleeker (12th place) arrived first of the numerous Dutch participants including Wim Bleeker with his 13 year old son Marcel Bleeker, Henk van der Zande with Christel and their 17 year old daughter Iris, Anjo Klinkenberg with the friend Erna, Geja van Ommen sailing with Pieter, Leen van Willegen, and Willem de Boer with Mya de Boer. Bracciano is a 'must' for the dinghy community. Beautiful memories for everybody and a promise to come back next year. Bracciano is a 'must' for the dinghy community. Beautiful memories for everybody and a promise to come back next year. Renzo Santini - 17/09/2009

Turkish Dinghy Festival 2009 The 2009 Dinghy Festival was held in Tuzla, Istanbul, on 23rd and 30th August. Eight dinghies competed on comparatively windy days (between Beaufort four and five). Some of dinghies abandoned the races due to the strong wind but all the participants enjoyed sailing very much. Results: 12-foot Dinghy Festival - August: 23rd Selim Yazici and Cigdem Colak Esen Durmaz and Sinan Bey Aydin Isikman and Ihap Subasi Results: 12-foot Dinghy Festival - August 30th: Race 1 Selim Yazici Rifat Edin Edhem Dirvana Ali Doganer Orhan Gorbon Race 2 Edhem Dirvana Rifat Edin Ali Doganer Orhan Gorbon Race 3 Rifat Edin Orhan Gorbon Ali Doganer Edhem Dirvana Selim Yazici (Chairman of the Turkish 12 Foot Dinghy Association) - 09/09/2009

25th Fête des Canots The Fête des Canots is like no other regatta! Surveying the magnificent array of silverware on the prize-table, one competitor asked the significance of the inscriptions on some of the prizes. "We have no idea" came the reply - "we bought all the prizes at a flea-market!" Chief organiser, Mayu, joked "we chose a rainy day when there were very few customers so we were able to buy everything for less than 200 Francs!" The Fête des Canots is a very special festival of sail and oar. Held in Rolle on the shores of Lake Geneva, this bi-annual event reunites an eclectic array of wooden boats of all shapes and sizes. The programme comprises a number of informal races, picnics on the Île de la Harpe and on Allaman beach and a sail parade along Rolle quay-side. Seven 12-foot Dinghies were present making this the biggest Dinghy fleet to be seen on Lake Geneva in many years. We were especially pleased to welcome Fred and Emmy Udo who had travelled from the Netherlands with their Dinghy "Waterlander". Fred's advice and expertise was much appreciated by the local Dinghy sailors. Undoubtedly this event represents another step forward in our attempts to create a viable Dinghy fleet in south-west Switzerland. We are now planning to introduce our Dinghies to the nearby French lakes of Annecy and Bourget. Just as I was leaving I was approached by a member of Rolle Sailing Club who said "I've got a 12' Dinghy in my garage - it needs some restoration work but I intend to have it sailing in time for next summer". More good news! Steve Crook - 17/08/2009

2009 Bosporus Race The 21st 'from Asia to Europe', International Bosporus Sailing, Swimming, Rowing, Canoe and Kayak Race was organized by the Turkish Olympic Committee on 20 July 2009. The result of the 12-Foot Dinghy race was:       1st Rifat Edin       2nd Ibrahim Yazci       3rd Bülent Yazci During the race on the Bosporus, the sailors competed with dolphins and had to give way to swimmers! Rifat Edin & Bülent Yazci report submitted by Sumiyo Okumura - 31/07/2009

34th Régate des Vieux Bateaux The four Dinghies taking part in the 2009 Régate des Vieux Bateaux at La Tour-de-Peilz on Lake Geneva attracted a considerable amount of interest from fellow competitors, the general public and Swiss television station TSR. Light winds and sunshine greeted the 60 competing boats which ranged from 12-foot Dinghies to the mighty 30-Metres Suedois. As a contrast to the traditional boats, the hi-tech Alinghi catamaran with its 50 metre mast could be seen undergoing trials as it prepares to defend the America's Cup. The next major event on Lake Geneva will be the Fête des Canots where a larger turnout of Dinghies is anticipated. Steve Crook - 31/07/2009

Japan 12-feet A-Class Dinghy Association - Now under new management! With immediate effect, Mr Saburo Tanamachi has been elected chairman of the Japan 12-feet A-Class Dinghy Association (JADA). Saburo is also Commodore of the Mita A-Class Dinghy Club at Keio University and he was Captain of the Japanese Sailing Team at the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games where he competed in the Dragon Class. Mr Kunio Ishibashi has become Chief Executive Director of JADA. Kunio is also Director of the Mita A-Class Dinghy Club at Keio University and a committee member of the Japan Sailing Federation. Steve Crook - 17/07/2009

19th All Japan 12-foot A Class Dinghy Championships The 19th All Japan 12-foot A-Class Dinghy Championships took place in conjunction with the celebrations for the 150th anniversary of Yokohama Bay on the 26th and 27th and 28th of June 2009. The nominated hosting club for this championship was the Kanto Gakuin University, a Christian Missionary College in Yokohama City, whose sailing club started sailing in Yokohama Bay approximately 80 years ago. Since then they have enjoyed many glorious sailing regatta activities. The yacht race was held at the Minato Mirai Park facing the Yokohama Bay. Hundreds of spectators watched as 74 A-Class dinghies and 480 sailors from 46 clubs participated in the regatta. The weather on the 27th of June was clear blue sky with moderate wind, but unfortunately, the second day turned out to be heavy rain. Overall, it was successful, completing one Super-Senior race and seven Championship races. For the Super-Senior Race, where skippers have to be over 70-years old, 47 dinghies participated and the honourable champion was Mr. M.Yoshida, from Sakuramon Sailing Club, who has now won the race for two consecutive years. The top 6 of the 74 dinghies participating were as follows: 1st A-122 Sunny Side Jr. Sailing Club 9 points 2nd A-23 Kansai Hoyu Sailing Club 27 points 3rd A-17 Sakuramon Sailing Club 38 points 4th A-2024 Seiwa Gomon Sailing Club 58 points 5th A-1138 Kanto Gakuin Sailing Club 60 points 6th A-311 Kyushu University Sailing Club 78 points I would like to make a special note that A-122 Sunny Side Jr. Sailing Club (Kanto Gakuin Group) finished in first position in six out of the seven Championship races. report submitted by Hiroshi Shirahata - 16/07/2009 This will be Hiroshi Shirahata's last report as Chairman of the Japanese A-Class Dinghy Association following his resignation at the 2009 A-Class Dinghy Championships. I would like to thank Hiroshi for all of the information, regatta reports and photographs that he has sent for publication on this website over the past few years. Steve Crook - webmaster

Vintage Yachting Games 2012   Rudy den Outer, chairman of the Vintage Yachting Games Organization, writes: Dear Sailing friends, I would like to inform you that the dates of the 2012 edition of the Vintage Yachting Games will be 7-15 July 2012 on Lake Como Italy. We anticipate the participation of the following classes: 12' Dinghy Europe Female Europe Male O-Jolle 12m Sharpie Flying Dutchman Tornado Tempest Yngling Soling Dragon 5.5 Metre 6 Metre 8 Metre The Vintage Yachting Games are the Post-Olympic event for the former Olympic Classes where the best teams of a class per country will compete against each other.

Cockshott Trophy Series 2009 - Pinksterevenement Kaag The Whitsun Weekend saw 55 boats representing six countries enjoying superb sailing conditions on the Kaag Lakes (NL) as they competed in the first event of the 2009 Cockshott Trophy Series. Dinghy sailors from Italy, France, Germany, Lithuania and Switzerland enjoyed the outstanding hospitality of their Dutch hosts as they took part in this superbly organised regatta which was sailed in sunshine and strong winds on the challenging waters of the Kagerplassen. Overall winner: Pieter Bleeker Leading foreign sailor: Giorgio Pizzarello A Star is born: novice helmsman Jari Schrier   The success of this regatta underlines the considerable progress that has been made towards our goal of regaining international status for the 12-foot Dinghy Class. The next Cockshott Trophy event will be held on Lake Bracciano, Rome, on 10-12 July 2009. Photos: Geja van Ommen

Japanese regatta schedule 2009 The main event of the year will be the 19th All Japan A-Class Dinghy Championships to be held on 26th, 27th and 28th June 2009. Seventy dinghies, from 46 sailing clubs, are expected to compete in this event which will be staged within the port of Yokohama as part of the port's 150th anniversary celebrations. The 4th West Japan A-Class Dinghy Regatta will be sailed on 30th and 31st May, 2009. Twenty dinghies and 100 sailors are expected for this event which will be sailed on Lake Biwa (Japan's largest lake) which is situated close to the city of Kyoto. The exact date of the 2nd East Japan A-Class Dinghy Regatta has not yet been decided, however this event is expected to take place during September or eary October. Details provided by Hiroshi Shirahata - President of the Japanese Dinghy Association 24th March 2009

What is the secret of the 12-foot Dinghy?   How can it be that a boat designed 95 years ago is still so popular? So popular that nearly forty 12-foot Dinghies competed in the 2008 Sneekweek regatta, and that amateur builders are still keen to construct their own dinghies. This is one of the questions that is being addressed by a working party set up by the Dutch Twaalfvoetsjollenclub to produce a book which is to be published as part of their 100th anniversary celebrations for the 12-foot Dinghy. The working party has a clear objective: To produce a book about the history of the 12-foot Dinghy from the moment that George Cockshott won the design competition in 1913 up to the present day. Not only the history of the 12-foot Dinghy in the Netherlands, but world-wide. Because our Dinghy has a rich history: twice chosen for the Olympic games and even today still active in Italy, Japan and Turkey, and to a lesser extent in Germany, France, Ireland and Switzerland. The first plans for this book were unveiled at the AGM of the Twaalfvoetsjollenclub in January 2009. The working party will comprise the following volunteers: Wietske van Soest, Ben Akkerman, Dolph Blussé van Oud-Alblas, Klaas Doorgeest, Remmelt Kraneveld , Wim Broer and Steve Crook. The Jubilee book will not be successful without the input of all those people who sail and love the 12-foot Dinghy. We would welcome your interesting and amusing stories, race reports, newspaper articles and photographs. Information should be sent to Wim Broer (wimbroerdzn@planet.nl) or Steve Crook (dinghy12@bluewin.ch) Wim van der Valk's book was published in 1989 to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the 12-foot Dinghy. Wim Broer - 20/02/2009

Twaalfvoetsjollenclub annual meeting 2009 Pieter Jan Sandbergen thanks Geja van Ommen for her untiring behind-the-scenes efforts on behalf of the 12 foot dinghy class, both in the Netherlands and internationally. Geja was instrumental in the organisation of the Jolanda protocol meeting, the subsequent founding of the international organisation, and much more! photo: Pieter Bleeker - 25/01/2009

Please send me your news items about international events and regattas having international participation.