The IFDCO website is a basic, actual and elegant medium to show and testify to the FD Class' s history, its life and all the people who have contributed to the development and the promotion of the “ultimate sailing dinghy”.

Moreover, the website is the fastest and most modern communication way to promote and advertise our Class to the sailors, the network and to the sponsors.

There are links to the several websites, including the ISAF, sponsors, International Sailing Class Associations, Sailing Clubs and brands involved in the sailing sport, who provide us with continuous updates in knowledge and information.

With regard to the technical aspects, the Class Rules are included with detailed graphics and figures, the technical articles and the choreography of a great photogallery with slides taken during several Championships and International events.

The development, performance, charm and beauty of FD sailing; moreover, review of events, trophies, results and champions show the FD history in sailing sport are all beautifully illustrated.

Finally, the IFDCO organization and its Foundation Rules and byelaws help us to know the Class and its structure.

In 2002 we celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the FD birth: 50 years of technical development, success and fame all over the world .

The continuous development and update of the IFDCO website is an excellent chance to celebrate the jubilee, to represent the FD evolution and its future prospects for the third millennium.

The website, together with the FD Bulletin and the Class Book will charm and induce us to learn about and become involved in the Class life.

I also wish to remember and to express my admiration for Conrad Gulcher: if we sail and love FD and have enjoyed these 50 years, it is because Conrad conceived such a wonderful dinghy and realized his dream, launching FD in 1952.

Conrad, looked to the future with an excellent far-sightedness, conceived a “high-performance dinghy”, which still represents a model of technologic development, fashionable water-line, low minimum hull weight and hight performance.

Conrad ‘s approach to a continuing development of FD, with regard to materials, fitting and rigging evolution, was the basic for the FD success.

The magic attraction of the FD is so particular to induce each of us to sail and especially to become owner of a FD, recognizing the FD like a “status symbol”, independently by the agonistic goals of each team.

For as long as I have sailed an FD, I have been charmed by the atmosphere of gentlemanliness, faithful friendship and brotherhood showed by the competitors of every Country; it means clearly that to sail an FD is a style of life and IFDCO is like a big family.

Of course, we have to thank all the people, champions, yards, measurers and sailors, engaged to support, manage and promote FD, contributing to achieve this success.

My congratulations for your enthusiasm and engagement.

It‘s my belief that the prestige and the diffusion of FD all over the World has been obtained both through the enthusiasm of each team and by the synergy and continuous team-work among the General Committee, the Sub-Committees, the Commodores and the National Secretaries.

So, this represents an opportunity to become engaged in the IFDCO life, for all of us.

Such an organization allows anyone of us to be available for an appointment in which we can show our personal attitudes and eclectic proposals.

The juvenile excitement and availability, connected with the experience of the older FD sailors, represent the best “team approach” to enable a rise of our Class and to plan the future goals.

Our generation has inherited the “sailing patrimony” represented by the FD and the FD Class, and has contributed to a continuous development in the past 50 years; now, it is our duty to hand down the passion, determination and goals to the youngest generation of sailors.

The sailing sport is changing with regard both to technical aspects and the relationship and agreement with networks, magazines, advertising and sponsorship.

For all those purposes the IFDCO is looking to the future and to project theFD into the future.

I feel privileged to be elected IFDCO President and to represent our prestigious Class: thank you very much for your confidence.

I am an enthusiast of our Class and I am delighted to contribute to the Class life, promotion and development...........and while I ‘m looking forward to the future, I go on to dream about the FD..............

by Alberto Barenghi, IFDCO President