Flying Junior
Encyclopedia
The International Flying Junior or FJ is a sailing dinghy which was originally designed in 1955 in the Netherlands by renowned boat designer Van Essen and Olympic sailor Conrad Gülcher. The FJ was built to serve as a training boat for the then Olympic
-class Flying Dutchman
. The FJ has a beam of 4'11" and an overall sail area of 100 square feet (9.3 m²). These dimensions make the FJ an ideal class to teach young sailors the skills of boat handling and racing.
In 1960 the Flying Junior formed its own class organization and by the early 1970s the Flying Junior was accorded the status of an International Class
by the International Yacht Racing Union, the pre-cursor to the International Sailing Federation
. This status indicates that the class applies to strongly restricted class rules and holds regularly scheduled international regattas.
All documents about the history of the International FJ (Flying Junior) can be looked up at the
National Scheepvaartsmuseum in Amsterdam
Today the FJ is sailed in Japan, Canada, Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and the United States. In the US, many high school sailing and Intercollegiate Sailing Association
programs own fleets of FJs. The college and high school programs in the US use a version of the FJ known as the Club FJ. This boat is slightly different from the International FJ in that it does not use Trapeze and it has a smaller, non-spherical Spinnaker
.
Although the FJ resembles other sailing dinghies, the dimensions of the hull allow it to sail closer to the wind than many other models.
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
-class Flying Dutchman
Flying Dutchman (dinghy)
thumbthumbThe Flying Dutchman is a 20-foot one-design high-performance two-person monohull racing dinghy. Developed in the early 1950s, its large sail area per unit weight allow it to plane easily when sailing upwind. The boat utilizes a trapeze harness for the crew and hiking straps for the...
. The FJ has a beam of 4'11" and an overall sail area of 100 square feet (9.3 m²). These dimensions make the FJ an ideal class to teach young sailors the skills of boat handling and racing.
In 1960 the Flying Junior formed its own class organization and by the early 1970s the Flying Junior was accorded the status of an International Class
International Class
The designation International Class may be granted by the International Sailing Federation to classes of sail boat that offer a high standard of international competitive sailing and satisfy a number of criteria regarding the number of boats of that class, their international distribution, and the...
by the International Yacht Racing Union, the pre-cursor to the International Sailing Federation
International Sailing Federation
The International Sailing Federation is recognised by the International Olympic Committee as the world governing body for the sport of sailing....
. This status indicates that the class applies to strongly restricted class rules and holds regularly scheduled international regattas.
All documents about the history of the International FJ (Flying Junior) can be looked up at the
National Scheepvaartsmuseum in Amsterdam
Today the FJ is sailed in Japan, Canada, Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and the United States. In the US, many high school sailing and Intercollegiate Sailing Association
Intercollegiate Sailing Association
The Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association is a volunteer organization that serves as the governing authority for all sailing competition at colleges and universities throughout the United States and in some parts of Canada.-History:...
programs own fleets of FJs. The college and high school programs in the US use a version of the FJ known as the Club FJ. This boat is slightly different from the International FJ in that it does not use Trapeze and it has a smaller, non-spherical Spinnaker
Spinnaker
A spinnaker is a special type of sail that is designed specifically for sailing off the wind from a reaching course to a downwind, i.e. with the wind 90°–180° off the bow. The spinnaker fills with wind and balloons out in front of the boat when it is deployed, called flying. It is constructed of...
.
Although the FJ resembles other sailing dinghies, the dimensions of the hull allow it to sail closer to the wind than many other models.
World Champions International FJ-Class (Flying Junior)
| Year | place | Helmsman | Crew | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | Italy - San Remo | Duuk Dudok van Heel | Cocky v.d. Berg | |
| 1965 | Sweden - Saltsjöbaden | Duuk Dudok van Heel | Joan v. Ogtrop | |
| 1967 | Canada - Montral | Duuk Dudok van Heel | Marleen van Duyl | |
| 1969 | Netherlands - Muiden | Duuk Dudok van Heel | Gerrie Keersbergen | |
| 1971 | USA - Lake Tahoe | Steve Lewis | Randy Lewis | |
| 1973 | Belgium - Nieuport | Bertocchi | Apostoli | |
| 1975 | Italy - Venezia | De Martis | Stanniero | |
| 1977 | England - Whitstable | G. Noe | S. Noe | |
| 1979 | USA - Richmond | Steve Klotz | Steve Brillant | |
| 1981 | Netherlands - Muiden | Steve Klotz | Steve Brillant | |
| 1983 | Italy - Castiglione della Pescaia | Steve Klotz | Steve Brillant | |
| 1985 | Belgium - Blankenberge | Thierry Den Hartigh | Peter Laureysens | |
| 1987 | Japan - Sakaiminato | Takayuki Shimadzu | Kouichi Hasegawa | |
| 1989 | Netherlands Medemblick | Jan Bultman | Willy Bosveld | |
| 1991 | Italy - Senigallia | Hans Cox | Alexander Cox | |
| 1993 | Japan - Inage | Katsuya Takagi | Keiichi Asari | |
| 1995 | Germany - Stralsund | Hans Cox | Robert Jan Cox | |
| 1997 | USA - San Francisco | Hans Cox | Robert Jan Cox | |
| 1999 | Italy - Porto San Giorgio | Peter Wanders | Susanne Wanders | |
| 2001 | Japan - Atsumi | Kenta Shingo | Satochi Komura | |
| 2003 | Netherlands - Muiden | Hiromi Saitou | Hikaru Dewa | |
| 2005 | Germany - Lake Duemmer | Peter Wanders | Gisa Wortberg | |
| 2007 | USA - San Francisco | Peter Wanders | Gisa Wortberg | |
| 2009 | Italy - Lovere | Haruka Shimodaira | Takumi Ichigawa |