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BoatbuildingRegnoc - an idea should fly

Fridtjof Gunkel

 · 23.06.2021

Boatbuilding: Regnoc - an idea should flyPhoto: Ostwald/regnoC
It works in the study: Conger on stilts
Frank Schönfeldt wants to equip the Conger, of all things, with wings and get it foiling. This has long been more than just a beer whim

The project is quite ambitious: Equipped with modern hydrofoils, the heavy and rather slow Conger is to leave its traditional element and take off, foiling. Frank Schönfeldt, Hamburg sailmaker, maritime musician and 38-time German champion in various classes, including the Conger, came up with the idea and is realising it with a dynamism that is as inimitable as it is unique.

Would you trust this boat to foil?Photo: Ostwald/regnoC Would you trust this boat to foil?

The moulds for the foils have been milled, the hardware has been calculated and the work can begin. The whole thing also has to be financed and supported; around 25,000 euros have been budgeted for the project. "We're not looking for a sugar daddy to finance it," says Schönfeldt, "it's going to be a people's project." Anyone can donate, in return for a flight ticket, the entrance ticket to the Conger air show on the Alster.

More about the project, the background and the makers in the new YACHT.

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Fridtjof Gunkel

Fridtjof Gunkel

Deputy Chief Editor YACHT

Fridtjof Gunkel was born on Helgoland in 1962; he started his sailing career there in the Opti and quickly switched to keelboats. North Sea Week, Cowes Week and Kiel Week were early stops, followed by many years in the Admiral's Cup scene on the cuppers “Container” and “Rubin” World Championships and international regattas in the Starboat, with the mini-maxi “SiSiSi” and various tonner yachts as well as participation in the Whitbread Round the World Race were further formative stations, flanked by extensive cruising trips. Fridtjof Gunkel joined YACHT back in 1985 as part of a traineeship, where he later became Head of the Test & Technology department and then Deputy Editor-in-Chief around 25 years ago. He is also responsible for the regatta and sports section. Fridtjof Gunkel privately sails a performance/cruiser moored on the Baltic coast, his favorite areas are the eastern Swedish archipelago and Brittany.

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