The Regnoc campaign: First towing attempts successful: the foiling conger takes off for the first time!

Regnoc takes off ...

When Boris Herrmann sailed solo around the world in the Vendée Globe, Frank Schönfeldt gave the Hamburg native his own song: "Flieg, Boris, flieg!" (Fly, Boris, fly!). The motto now applies to the Regnoc campaign initiated by Frank Schönfeldt, Andreas Ostwald and other fellow campaigners and their goal of flying a conger on foils: "Fly, Brasil, fly" - this was the hope of the team and the boat builders involved around Jens Dannhus during the first towing attempt on the Zwischenahner Meer. With the friendly support of Wilfried Schomäker, the first chairman of the Zwischenahner Segelklub von 1893, the courageous foil dreamers got down to business on 22 June.

Jens Dannhus and his team from the Dannhus & Fricke boatyard had previously given the go-ahead for the first towing test. There, the foils, elaborately built by fibre composite expert Jaron Nübold at Nuebold Yachtbau according to drawings by design maestro Martin Fischer, were inserted into the conger. The yacht builders are among the many committed supporters of the campaign, who mobilised an increasingly large group of fans during the coronavirus pandemic. "It's a project with modest means, but everyone is helping wherever they can," says initiator Frank Schönfeldt. Two and a half weeks ago, the 38-time German champion in six different boat classes received the long-awaited call from Jens Dannhus: "We're ready. We have to test it now. Let's give towing a try." A few phone calls and organisational steps later, the date and area were fixed with the kind support of Wilfried Schomäker. The first chairman of the Zwischenahner Segelklub invited people to the first towing test on the Zwischenahner Meer. Schönfeldt remembers the early morning car journey there: "I was so excited. I think there are five toilets along the way from Hamburg to the Zwischenahner Meer. I went to three. There are so many crash pictures of the projectiles in the America's Cup. I visualised Ben Ainslie crashing and thought that I could hurt myself too. My mental cinema got scarier the closer I got to the meeting point. Luckily, one of the boatyard guys got on the boat with me."

Jens Dannhus didn't come alone, but with two cars - one for the boat, one for the wings - and his whole team to the towing meeting. They are all Regnoc fans and want to be part of this anticipated moment of glory. The Zwischenahner Meer awaits the conger foil pioneers in the early hours of the morning with smooth water and a favourable breeze. At six o'clock in the morning, there are not even any anglers about. Wilfried Schomäker suggests a long drag line to minimise possible vibrations. The foils are prepared in one of the four middle settings. "Then it started," recalls Frank Schönfeldt, "I had the rudder in my hand and focussed on it. We had no idea whether it would all work as intended in theory, whether everything would hold. It was so exciting. Of course I know how to handle a sailing boat, but a conger on foils, without a rig and in tow? Who knows what kind of capers it will do? We turned a few miles until I suddenly saw a piece of the wings. Wilfried was driving the motorboat with an 80 hp engine and his co-driver was indicating the speed. The phenomenon: the conger took off at exactly the 8.5 knots predicted by Martin Fischer. Unbelievable! Completely crazy!"

A short time later, the Regnocers were in each other's arms on land. This first such successful step gives them great hope of achieving their common goal. "We are so relieved that the basic principle works," says Schönfeldt, "in wind force eight it would certainly work under sail, but it's just not sailable with a conger. At six maybe ..." The task of getting the Conger to fly under sail remains a big one: "Of course, we immediately told the Foil Pope the good news about the towing success. He said that we now need a centreboard to reduce the drift," says Schönfeldt.

The work on the Conger "Brasil", which has now been given such a boost, continues. The unique boat will soon be sent to Peter Wrede for painting - the 1988 Olympic participant is also a fan and supporter of the campaign. According to Schönfeldt, the rig has already been converted. "We have to see how we work. The mainsail is still on display and we have installed a bowsprit. Gotthardt is supplying the furling system, Sprenger the fittings. We are planning with a code zero." The next milestone: the German Conger Championship on Lake Plön in the first week of August. This is where "Brasil" will be exhibited. With a bit of luck, she will already be shining in a new dress there. Those who are lucky enough to take part in further towing tests - possibly already under sail - will be even luckier. The big air show, the ultimate demonstration of Conger flying skills, could take place in autumn as planned on the Alster "with wind from the direction of the NRV in front of the HSC jetties". The Regnocers are banking on the northern German autumn storms and still want to make a big party out of the event. There is no question that YACHT online will report on this in good time.