Chairman of the cruiser department: DSV Vice President Clemens Fackeldey resigns
Lasse Johannsen
· 21.08.2023
The resignation comes at a time when his colleagues on the Executive Committee, led by DSV President Mona Küppers, have decided to apply to the Sailing Council for the dissolution of the Cruiser Division (KA). By virtue of his office, Fackeldey is also the chairman of this largest organisation representing the interests of German cruising sailors, which dates back to the Kreuzer-Yacht-Verband founded in 1911.
The intention at the time was to promote cruising sailing as a sporting discipline. Since the merger with the DSV in 1917, the KA has remained a body of individual members who meet every two years and, with the exception of the chairman, elect their own board. For a current annual fee of 22 euros, the KA offers its 15,000 or so members a worldwide network of bases with area representatives and provides the publication "Nautische Nachrichten" with information for cruising sailors. Up-to-date information is also made available online. In addition, the KA organises training and further education events as well as the annual sailing competition.
Future of cruising sailors in the DSV uncertain
Last but not least, in the past, the six honorary board members and the four full-time employees, who worked in a separate department of the DSV office dealing with the interests of the KA and from there also provided individual sailing advice for the KA members, also carried out tangible lobbying work for the sport of cruising. At the request of the Executive Committee, the Cruising and Leisure Sailing division is now to be reorganised.
It is unclear how the representation of cruising sailors' interests in the DSV will continue according to the future plans. The Club der Kreuzer-Abteilung (CKA), founded in 1971, could become the new contact point for cruising sailors as a legally recognised association. The CKA was founded by the then DSV President Hans-Otto Schümann to enable sailors who are not members of the DSV to become KA members and is now the DSV's largest member club with around 8,000 members. By transferring the KA's services to the CKA, the DSV Presidium would have less influence on the representation of cruising sailors' interests than it does now, as it is an independent association.
