Tweet
Meanwhile, also basking the Autumn glory which is the Nor Cal Indian Summer,
the International Folkboat Regatta ( Aka The San Francisco Cup) was held by the Richmond Yacht Club.
19 Crews from the US, Germany, Great Britain, Sweden, Denmark, and the Netherlands
enjoyed fin sailing conditions on SF Bay in the week long event that puts a high priority
on having fun as well a sailing. The international crews bring their own sails, but borrow boats from the locals,
and are treated more like vacationing relatives than just competitors from across the pond.
According to Peter Jeal, a long time Folkboat aficionado: "The event is very low and down to earth
with local families hosting the visiting crews, there are no sponsors per se, just great people having a great time
with each other."
You might think that the locals would have an unfair advantage, but that doesn't always pay out.
"The locals might be focusing too much on the currents and not looking at the wind, and the hard core
visiting teams take good notes, this years Christoph Nielsen from Germany has been at the top of fleet
here in SF over the past 5-6 years"
The boats are donated by the local teams as is per the fleet rules. The top 8-9 boats from San Francisco
represent the USA, and the rest of fleet make eligable their boats for visiting teams. On a semi regular basis
one or two boats will get shipped from Europe to SF and then sold here. "This is great for replenishing the fleet
and keeping a steady supply available" Indicated Peter Jeals, who also added; "There is a misconception that only
the fiberglass boats are competitive, which is untrue, 2 of the top 5 this year were made of wood, and are beautifully maintained"
With 7 races spread out over the week, the fleets enjoyed sunny conditions in mild conditions on the Oly Circle, SF City Front and Knox course areas.
Afterwards at the docks and on the laydays they enjoyed tours of the area, layed back BBQ's and as Peter Lyons indicated frequent spontaneous break
outs of drinking songs in a wide variety of languages.
But the racing was tight and these guys not only like to enjoy themselves, they take pride in making the boats go fast, even if they are borrowed and on an unfamiliar track. In fact, 6 of the top 10 boats in the fleet came from visiting crews from Germany, Great Britain and Denmark, with just 4 point separating 2- 5th places
Facts about Nordic Folkboat
The Nordic Folkboat is a clinker built wooden sloop and was designed in 1942 by the Scandinavian Yacht Racing Union. The first Nordic Folkboat was built in Göteborg in Sweden, and as at 2013, more than 4000 Nordic Folkboat have been built.
Key dimensions are:
Length (LOA): 7.68 m
Length on waterline: 6.00 m
Beam: 2.20 m
Sail area: 24.00 m²
Weight: (min) 1930 kg
In 2013 there are active racing fleets in:
Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Germany, United Kingdom, Ireland, Netherlands, Belgium, USA and Spain.
In the United Kingdom a large fleet has developed on the south coast in recent years, and the class is continuing to expand.
The Folkboat is also a popular cruising yacht especially in the Baltic Sea area despite its small interior size and lack of a "head".
In 1969 Tord Sundén was commissioned by Marieholms to redesign the Folkbåt for GRP construction, leading to an increase in interior size and displacement.
http://www.folkboat.com/
The Nordic Folkboat is a clinker built wooden sloop and was designed in 1942 by the Scandinavian Yacht Racing Union. The first Nordic Folkboat was built in Göteborg in Sweden, and as at 2013, more than 4000 Nordic Folkboat have been built.
Key dimensions are:
Length (LOA): 7.68 m
Length on waterline: 6.00 m
Beam: 2.20 m
Sail area: 24.00 m²
Weight: (min) 1930 kg
In 2013 there are active racing fleets in:
Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Germany, United Kingdom, Ireland, Netherlands, Belgium, USA and Spain.
In the United Kingdom a large fleet has developed on the south coast in recent years, and the class is continuing to expand.
The Folkboat is also a popular cruising yacht especially in the Baltic Sea area despite its small interior size and lack of a "head".
In 1969 Tord Sundén was commissioned by Marieholms to redesign the Folkbåt for GRP construction, leading to an increase in interior size and displacement.
http://www.folkboat.com/
We would like to give a special shout out to Peter "Cherry Pickin" Lyons who provided
the images. Peter was on his way to a shoot late last week when he was robbed at gunpoint just outside his residence in Oakland's Grand Lake District. The thieves made off with two of Peters cameras and lenses, his laptop, i-phone, wallet, keys and watch. These images represent the small fraction of images from the regatta Peter had edited and saved. If you come accross someone selling a couple Canon 5'D's or photos from the International Folkboat Regatta, give the Oakland PD a holler!
Comment